My goal is to be here for you, to support and help navigate through the days/weeks ahead in these unprecedented times of change and uncertainty.

16 Things to do While Sheltering in Place

  1. Get up & get dressed! It’s surprising how much more focused we can feel when we dress as if going to work. 
  2. Create a routine. There is nothing more important than setting up a routine and sticking to it. Set boundaries around work time and home time. Take lunch breaks and short breaks to stay fresh.
  3. Use the internet for virtual meetings. There are so many apps and internet programs that are free or cost effective to carry on work as normally as possible.
  4. Check out your data plan. If working from home now when you haven’t before, you may want to see what packages are better than your current one. Example, I just updated a package for my phone for just $15/month for free calls to the UK and some counties, as well as reduced costs for calls to other countries, which is much better than $3/minute!
  5. Check your passwords and internet security. Currently hackers are taking advantage and see small business as an easy target.
  6. Create a phone tree where necessary, both personal and business. Stay connected to groups that you would have seen in person.
  7. Reach out to those who are alone. Social distancing is physical only. We need social connection, reach out to a friend, family member or someone elderly.
  8. Re-prioritize and time block your day with new allocations for clients, family, business colleagues and friends. If you are home with kids, have some fun games, cooking and look online for e-learning. YouTube is a huge resource. Learn about animals, planets, history. Learn music together and sing songs. Make sure to block time for marketing and within that time block, allocate time for the specific activities.
  9. Re-plan your next 90 days. Although we don’t know what’s around the corner, have some expectations about what you want to do, achieve, have happen. Keep it fluid and expect to keep making changes over the course of the next few months.
  10. Catch up on things you have put to one side. Examples: like filing, clearing the desk, bookkeeping and other admin duties.
  11. Learn something. Catch up on CEU’s for your industry, this might spark some new creative ideas.
  12. Have virtual meetings and collaborate with strategic partners. Create an agenda of how you can help one another.
  13. Commute time now becomes exercise time. There are plenty of free online programs and classes.
  14. Take time to meditate or do some breathing exercises to reduce stress.
  15. Check in with your bank and financial institutions. There are some very good options for small business. US Bank are offering several options for small business and personal loans to help out.
  16. Stay positive, resilient, proactive and in communication. Now is not a time to be quiet.

6 Action Steps

  1. What is 1 thing that you are going to do differently today?
  2. What is 1 thing you are going to complete by the end of this week?
  3. What is 1 thing that you are going to start that you have been putting off?
  4. Who is 1 business colleague you are going to call?
  5. Who is 1 family member you are going to call?
  6. Who is 1 friend you are going to call?

7 Steps to Proactive Prioritization

  1. Brain dump everything on your mind
  2. Divide into business & personal
  3. What is urgent, what is important, (next 7 days) what can wait?
  4. Estimate time
  5. Estimate cost
  6. What’s first?
  7. Create a timeline for the rest