Lockdown – Ep.4 A New Hope
I’ve avoided writing about the COVID-19 lockdown until now, purely as there have been so many excellent articles, reflections and general how-to posts that I didn’t want to distract from them with my own words.
In the UK this is the fifth Monday of lockdown, and the novelty of working from home is definitely wearing thin. I’ve recreated my home office I had a couple of years ago, which worked really well for me for over 7 months. This time, however, the house is not empty. We’re all here trying to work and learn and live in the same space. We’re lucky that we have a house where we can all find space to be alone and get on with what we need. It’s not ideal but it is easily managed. We are certainly learning to live and work in close proximity – it feels good and we are certainly learning a lot about each other.
I have my work laptop connected (finally) to my personal iMac so I can work across two screens, replicating my office set up. I have a view and a window that opens. I can take my work to another part of the house or even the garden if I want a break, but I am conscious of the impact that has on the family … I may be working but I’m also in their ‘home’ space if they’ve finished for the day.
I am connected with Coventry colleagues through email, MS Teams (chat, files, video calls), LinkedIn, Twitter, Sharepoint, etc. I actually had a phonecall recently, a no-nonsense voice-only phonecall. It felt so ‘old’ and made me realise that everything has been video-on by default, even family calls have been video-based.
I am connected to the rest of the world through a (touch wood) pretty stable internet connection, and I am fully aware of how lucky I am, not only here but in everything that is helping me work and provide for my family during these times. I am taking one walk per day, as recommended, but I do admit to cheating in that I am also getting back on my bike thanks to a cycle trainer I bought years ago and left at the back of my garage. I can exercise without leaving home.
What does all this mean? Put simply, I am doing as I’m asked. I’m staying ‘socially distanced’ from friends, colleagues, and family. I’m not going to the shops and I’m not driving to the shops or country park or coast. In fact, I’m not driving. The car hasn’t moved in weeks, it hasn’t been cleaned either, which makes it the dirtiest car in the neighbourhood … everyone else around here has been spending time cleaning cars and windows, pruning hedges, cleaning driveways, etc. I am houseproud, but our house is looking quite neglected at the moment.
I’m also working so hard and being reactive to the situation we’re in that I don’t feel I’ve time to think really deeply about what is going on around the world. In some ways this is good, I don’t have time to think of the (current) 16,000 deaths in the UK from COVID-19. I’m not thinking of the mistakes being made by the very people who should be protecting us. I’m just doing enough to get by,
Here are a few articles and posts that have helped me work out the start of rhythm or routine. I’m not there yet, but it’s a start:
- ‘I can’t go on. I’ll go on’ Brenna Clarke Gray
- ‘Can all the lockdown motivators get lost’ Kelly Parnell
- ‘The UK will change after coronavirus. But we have to fight to make it a change for the better’ Owen Jones
- ‘How too many virtual meetings can cause employee productivity to plummet’ N. Mendoza
- ‘Staying up late reading scary news? There’s a word for that: ‘doomscrolling’.’ Paige Leskin
- ‘There is no returning to normal after COVID-19. But there is a path forward’ Marco Ablani
- ‘This is the end of the office as we know it’ Rani Molla
- ‘How to Create Healthy Habits That Strengthen Your Family (Part 1)’ Cheryl Butler
- ‘The Lockdown Diaries week 4: more global video conferencing and some video resources’ Sheila Macneill
- ‘The Coronavirus Pandemic Has Unleashed A Revolution In Education: From Now On, Blended Learning Will Be The Benchmark’ Enrique Dans
- ‘Coaching is even more important in a time of crisis’ Ian Day
- ‘The Critical Points: The upsides of quarantine’ Richard Kerr
Whatever you are doing, I hope you are well and staying indoors and staying safe. This disease is not going to go away anytime soon, it is not going to be ‘cured’ by words or reopening schools and shops before the scientists can get a vaccine. We need leadership based on what is good for us, not what is good for the few lobbyists and billionaire CEOs. We are reliant on individuals who are putting themselves in harm’s way, day in day out, to keep the rest of us safe. The least we can do is stay home and not add to their work. They are the heroes we need.
PS. The title for this post seemed appropriate … it feels like we’re in the middle of something big, something that had a beginning we’re not aware of (yet) and an unknown future. A bit like ‘Star Wars Episode 4, A New Hope’ (when it was eventually called that). Let’s hope the prequels and sequels are more meaningful and feel like they belong to the new world we’re finding ourselves in?
Image source: David Hopkins
