Self-isolation due to the Coronavirus lockdown is pretty strange for most of us isn’t it? I’ve been working from home for a number of years so the stay at home side of things isn’t such a big deal for me. It also hasn’t adversely affected my income since my business is web based and sells virtual training products.
Actually I’m in a niche which caters to work from homers. If anything I’m seeing a bit of a boost in sales. I appreciate that it’s not like this for most people and wanted to offer some practical ideas on how to use this sudden glut of time you find yourself with.
Under any other conditions a 3 month break from work would be a dream come true for most people, especially when it seems that most people who are self isolating and can’t do their regular work from home will be paid 80% of their wages. Mortgage and credit card companies are offering payment holidays. Car MOT’s are on hold for 6 months – basically this needn’t be too painful to the pocket in the short term.
A Welcome Change From Time Poverty
Obviously some aspects of this – apart from the virus itself – are a drag. We can’t see friends or family socially. The weekly supermarket shop now takes 4 times as long and there are shortages on the shelves. But if you are in good health and able to access the available support you should be seriously using this situation to your advantage.
Usually time poverty is the problem rather than time abundance in the time and money equation. So if you find yourself looking at several months of paid free time in the comfort of your own home what should you do with it?
I’m sure you can think of a million things you could do with the time. Stuff you’ve been putting off or meaning to get round to for ages. Books to be read, films to watch, decorating to do, gardens to get stuck into …. a long list of possibilities. Of course if you have kids you are now also a full time teacher, entertainer and peacekeeper.
By all means do some or all of these things but do also take a little of the time to consider what the post self isolation, post corona world is going to be like. Maybe even start to pick up some new skills which might be crucial to you and your family’s survival in it.
After The Corona Lockdown
The fact is that the cost of keeping us all at home will be vast. In the UK alone the figures being being estimated are in the tens of billions for a 12 week period. It seems likely that self isolation due to the coronavirus lockdown will go well beyond this timescale for it to be effective.
How many countries can afford to provide this level support? How many businesses can survive without customers for that long? Can many people actually afford to live on 80% of their income when then mortgage holidays and other temporary savings come to an end? Don’t mean to paint a gloomy picture here but there’s no point in ignoring this.
Another global recession is surely on the cards. The last one cost me my 12 year career. There was no life threatening virus at large but I was suddenly at home without a job or income. I had to find something fast and at 48 it probably wasn’t going to be another well paid job. So as many people are doing right now I went searching online for ideas. I’d always liked the idea of working from home. The internet was already an indispensable tool to me at work and at home. Could it not also be my means of income?
Using The Lockdown Time Wisely
I’ve written elsewhere about that journey and how finding great mentors was really the key to it working out. For this post I really want to stress the real need to find trustworthy leaders, mentors and new ways of doing things. I feel that in the current situation we are in this is vital. Life is never going to be quite the same when we come out of this but the internet will be.
Who knows if and when another virus might come along. Some scientists seem to think its likely or covid19 might actually strike again. Maybe self isolation and therefore working from home will become an accepted part of life. If you have the type of job or business that can’t be done from home or in isolation of some kind what will you do when the welfare coffers and your savings run dry?
There are communities out there that have got you. I’d like to introduce to a global online community I’ve been part of for a number of years. Dedicated to helping you transition to the digital economy, this community provides everything you need: Education, mentorship, tools, systems and support – even a ready made online business you can start immediately.
You can learn more by subscribing for their free introductory video series on my link below. They’ll send you one video per day for seven days. I really can’t think of a more profitable way to spend a little of your self isolation time than this.