Newly Acquired Skills from the COVID-19 Crisis
Newly
Acquired Skills from the COVID-19 Crisis
Since the beginning of February, a global pandemic has set in and turned the world upside down by reshaping our social norms and habits. Billions of affected people are forced into periods of quarantine and the countries that they live in are closed for business. As we each get used to our new normal, people have been using their extra time differently: some are sleeping more, others are finding time to do side projects and others are spending more time with their families. Here are a few skills that people have learned during quarantine that will help them in the future.
Time Management
With the beginning of coronavirus, many people were
forced to discard their usual schedules in lieu of a mixed match, whatever
works type of tracking. Before, we had set schedules, work started and ended at
specific times, the kids were picked up at the same time every day of the week
and dinner and bedtime were like clockwork. Now that our world has been turned
upside down, the workday has creeped into our personal time, as it is tougher
to find time to ourselves when we are always connected. This has forced many,
including myself, to set up strict rules on when the workday ends so that I do
not end up spending my entire evening working. This has resulted in a
collective ability to learn how to manage our time more efficiently so that we
do not always remain on the clock working.
Time for a Bake-Off
Being at home more often with less trips to the
grocery store, we have gone back to our roots of baking everyone again. Rather
than going to the grocery store for a quick dinner, the pandemic has pushed us
back to our basics: baking. Tried and true, baking is a relaxing task that
comes with a tasty reward. Even now, people have begun trends on Social Medias
for who has the best cake or bread and baking has trended for days on Twitter.
Cleaning
out the Cupboards
With
the newfound interest in baking and the lack of grocery trips, we have begun
cleaning out the cupboards and pantries of goods that we have had longer than their
best by date. This has allowed us to create new recipes with items that we
already have at home and have helped us save money from grocery shopping for
items that we already have. I promise you that there is something in your pantry
that you have bought a couple of times (for me it is garlic powder), and only
now do you realize you have bought the same item a couple of times all the
while forgetting you already have one at home.
Hair
Cutting 101
With
nail salons and hairdressers closed, many people are finding alternatives
homemade alternatives to the lack of personal grooming shops. As hair grows
about half an inch every month, people are being forced to learn, through YouTube
and online, how to cut their own hair properly. Even if you tried to hold out
for a couple of weeks or month, with the increase of Zoom calls for work, at
some point you have or will be forced to cut your own hair or have a family member
do it. This new skill will definitely come in handy as you will be able to cut
your own hair or your children’s hair until it is safe to go back to the
hairdressers… or you can continue cutting your own hair and saving the money,
it would cost to go to a barbershop.
Understanding
your Emotions
The
pandemic has given us all time to reflect and think about the change that will
come once we are all allowed to move about our day freely. We have all gone
through moments of stress or anxiety in the past couple of months that have
helped change us for the better by giving people an opportunity to learn how to
process how they are feeling and to figure out activities, like cooking, that
help with remaining calm. Overall, you can carry this benefit to all parts of
your life.
Becoming Flexible
One
skill that everyone has had to learn quickly is flexibility. Being stuck in
your home with children, an animal and your spouse, has forced everyone out of
their safety bubble into an uncomfortable process of learning what you can and
cannot do on a daily basis. If you are used to having a quiet office to do your
work or phone calls, those days are gone. Now you have children running around,
especially now that it is summer, and screaming at the top of their lungs. The
only way you get through this is to be flexible and adapt your work schedule to
the unknowns that you cannot control. By doing this and adapting, you are
becoming a better person and having a better appreciation for your family.
Fake
News
With
all of the information online every second of every day, we are learning rather
quickly to screen out all of the fake news and hysteria and concentrate on the
important information. Just like in school where we were took to skim the page
for valuable information, we are being forced through sensory overload to choose
the sources and information that we believe to be accurate and only reading
this information. Our society is getting better at reading real news and
calling out the fake news for what it is: fake.
Keeping
Close
Although
we might have lost our connections in the past, the pandemic has given us all
time to reconnect with loved ones and friends that might have been lost through
the years. Having people to speak to is one of our human needs, we are social
creatures by nature and we have not led the pandemic take that away from us.
Once all of this is over, we will have gained a newfound appreciation for
keeping in contact with those that make us happy.
Becoming
Better with Technology
With
technology like Zoom, TikTok and Google Meet, technology has helped us get
through the pandemic while being able to stay in touch. Many of us have become
more internet-savvy which will be a skill that can lead to increased productivity
in our futures as long as we do not use them to procrastinate.
Budgeting
With
the pandemic forcing a global recession, many people have lost steady streams
of income while their bills keep piling up. As a result, most have begun
recording a budget so that they can review where their money is spent and how
much money is still coming in. This skill is immensely important, as it is a
good indicator of your financial security and your financial future.
Trying
to Find the Best Promotions
Now
that we might be making less money or have even lost our income completely,
people have started waiting for items that they need to go on sale rather than purchasing
them at full price when it is convenient for them. If there is an item that you
need but can live without for the moment, there is no need to spend top dollar
when you can wait for a bit for an even better price. The product does not change;
just the price and you can use this extra money on the next item. In addition,
companies are providing even more discounts and sales as to entice customers to
buy their items. Therefore, it is a win-win for both the consumer and producer.
The
Three R’s
Many
people have begun opting to reduce, reuse and recycle items that they might not
want to purchase during these tough times. This is a good idea because it not
only saves money but it will usher in a greener world than pre-COVID-19. Although
a very simple skill, if you learn how to use up the most of every item, you
reduce the amount of times you need to buy a replacement and you save both the
planet and your wallet.
Cleaning
like a Pro
Being
stuck indoors all day and everyday has probably driven you crazy! But what
probably has kept you busy for most of COVID-19 is the constantly cleaning and
making sure that your home is beautiful and nothing is out of place. I
guarantee that after cleaning your home a couple of times, you have become a
master at keeping a clean out all the while doing it as an incredibly fast
pace. Now, you know how to clean properly and quickly!
Becoming
my Best Self: Gardening
With
all the negative news around the world about rising food prices and less supply
of fresh vegetables, people have begun learning how to garden for two reasons.
The first reason is that if you can produce your own food than at least you
know you can eat something that is safe to eat and will not be too expensive to buy. The second reason is to keep busy during these next few months.
Gardening takes time, although it will not take you hours every day, it is a
great activity that helps keep you calm and relaxed and helps pass the time. If
you haven’t started gardening because you have no place to start putting
plants, don’t forget that there are many herbs and spices that can be grown
indoors with just a little bit of sunlight and water!
Exercising at Home
Gone
are the days where you had to run back home from work and grab your gym clothes
to head to the gym for a workout before dinner. With everyone being stuck at
home, people have learned to exercise in the comfort of their own home with
relative ease by using household goods as weights and finding workout plans /
virtual workout seminars that can be easily done at home with just your body. It’ll
be tough when the world goes back to normal as a lot of people will love the
freedom working from home gives them and who knows, gyms might just be a little
bit emptier for those who need heavy weights that are simply not found around
the house.
Don’t
Forget to Celebrate the Little Things
I
promise you that we have all taken for granted the little things in our lives:
those hugs when saying goodbye to a loved one, going out to eat for a quick
bite or even just sitting in a Starbucks and sipping a coffee. Once this is all
over, I think that everyone will take a moment and appreciate all the things
that we took for granted our whole lives. I personally look forward to seeing
family members in person who are older and vulnerable to the disease and giving
them a big real life hug rather than just a virtual hug.
Comments
Can you think of any other skills we might all develop during COVID-19? Is there anything that you have developed over these past few months? Let me know down in the comments!
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