What now?! (Corona Edition)
Coronavirus has got us all like …
In the UK we are now part way through week 4 of the official lockdown … Personally, I’m into week 5 as I made the decision to move Essex Vocal Coaching over to online teaching the week before the Schools closed. We wanted to make sure we had everything we needed before they made the official announcement and our movement was restricted to the point that we couldn’t get out and get the equipment we might need. Plus looking at the rest of the world, it felt like the right thing to do.
As with everyone, I’m finding it all a challenge - some days more than others. However, what it has given all of us is two things: perspective and time.
Perspective has allowed me to see what’s most important, not only the obvious stuff like looking after my family, close friends or anyone around me who is vulnerable or lonely; but also the stuff I should be focussing on for myself.
So, onto the question of this article … What now?!
As well as being a creative, my brain works in a really logical sense. This allows me to categorise tasks, make lists and see the light at the end of the tunnel. Here is my process:
Get organised: make three lists …
A list of the most important stuff … “get Mum’s shopping ‘ “ Pick up Aunties prescription” “Go to work” “ exercise” blah blah blah!
A list of all the things you want to focus on …. “maintaining my voice” “learn new songs” “write new songs” “learn a new skill” “sew scrubs for the NHS” “write a new blog entry” “Baking”
A list of all the things you do NOT want to focus on …. “Netflix” “Meme’s about the Tiger King” “Opening the fridge door” “Rating biscuits in order of preference”
Prioritise: the best place to start here is from list number three. Once you identify the amount of time you spend on the tasks you do not want to focus on, you’ll open your timetable. I see list number three as a series of open doors in a corridor that I’m trying to get to the end of: the doors are in the way and need shutting … I’m not perfect … some of the Tiger King meme’s are still making their way into my day! See point four for this….
Plan: You’re now left with list one and two. List one is always going to take priority, so once you have a daily timetable of all the important stuff, you’ll be faced with a number of daily openings in your diary. These can simply be plugged with items from list two! My main priority from this list is maintaining my voice and staying vocally ready. There’s another blog post coming on this very soon…
Laugh. This really is the best medicine. Staying upbeat and positive is feeling like a task in itself some days, therefore staying somewhat connected to these distractions can really help. My friends and I are currently re-creating our favourite movie scenes with the items we have around us, with some hilarious consequences. This not only gives us something creative to do, it’s also giving us some proper belly laughs!
There you have it. This is my current experience and plan. I’d love to hear from you with any of your own experiences. Please drop any pearls of wisdom in the comments section below.
In the meantime, here’s one of our favourite list 4 findings …