Making the Most of Your Quarantine Time

Before the virus, there was traffic on our street all day long. People were going and coming to the college, the corporate headquarters, the plant, and downtown businesses. There's almost no traffic now. It's blessedly, but eerily, quiet.

For most of us, life and work changed almost in the blink of an eye. It's the Time of the Coronavirus. However it ends and whatever comes next, we will remember this time the way my parents remembered the Great Depression.

We worry about the virus itself and whether it will carry off us or our loved ones. Yesterday I heard from a friend whose client died from the virus. We worry about loved ones who are especially vulnerable. We must do more than worry. We must adapt.

So many things are different. Many of us are learning to work in new ways. We're working at home, sometimes in isolation for the first time. We're adapting to a life without major social events. But there's always something that we can do.

My mother developed her philosophy of life in the Depression. After that time, she asked a simple question whenever she faced adversity: "What good can we make of this?" That's our question, as we face the suddenly new Time of the Coronavirus.

What good can we make of this? Here are some ways to answer that question.

Master New Technology

For years, we've had technology that would enable us to do some things differently. We've been able to buy all kinds of things online and have them delivered. We've been able to do most of our banking without a trip to the local branch. We've been able to take courses and meet with others without going anywhere but our computer.

We could have mastered those technologies before. They would have made our lives easier. Now we have no choice.

Take Time to Reflect

For years, things seemed to get more and more frantic just about every day. The world and business were always on, 24/7. We struggled to keep up. Now, many of our social events and meetings have been cancelled. We have blocks of time to ourselves. It's a great time to reflect.

Make some time to sit by yourself and think. Use a journal to capture your thoughts and ideas. Imagine what could be and what you could be.

Learn

Got time on your hands? Don't plop down on the sofa and reach for the remote. Read. Read a book you've always wanted to read. Read a book that will stretch your mind. Read long-form articles from great magazines that you can find on the web.

Speaking of the web, many webinars that used to cost money are now available for free. Check them out and see what you can learn. Watch a TED talk or two or three. There's a boatload of instructional videos on YouTube. Search for something you want to learn how to do. You're bound to find help. There’s a lot out there.

Bottom Line

You don't have any choice about whether you're quarantined or locked down and left to your own devices. You have a choice. You can use this time to become a better you or fritter it away on things of no consequence. What good will you make of this?