Writing Time 8pm 24/03/2020, when the PM announced 21-day lock down.
Dear CIO and all Friends, whether by choice or by decree, you are probably doing your duty by working from home and self-isolating in your house.
Either way, the current situation with COVID-19 is serious, and we all need to take it that way.
Sure, relaxing and distracting yourself with a little binge watching isn’t a bad idea, especially if what is going on is making you anxious or stressed. But you can also spend this extra time at home focusing on more productive things, like Yoga, Exercise, Gardening, Book reading, cooking etc.
Dear Friends, wash your hands, cover your cough, don’t go out and be productive.
In the age of Covid-19 and social distancing, many of us are renegotiating our daily interactions with other people. In a professional context, that might mean foregoing a hand shake and accepted Indian Pranam, make distance of 1 meter. How do you navigate this potentially awkward situation? First, accept that it’s going to be uncomfortable. You may worry that you are making a bad impression or sending an unfriendly message. Decide ahead of time what you are comfortable doing, so you don’t end up following the other persons lead. You might try giving a quick wave before returning your hand to your pocket or simply putting your hand on your chest, and then saying something like.
Dear CIOs, following here are some positive and productive things you can do while cooped up in self-quarantine.
Meditate and Pray
The benefits of dedicating time to meditation or prayer are numerous and have been proven in studies over and over again. To truly do nothing but meditate or pray can seem impossible to fit in between the rush to get out the door the morning, eight busy hours at the office and getting the kids to cricket/Kabadi practice daily. I am doing Sudarshan kriya daily and samadhi and reading Shri Mad Bhagwat Geeta.
Exercise at home.
Gym completely closed, and you may not have exercise equipment or dumbbells at home. Don’t worry, though, because there are plenty of ways to stay in shape without weights. Browse YouTube for workout videos, or join an online fitness community. I am running on my tread mills or I have some GYM Equipments and making myself in shape. The important thing is that you keep moving, get your blood pumping and sweat as much as you can. This will benefit your mind and body equally.
Go for a walk or run.
You can safely go outside while avoiding close contact with other people and touching surfaces that may be infected, and sometimes, this is the best thing you can do for your mental health. I am running in my colony, treadmill and all.
Read Something Innovative
We all CIOs are very busy every time, how often have you said you wanted to read more, but you didn’t have the time? On the bright side of all of this, you’ve just been granted nothing but time! So set aside a block of it each day to read a book. I am reading so many entrepreneurship books, Gita and all and motivate to make safe in these 21 days. Some are sending on WhatsApp, lots of old novel and books.
Do a passion project.
Not everyone is lucky enough to call their career or job their passion, but everyone has a passion. Maybe you want to start a home bakery, panting, kitchen work, cooking, cleaning of home, use this time to try new recipes and create marketing materials to introduce your creations to the world. You don’t have to complete whatever project you start in the amount of time we are on lockdown for 21 days, but you can definitely get the ball rolling and really create some momentum that would allow you to finish it soon.
Learn a new skill.
The business world is rapidly changing and new skills are needed constantly, but it can be nearly impossible to learn something new while you’re just trying to keep your head above water at work. This is the right time to focus on our GAP for video conferencing, business continuity plan, online coding class, practice your video editing skills, or start learning a foreign language now or aws/Azure certification. There are lots of ways to teach yourself, with blogs, apps and online courses at your fingertips. I am dedicated these days to learn new thing in entrepreneurship and improve my writing skills.
Do a brain stimulating activity.
It is just as important to exercise your mind as it is your body. Watching TV and scrolling on your phone do the opposite and wasting lots of time, and the mindless activity can even make you feel depressed and anxious. So break out that big puzzle you have been putting off for 21 days, play a board game with your family, or find some brain games online or in the App Store to stay sharp and boost your mental energy.
Practice self discipline, Create New Goals.
There are many different ways self-discipline can manifest itself, but this is key: Go to bed on time, and wake up early. This problem is a global problem and make sure you make sure locked down for 21 days and support to your family and friends. This is the right time to think and create your next goals etc.
Limit your social media intake.
Social media has its benefits in a time like this, when information is at a premium, so if you follow trusted sources that can provide you with factual, up to date information, then by all means, keep yourself informed.
But you also probably follow people who are spreading misinformation like wildfire, WhatsApp and Kaizala can create lots of problem. Follow specific information, true information, whether it is the guy who says this whole thing is a conspiracy designed to cause panic, or it is the person doing the opposite and spreading panic to all, getting wrong information and spreading like wildfire.
You write some good articles and good information etc on LinkedIn and Facebook. Post your good family and children photo etc. Being stuck at home can take a toll on your mental health, and engaging in conversations designed to make you angry, or afraid, is not going to benefit you. So curate your feed, and unfollow and unfriend those people who are using these extraordinary circumstances to be extraordinarily unhelpful.
Tidy up.
Most CIOs have a list of things in their head that they would do if only they had the time. Go through yours and write down things you did like to accomplish in the coming days. Maybe we are all home bound for a 21 days, maybe it lasts much longer, but no matter what, we all want to come out of this healthy, happy, and ready to get back to doing the work that will need to be done in our families, communities and companies.
And our last commitment
Be kind and donate foods etc.
These ideas are in no particular order, however this one may be one of the most important during a crisis. When you are isolated, it can be easy to become bitter and angry, or to be more selfish and look out for only yourself. We have already seen it with the incredible hoarding of supplies by people who took much more than they needed, leaving little to no essentials for others. Practice kindness on a daily basis, home alone or not.
Also, call your family, grandparents, friends. Or your mom and dad, or anyone you know who is especially at risk of complications from this corona virus. Check in on elderly neighbors, while keeping your distance. If they need supplies and feel unsafe going to the store, offer to go for them.
Help in these 21 days and where you can, and disinfect everything.
Dear All, I am going out of the way and helping CIOs and other community members for their special IT needs during this downtime. Do contact me for your any help. PAN India Service.
Authored By: Chitranjan Kesari, Founder kestech.in and Chief Executive Officer.
