Here we are—40-ish days into this COVID-19 crisis, on this first day of May, most of us working from different places and in different ways… with folks who are also working from different places and in different ways. What lessons have you learned?
How Are You?
We didn’t start with this question this week—but it’s a question I have tried to bring in as a starting point with all my conversations, and did so again with this week’s reader poll—I asked how everyone was “doing.” Now, more than one answer was permitted, but—at least this week, readers said:
36% - I’m good.
29% - There are good days & not-so-good days.
24% - What day IS it, anyway?
23% - I’m great.
21% - I’m hanging in there.
9% - I’m as good as can be expected.
I have been working from home for 2 years, so this in nothing new. I have already adapted, explained one reader. But then many hadn’t done so—and even among those who have, it’s arguably different when EVERYONE is working from home. Here’s a sampling of the comments:
More concerned with my kids and their school (or lack thereof) and managing my daughter’s loss of her senior year. Work is great—it’s the other stuff that derailed her senior year that gets me down sometimes.
I marvel at how lucky my family is, that both my husband’s and my jobs are secure (for the moment). It’s not easy, especially for the kids but I am moved by their resilience and adaptability.
Most of us are likely over the initial shock and frustration. We should hopefully be coming out on the other side and beginning the “acceptance” phase of this thing.
Though I live in a COVID-19 hotspot (New Jersey) the fact that I live in a rural area and have been working from home for over a decade made me much better prepared to deal with the pandemic than others, And I am extremely grateful!
Hard to focus some days with the whole family home. Two parents working and three kids attending virtual school.
I’m an introvert so I’m thriving in this current environment. As a manager, though, it’s been hard for me to remember that other people’s personalities are different than mine and other people might be struggling. It’s a process.
I live alone and am an extrovert with a very people-oriented job and a busy social life. This is really hard. I talk with my other single friends about the profound effect the lack of human contact is having on our mental health and how to be aware and try to deal with it. I’m a hugger, so you can only imagine how starved I am. I do believe it will make me appreciate every moment I have with people and be fully present on the other side.
The good days/bad days would be the best summary. I can definitely feel the mental toll taking places, trying to manage work, home schooling, normal life responsibilities... but then realizing it feels like being trapped in a cage.
WFH (working from home) is not all it’s cracked up to be. There is a lot to be said for human interaction, and even though it might take a while to get back to ‘normal,’ I think eventually the new normal won’t be that far away from the old normal.
I’m doing really well, actually. I am enjoying having my adult children (who are both not working) hanging out around the house. Keeping busy, playing some golf (finally a little slower here) and exercising.
Sometimes great (and grateful), sometimes I am only good and I then have to reset... we will get through this and it would be best to get through it with a ‘testimony’ not a bunch of ‘mony’ – Dr. Kevin Elko.
The weekdays blend together but it is always nice when Saturday comes along. We are all human so to have good days and bad days are normal. I am happy that I have more good days then bad.
I’m healthy and still have a job so I can’t complain. I feel for everyone out there that has been directly impacted by the pandemic especially those who have lost loved ones.
Today I am feeling pretty good. Yesterday was quiet. I was able to get a lot of normal non-CARES work done. It may just be the calm before the storm, but I am trying to enjoy it. It helps that spring is finally here and the sun is out.
I’m doing well for the most part and enjoy working at home. The benefits for me include NOT having to do any of these: commuting, wearing makeup and putting on work clothes. The downside for me is having to cook and clean all the time, but I think I’m eating better and healthier because I have to cook and clean more so I guess it’s not too bad really. I’ve also gotten addicted to online shopping now since most retail stores are closed, but hopefully this too shall pass (otherwise my bank accounts and credit cards will mirror the stock market volatility!).
Me and my husband are healthy, both gainfully employed and saving more money than before this mess started. Looking to enjoying life with a vengeance when this subsides!
My dad has always said, “Things are never as good as you think they are and they are never as bad as you think they are.” I recognize now more than ever... It is all in my perspective.
We see tremendous opportunity to get better and improve our process and systems during this time. Plan Sponsors seem to be more engaged with their plans, maybe due to extra time they would not normally have.
Going with the flow. Lucky that my family is all healthy and all employed. The unknown is hard.
I never thought going to physical therapy for my muscle rehab would be the highlight of my week. lol
I’m fortunate to be in a position to help employers that have a retirement plan in place for their employees and helping them with solving problems. This is an ugly period and business owners need trusted advisors to have conversations with about what to do and how to plan ahead.
Asking questions and truly listening has helped with empathetic responses that can turn conversations into positive interactions. I think we’re all looking for hope and we can literally talk ourselves and others into seeing the silver lining and future opportunities.
