Welcome to Y2K v2.0
The world has changed in the past few weeks, Duh! I would be remiss in my duties as a Technology blogger if I did not spend a few minutes throwing out some thoughts.
Working from Home – Over the past few weeks, Covid-19 pushed most of the workforce home to work for an extended period. Some for the first time. I have worked from home for years. It took some time to acclimate. I had to minimize distractions and make my home office look like a work office. For those of you that are struggling with our new, albeit temporary normal, here are some suggestions:
- Create visual clues that you are at work – I bought a pole lamp and when that lamp is on, I am at work. When I turn it off, I am at home. It is a silly thing, but it works. It provides a visual indication of where my mind needs to be.
- Maintain a fixed daily routine – It helps to maintain a fixed daily routine. Get up the same time every day (early). Follow a fixed morning ritual: exercise, shower, get dressed, eat breakfast, pray, read, plan the day (I use Todoist), and start to work at the same time (for me that’s 7:00am).
- Take sanity breaks – Break up the day with other activities. Take 5 minutes to empty the dishwasher or vacuum. Take a mdi-day walk. Strum your guitar. Get out of your home office and eat lunch somewhere else, outside if possible.
- Stay in touch with people – I hate political correctness! Can we please stop “Social Distancing” as a term and a practice? Email, Skype, FaceTime, Zoom, Teams, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and phone call are all very Social and 100% safe. Keep your loved ones as close as possible. Check in on people. Be as “Social” as you wish. Staying 6 feet apart is a great idea but is has nothing to do with Social Distancing. A more appropriate term is “Physical Buffering”. Let’s go with that concept. Better, let’s use the non-politically correct term: “Go stand over there”. Let the Socializing begin!!!
The Silver Lining to the Covid19 Cloud – The post-covid19 world will be different for a while. People will no longer take for granted the ability to run out and grab a pizza and drinks with friends, or to go visit family for Sunday dinners. Huggers will cherish their hugs a little bit more. If history teaches us anything, it is that we will eventually, sooner rather than later, revert back to our old habits and attitudes. We will again take things for granted. However, one silver lining is that we have proven that we can make an impact on the earth. Since the stay-at-home directives, canals in Venice are clear, clean and filled with fish again. Pollution in major cities is way down. Auto emissions is at an all-time low. People helping other people and being empathetic towards others’ needs are at an all-time high. Let’s all promise to make sure those do not change.
The Y2K of 2020 – From an IT perspective – we knocked it out of the park getting everyone working remotely, almost immediately and with no warning. Corporate America learned that Technology empowers people to be as productive from home as from the office. Communications and collaboration do not suffer because I can’t see your face. When this is over, and it will be over, people will remember this as an inconvenience that came and went. And please understand that I do minimize the impact of the tragic loss of lives. IT will remember the work and the hoops through which we jumped to make it happen, mostly without incident and without fanfare. For those old enough to remember, this will be the Y2K of 2020.
If you wish to share any of you tips for working from home or anecdotes on your experiences through this time, please reach out to me by clicking a link below or by email at:
Thanks and please stay safe and healthy while taking care of each other, John