Negotiation around choice seemed so important then and yet how the situation has changed! Coronavirus has taken choice off the table and our world of work has engulfed our homes in a way none of us could have foreseen. If you’re a parent, school has forced its way into the home as well.
Now that everything is happening under one roof and all at the same time, how do we focus on our various roles and still deliver a good performance?
In this new living/working paradigm, the importance of transitioning well between roles and tasks has really intensified; it’s like being in a one-person play and having to pivot quickly (ideally seamlessly) between all the different parts and deliver every time. How do we do this if we’ve gotten used to having one, maybe two, well-defined and easy to compartmentalise roles?
Curiously, in these ambiguous times, how we prepare for and show up in each role is within our control. It’s about mental and emotional preparation and developing a micro-practice to set us up for success with each pivot.
Tips & tricks to try and questions to ask yourself
- Upon waking, before rising, take an extra couple of minutes before leaping into action
- Check in with yourself and think about the day ahead; how do you feel about it? Notice your emotions and any thinking that arises, especially if it is negative and may interfere. If I am anxious, I take the dog out and do deep-breathing and if I’m mentally agitated there are a couple of pieces of music that I listen to that help me quickly find a calmer state. Find the things that calm your emotions and mind and practice quick bursts to see what makes a difference.
- In this moment of preparation for the day ahead, look at how many roles you need to occupy. Which are the ones that you’re used to and do well, which are new and potentially alien (like teacher)? Perhaps try using a professional strength in the new role and see if it makes a difference. Notice the mindset shift that might be required to change tack; if you’re moving from senior leader or team manager to Year 7 history teacher, what needs to change about your demeanour, speed, tone, environment? Consider the different qualities you might need to nurture to have the new role go well for everyone; mine is ‘fun’ if it is history, ‘patience’ if it is physics!
- Find something to be grateful for; this could be that you & yours are OK and healthy, that you can access nature or that you have a space to work that you can call your own.
- If you’re used to decompressing from your day at work on your commute, what can you put in place as an alternative? The physical journey time might have changed, but you can still make a mental shift between states, although it may have to be quicker than you’re used to! What could you say to yourself to make a strong transition between professional to caring mother/father/partner? What does the role ahead of you need for it to be successful?
I find my performance is enhanced if I approach each pivot to a different role with positive self-talk; I critically assess what I’m finishing/leaving (am I ahead or behind? Thank you, Simon Sinek, for that) and as I’m physically moving towards the next role, I challenge myself with each step to look for the benefit and try to identify what I need to feel good about it.
As an optimist, I am naturally geared towards seeing the opportunity rather than the crisis and this is serving my mental equilibrium well at the moment. What I have noticed is that I’m having to work harder at it in the face of social media and mood contagion, but it is helping me keep that sense of optimism and opportunity with me.