No daycare is TOUGH. It seems like there are two very different quarantine experiences right now. On one side, you have the working parent who is also trying to take care of or educate their child, and on the other side you have those without kids who are bored and isolated. No one is winning, but I’d rather have time to pick up a new hobby right now...
I’m maintaining business and keeping up with deliverables and regulatory filings but this is definitely not the optimal setting. I would rather be in the office.
At first I was in a funk and could not buy in to the stay at home order. One night, my sister’s family that lives about 2 hours away connected with my family via Houseparty. We had so much fun and seeing other people’s faces vs. your family’s faces (don’t get me wrong, love my family to death, but... LOL!) helped me out of the funk. I try now to regularly connect with a family member or friend via FaceTime vs texting or calling them. It helps to lighten the same old day and great to see their faces.
There are days all my tricks work and there are days I can’t seem to focus no matter how hard I try.
I’m doing awesome even though some days blend together and I’m not sure what day it is. Still blessed!!
Work wise I’m great, but I do find it very easy to lose track of days, times, etc. My extra challenge is having a chronically ill spouse at home, which therefore puts all responsibility on me to care for him, to ensure our 2nd grader is accomplishing his school assignments, plus keep the household in order. Add working 45-50 hours a week in there and it can be a bit much some days. I have no doubt we will get through this stronger than before, so I’m eagerly looking for the other side to get here!
April is a busy month for my firm. We’ve still be working from the office (we’re small and spread out), so we haven’t lost the days of the week yet. But it’s still hard to balance everyone else’s changes!
It seems more relaxed with employees and clients, no mad dash rushing for meetings, reports, etc.
Part of me would like to get back to normal. There are parts of me that doesn’t miss the chaos of normal life.
With everything about teamwork being different, coupled with all of the new details about PPP loans, CARES loans and distributions, and tax time, I got totally out of my rhythm and so I’m working a lot more hours.
Just trying to get through one day at a time :)
Definitely getting work done but not as productive as I am usually. Focus on work is much harder and I seem to be working all the time.
Mostly I’m good - but there are moments when I am very productive and other times where I have to ‘encourage’ myself!
We are blessed to have a house with a yard and plenty of resources. Our son is an only child and has special needs so it’s very challenging to manage his schooling along with work, but faith is my foundation for hope and joy when I have down moments.
Consider myself very fortunate, compared to others. My family is healthy, I’m happily employed, the weather is getting nicer, and I’ve reconnected with some old friends to say hello.
I really, really miss seeing people in person. I feel so fortunate to be working and for video conference.
With the office in the kitchen, it is hard to separate work from home and I tend to work every day.
This COVID pandemic has been stressful both personally and professionally. It’s created additional demands at work, but we are also trying to cope with the additional personal demands of sheltering in place with family, being alone, or simply getting stir crazy and wanting to go out. It’s a juggling act, and some days you juggle better than others. Some days, you mentally are strained to capacity. I’ve been trying to take it literally day-by-day.
Ugh. Some days almost seem like normal if I’m managing to get a good amount of work done from my dining room, in my work clothes, and then maybe head out for a run and later have some family time after dinner like usual. But other days I just feel overwhelmed by the challenge of it all with no end in sight. I miss my extended family and friends and all we used to do together, and that gets to be hard to take.
I work in an essential business and have not been required to quarantine at home. Going to work every day is a blessing and keeps me on balance!
Tools
Asked if this period had provided some insights into new tools or applications, Zoom, Skype, Microsoft Teams, and Go to Webinar were widely cited (one reader noted that “Zoom has been a life saver... we never used it before but has helped in every aspect of business!”—although another reader commented: “Zoom is vastly overrated...”). One reader explained, “Nothing new, I’m just glad my clients are now embracing it much more!”
On the other hand, another reader noted, “I have worked remotely for 21 year and have never needed this stuff and still do not. I don’t have to see you to talk to you.”
Among the hazards of teleworking, one reader shared, “My dog ate my webcam so I need to learn how to angle the new one.”
Tips
This week we also asked readers about any tips they had to share…. At a high level, exercise/eating well, setting—and keeping—a regular schedule, checking in with people—and clients—and so much more! Check them out here.
Other Comments
And to close us out, we got a number of other reader comments and insights from this difficult, critical, and yet resilient period:
Boundaries: When you and your loved ones are forced to spend most of the waking hours together, it is important to allow time for each person to have their space and time to themselves.
Keep a sense of humor, levity goes a long way.
