The crisis gets personal
Domestic disputes, worklife chaos, hyper connectivity fatigue and planning for Q4 2020 and 2021.
Week three of lockdown.
We all know someone that has lost a family member or friend from the COVID-19 virus. 8,000 people have died in the UK.
We all know doctors, nurses and keyworkers on the frontline and are aware of the challenges that they face. These are the heroes of the crisis.
Please stay at home this Easter weekend and stay safe.
Domestic disputes
Lockdown is the longest and most intense period of time that I’ve ever spent with my wife Sarah.
We live in the North East but I work four days a week in London. Sarah runs a business from home. I’ve crashed her routine.
We have good days when we’re grateful for our health and wellbeing, and bad days when it’s simply overwhelming.
We’re both headstrong, candid, intolerant and single minded. You can see our lockdown challenge. Physical distance, time and space, provides relief and a pressure valve.
There are many more good days than bad but it’s become apparent this week that the hours and days are blurring into an endless continuum.
Work life chaos
The structure of commuting, work, events and social gatherings provide a rhythm and discipline. The weekend was for downtime.
That’s been replaced by the chaos of competing work schedules, running a busy household and the relentlessness of family life.
We’re both working harder than ever. This isn’t virtual working that people write about on Twitter and LinkedIn. It’s trying to work from home and run businesses during a crisis.
Before COVID-19 I was religious about clocking up 1,000 calories of exercise a day on my iWatch. Now I can’t find the energy or willpower. That needs to change. I went for a run this morning.
The cheery articles on social media talk about the need for discipline. It’s a point well made.
Hyper connectivity is exhausting
The isolation of lockdown has seemingly created a need for connection in our networks and communities. It appears universal whether people are living alone, in couples or with family.
It manifests itself by oversharing on social media and constant use of messaging and video services. Some people seem to thrive from the hyper connectivity. I find it exhausting.
Lockdown is defining people and relationships. My daughters are powering through at university. Unlike their father they’ve a disciplined approach to diet, exercise, and learning. I’m incredibly proud of them both.
Start planning for Q4 2020 and 2021
What comes next? Predicting the post lockdown future has become a sport on LinkedIn.
Professor Mark Ritson plotted the impact of the epidemic on business this week in a seminar for Marketing Week.
Ritson suggested lockdowns will continue around the world through the summer and would be followed by a short period of relief once they’re lifted, and then a long recession.
The remainder of 2020 will be defined by survival for many organisations. Start planning for Q4 2020 and 2021.
Mad cow crisis as a signpost to the future?
I‘ve started to think about the long term impact of changes in consumer behaviour that will result from the lockdown and a recession.
Ritson is bullish citing the recovery of the livestock industry in the aftermath of mad cow disease or Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) crisis in 1996 and Foot and Mouth disease in 2001. The latter was defined by lockdowns on farms and burning pyres of infected cattle.
Photo by Tutye/iStock / Getty Images
British beef exports were banned until 2006 but consumer behaviour reverted almost immediately and there has been no lasting impact.
I’m less confident. The crisis has impacted so many aspects of life and society. Permanent change is inevitable in areas such as education, retail, tourism and travel.
Stay indoors and stay safe. We can fight the virus together. This too will pass.
