Life on Screen

01.10.2020

So, lockdown….I don’t know about you but I have really struggled. I am an extrovert and always very busy – I literally don’t stop. Week 3 of lockdown, I honestly felt like I was having a breakdown. With everything on pause around me, I was suddenly focussed on looking inward and reflecting…I found this challenging and uncomfortable.
I felt guilty about being furloughed, even though the home schooling was less of a burden without the pressure of work, I felt like I was letting people down. We are such a tight team – it felt awful thinking others were picking up the slack. And I’m not a teacher (I have no patience) and I felt like I was failing at that and arguing with my children so failing there too. Generally sucking at life.
I am acutely aware that my story is not unique and actually compared to thousands of others, I have not had a rough deal. I was not ill, my family were safe and well. I had much to be thankful for.
I was glad for the phased return to work. Much of our delivery has moved online – as have team meetings. This is when my latest obsession began – the lack of symmetry of my face! And the lines! My God, zoom is friend to no one…..

Now, if ten years ago you told me I’d be writing an article titled ‘life on screen’, I would have thought I’d be regaling my Oscar nominated performances not detailing working life post pandemic.

I was chatting with one of our lovely associates after completing a session last week and I commented that whilst it’s great to deliver for our clients, the screen connection is just so tiring. Am I alone on this? I feel like I really have to concentrate (frown) and after a few hours of being sat in my non ergonomic chair I feel wiped out. A key thing I’ve noticed, when you’re working on a one to one basis on line, it’s easy to get sucked into the other persons energy. I’m generally high energy and upbeat but I noticed I was becoming sluggish and tired.

So, I made some simple changes that have been an absolute game changer:

1. I moved out of the kitchen and away from the fridge. Literally, every 5 mins in and out nibbling…
2. Every hour I get out of my chair and move around – yoga stretches, dancing whatever my mood dictates.
3. Music. The ultimate mood enhancer. Not enough to distract but enough to keep me energised. Scientific studies show that if you listen to five songs a day it helps to lift your mood and have a positive impact on mental well being. And, it has reignited my love of Bananarama.
4. Getting out – taking an hour to be outside, reconnect with nature and breathe.
5. Chunking time – Making daily tasks achievable and celebrating the little wins. To do list checked – go me!

Life on screen is better than life with little or no human interaction, of that we can be sure. For many, it’s now the norm. We have discussed the positive benefits of agile working for so long but now we have all been forced to embrace it. I think many are surprised by how relatively easy the transition was. The whole concept of flexible working sounded great but it was a bit scary to fully embrace it – then we had to. And the world didn’t stop!
Now we are all navigating the future of work mainly through our screens, just remember to keep smiling.

The Insight team have been busy putting their psychological prowess into developing new services that will support you, your team and your organisation to thrive through all this change.

We will be sending out more information in the coming weeks, but in the meantime, here’s a little taster…

Personal Development
1-hour webinars
Up to 20 people

• Be Your Best Self
• Building Personal Resilience
• Blurred Lines – prioritising effectively at work and home

Team Development
Briefing call with manager + 1.5 hour online team workshop

• How to be brave:
• Managing Team Dynamics
• Brave new world – Reimagining your culture (for Senior Teams)

Management Development
2-hour interactive webinar
Up to 12 people

• Managing Hybrid Teams
• Communication
• Engagement
• Performance Management

Leadership Development
2-hour interactive webinar
Up to 12 people

• Bringing the ‘human’ into remote leadership #
• Leading During Change

Executive Coaching
6 x 1 hour sessions

“Surviving and Thriving” executive coaching package – driving organisational success in a crisis and beyond
Video Packages

As always, contact us if you would like more information on these, or any of our services: hello@insight-hrc.co.uk