We have two retirement plan subject matter experts in the firm; I am one. The other left the firm literally days before the pandemic hit (no, he didn’t see what was coming...). So yeah, I’ve been JUST A TAD busy...
Happy hours with friends and family and co-workers have helped me survive.
Try not to watch or read too much news.
I’ve heard from others and agree that sticking with a somewhat normal routine is a big part of managing everything. Even though we can basically roll out of bed and work in our PJ’s on most day... getting up at a normal work day time, showering and getting dressed does help psychologically in making things seem “normal.” Exercise in some way, shape or form is critical and mental breaks.
At the end of every day I make sure my last thoughts before turning out the light are full of gratitude. With so many suffering right now, it’s hard to be anything but grateful.
Stay positive, take walks every day; do a 7 minute workout. Have a cup of tea at 3pm :) (maybe even with some ‘remote’ friends....)
Stay positive! We will get through this.
Surround yourself with positive people and help others. If you do good, you will feel good and it will help us all get through this together.
Attitude is everything.
I hate going to the grocery store!
I work on a team of advisors—we have a Monday morning Zoom meeting every Monday AM to touch base and then we each send a wrap up email at the end of the day detailing what we’re working on so we can keep each other in the loop and that has worked well for us.
Counting our blessings, reaching out to peers, checking in on older neighbors, sewing masks, happy hours with boards and friends, watching lots of movies, catching up on reading, quarantine-binge-baking.
We really need some additional sunlight in northeast—if you’re living somewhere where there’s an abundance, please send our way, thanks.
Unplugging each day helps me so much.
We do takeout once a week for dinner at a local business and I have been active in buying local for a number of years.
Get outside as much as you can.
I’m happy to report that my two teenagers and I have successfully sheltered together for 6 weeks and not had an argument! We may get on each other’s nerves, but we’ve also been able to give each other “alone time” to keep tempers down. That is both a learned art and a blessing! We have enough other things to be upset about that we don’t need to take it out on each other.
My new co-workers (my kids) keep unusual business hours and seem to eat constantly. They also brought a guest chair into my (home) office so that they can provide project updates throughout the day.
The consulting practices that are present and engaged in client activity, and those that can succinctly articulate all that they did for their clients during the pandemic, will be the “winners” once we get on the other side of all of this.
This experience has taught me to be very flexible and to be very empathetic to how everyone else is experiencing this in a different way.
Exercising and getting outside also have helped with not getting into hibernation mode.
Again, in our industry we need to be grateful for our health, our family’s health, our ability to keep working, and strive to help those who need us.
Hug the dog!
We have been focused on participants with as much outreach as possible. This may be somewhat overwhelming to the participant but we are finding extra purpose in providing a helping ear during these difficult times. The discussions are now rarely about markets & savings as they are more about life goals. We weren’t really getting into that level of discussions previously.
Taking time every day to be grateful for what I have and trying to help out those that need it.
Find a way to start your day on a positive note! Keep yourself informed of what’s going on in the world, but don’t overload yourself with the news feeds. (There is never anything positive shared there!) If you need help, don’t be afraid to reach out and let people know what you need. We truly are all in this together, if we let ourselves be!
This is temporary. Manage expectations. Give an overachiever a thumbs-up; they’re struggling right now. Check in on family, friends, co-workers and clients.
Man I miss live sports!
Proud to be part of an industry that truly cares about the wellbeing of participants. For over 30 years I have seen the changes to help build stable retirement income sources for people, yet in these times we are willing to recognize there is a new normal. We can still be cautious but we realize times are changing, at least for the near future.
Keep a routine and schedule. It helps everyone in the house focus.
Routine and structure are critical. Make sure you have a solid morning routine to get your day started. And create a schedule so everyone knows when you are working—and when you aren’t. This is really important if you have family responsibilities at this time as well.
Life is simpler, I am not as worried about more superficial things, but I can’t wait to get back to church, clients, and friends.
“The most courageous decision that you can make each day is to be in a good mood.” – Voltaire
This too shall pass. That’s what I try to remind myself. Whatever the duration of this crisis, it will end. We will be able to see friends and family again, go to concerts and sporting events, go out for dinner. We just have to be patient and diligent.
I imagine at some point with no vaccine and no hope to escape the new abnormal, people will go out and just start hugging each other. Either we get it and die or get it and don’t die, but eventually the virus comes to an end and whoever’s left gets to start over. But maybe I’ve been reading too many sci-fi books.
I’m ready for a ROAD TRIP!!! Anyone else want to join me? :)
Thanks to EVERYONE who participated in this week’s NAPA-Net Reader Poll!
