I am quarantining in Washington, DC and it’s been a mixed bag so far.
Pre-Quarantine
Normally, my day would start around 7am sans an alarm clock and I would spend a couple of minutes praying and meditating, and then hit my iPhone hard (because it sleeps next to me). My laptop wasn’t far away and my strategy was to tackle any important emails first-thing so I could then do follow-up later.
My pre-quarantine dressing was jeans + tee if I had a meeting, workout leggings + top + fun layer if I was doing something after my midday workout, or a throw-n-go dress if it was nicer weather….because sunshine just makes everything lighter and sexier!
Quarantine has been tricky because I am a solitary person anyway which would make people think quarantine is easy but, not so. Most days, I would get my “people interaction” time via my midday Pilates class, grabbing lunch, or arranging a meet up with a friend/colleague/potential client. That allowed me to practice my manners and socializing skills LOL, and get a little taste of human contact.
Generally, I stayed connected with my small group of friends via text or phone, and planning an occasional get together. Warm weather meant more invites even if everyone wasn’t free. Somewhere during the day, weather-permitting, I would get a fast walk in (3-5 miles) and the bulk of the day was spent thinking and laying groundwork for connecting with potential clients. I rarely did social media stuff or updated my blog (smh).
What I looked forward to the most on any given day was laughing, plotting travel and vacations, and shopping for clients!
Post-Quarantine
The days start much differently than before…..first, the days start much later likely because the nights go much longer (I’ll get to that momentarily). I now don’t sleep with my laptop next to me – it stays in the office. Post-quarantine, I came to understand that I needed to separate work from downtime so, keeping the laptop someplace else made it easier to implement that rule. Also, since I generally don’t get up until 8/8:30am now, I spend a little more time praying and meditating, and never touch my phone before 9am!
Getting dress is only slightly different for me because I don’t have any “outings” to plan for or midday workout sessions. That initially led to me being lazy (as in pajamas equal WFH gear). That got old fast and now, the new norm is twofold: I keep a tee + stretchy bottoms at the foot of my bed so I can throw that on and I head into the “office” to work. The mere act of getting dressed creates a small shift in my brain.
I now limit my work to about seven hours per day and do a lot more proactive planning. Given I have no speeches to write, no presentations to craft, no clients looking for clothes for an event, I’ve need to figure new ways to generate income. Thus, my focus has been on proactively sharing key wfh pieces with clients, tightening up my IG game with more quality content and listening to self-help videos and watching videos, and (the BIG project) of finishing up my book!! I’m also nailing down tech to do webinars…..
I have up and down days and my eating has been, for the most part, constant LOL so I’ve implemented ordering meals so I can stay out of the kitchen and stop snacking like a crazy woman. I’ve implemented longer walks (weather-permitting) and a few new endeavors to feel good about myself including actually washing my face (don’t judge me!) and putting on lipstick, doing more masks, and doing my own hair (I even gave myself a relaxer!!).
The number of texts has tripled, the volume of calls has remained the same, and the number of FaceTime and Zoom calls has risen expontentially. It’s the new normal and I’m ok with that….sometimes ‘seeing’ each other regardless of how cray we look is comforting. All that said, what I’m most looking forward to finishing my yard (it’s been an eye sore!) so I can sit outside, invite people over for BBQ or just morning coffee even if it’s 6 ft apart, and laughing with friends about how much we love the new normal!
The biggest change for me, and happily, is the desire/need to be more professionally proactive and more personally attuned to looking good because it makes me feel good…even when I’m home!
WHAT ABOUT YOU? WHAT’S YOUR BIGGEST CHANGE?!
