Living inside a Glass Cage
Living inside a Glass Cage
4 reflections to understand the new remote life
How are you? (No, don’t tell me you are fine). Is your company operational? (Don’t tell me you’re 100% either). No, we are not fine. In our case, working remotely is not a problem. We have been designing digital experiences remotely for international clients for a long time, but no, we cannot be well.
Pretending that nothing is happening may help us today but in the long run, it will knock us out. Please just stop for a moment. We share 4 reflections that can help you understand your new remote life.
Fuck productivity
You may have already read many tips on how to stay productive remotely and the best practices of remote agencies. Most are designed for working remotely and come from experts or marine professionals who spend months inside a boat. You are in the midst of a global pandemic. Your main objective is not to stay productive during it, but to get out of it without losing your mind. Take care, take your time.
Be aware that confinement may be longer than Governments have announced. Put work aside for a moment and start reflecting on your fears or concerns. Acknowledge it: this moment is not normal. The sooner you face your doubts and fears, the sooner you will be able to reconnect with your previous life and work. It seems like a contradiction, but becoming aware will actually make you much more productive.
🎲GAME – Draw on a post-it how you feel each day. Stick them on a wall and at the end of the confinement, you’ll see how you have evolved. There will be bad days but also very good ones. If you want you can share your post-its using the hashtag #RemoteLivesFF
The glass cage
In the current situation, you’re trapped inside your home. The outside world has been reduced to what you see through the glass of your window and digital screens. A glass cage where social networks and the media control your perception of reality. Today more than ever, ensure and verify that your information sources are reliable and avoid falling into the infinite scroll that the internet pushes us to. What if you turn off your phone? Maybe you’ll see your double chin reflected on the screen. Or maybe you’ll realize there’s a person sitting next to you.
Stay at home, please. It’s hard feeling trapped. Although if you think about it, you can take advantage of the situation to reconnect with yourself or with the people you live with. Rediscover them. Lose track of time in long conversations and, if you have children, let them take you to lost islands or haunted castles.
🎲GAME – Travel with your imagination. Design exceptional experiences at home. Have a picnic under the dining room table. Watch videos of natural environments on the TV. Or sleep with your whole family in a big cabin on the sofa.
Future reset
Take advantage of this global break to pause your life. It’s a difficult moment but you can take advantage and think about your future, now that the rhythm of the world has slowed down. Where is your life going? What would you change? Find your weak spots and think of possible solutions to existential HMW questions. How could I be happier? How could I spend more time with my friends? How could I help others?
If you think about it, it is a unique moment in history we’re living and surely it’s a major turning point for many people. You are in a chrysalis. Reinvent yourself in the new era that begins after COVID-19.
🎲GAME – Create your new life roadmap. Set yourself long-term goals and list short-term actions or steps that can get you closer to achieving them. Simple things, things you know you can do. You are in front of the perfect setting to redefine your future.
Just don’t do it®
The current lifestyle is based on killing time, it’s based on doing 10 things at once. You work all day, but it is not enough and you have to do a Masters. You rarely had time to stay at home. Don’t you know what to do at home? Turn off the TV and stop living the stories of others. Stop accepting meetings or stop creating impossible schedules. What if you do nothing?
Get bored. Rest well. Sleep. Give your mind a break from all the accumulated stress. Forget all your passwords. Forget everything but yourself. Breathe. Empty your mind with painting or writing. But don’t think about your profile. Better yet, inspire yourself. There is nobody watching you, nobody will give you a like. Whatever you think you have to do, repeat with me: just don’t do it.
🎲GAME – Didn’t you read? Stop looking for games and distractions. Close your eyes and don’t do anything! 😴
