Getting back into a routine

For a lot of us, the pandemic has meant that our routine has changed a great deal. Now that things are starting to return to a normal, it is time to start figuring out what the new routine is going to be.

Remote working

For a lot of people, working remotely was implemented during the lockdowns and something that is now may be changing for people. I have heard that there are some companies that are going to now have a blended work schedule where you can work remotely most of the time and only go into the office for meetings and special things.

Some companies are going to be asking that the staff return to work most of the time and only work remotely occasionally. I think a lot of the decision is how the remote working has helped the business. In some cases, businesses need to have more interaction between staff, so that means that they need to be in the office more often.

Events/Conferences

This year I think is going to be a very different year again for events and conferences as they try and figure out the new way of doing things. For us, we have had some events cancelled again this year due to the uncertainty of everything. Some events are going back to normal in person conferences, and then you also have some that are doing a blend of both in person and virtual. I am not sure what is going to be the best, but at least things seem to be moving forward.

Our routine

I think for everyone it is going to take quite a while for a normal routine to be established again because of how long we have had to deal with all the different changes. I know for us, we have worked remotely for years, so that won’t change. For us, some of the biggest changes are going to be the conferences and events that we have attended in the past.

I am not sure what the new routine is going to be for us, but I do know that it is going to take us a while to establish how we are going to be doing things moving forward. Part of our routine will be based on how clients are working, but we will also have our own routines as well to get established.

Working remotely does have its advantage as it means that there isn’t a commute to the office, but it also means that there are more distractions sometimes that need to be managed. Getting into a new routine is going to take some time, but at least once it is established it will make things a lot easier moving forward.

Hopefully everyone is getting into their new routine, even if it is the same as before the pandemic. I will now say that routines are going to be new moving forward because we have figured out ways to do things differently than we did before we were in lockdowns. Getting back to a routine is very important, and hopefully we are all going to be happy with our routine moving forward.

 

Back to routine

It is amazing how one simple date on the calendar can make such a big impact on so many people’s lives.  The date I am talking about it when school starts again after kids have been off for two months.

I don’t have children that are going back to school, but of course my schedule is also impacted.  Bus route times change, and even how many people are on the buses and subway really changes.  For people with children going to school, there are so many different things to think about, such as what time to get the kids up in the morning to if all the homework is completed each evening.

What amazes me about the date on the calendar is just how many people one day can effect, even when they don’t have children to consider.  Now we all have to consider the children out on the street going and coming home from school, as well as all the school buses that are now on the road again.

Yes, the day after Labour Day is a sign of change for so many of us.  The weather may be getting cooler, and the days are getting shorter, but more importantly, we deal with more people on the roads for the next 10 months.

Our routine is impacted by others so easily, and sometimes we don’t even think about that change until it happens.  So, remember, beware of the extra people on the roads as it will impact your timing each day.

Escaping Your Daily Routine

How often can you tell what day it is because of what you are doing?  For some people, that is their routine, and they are happy with it.  Other people cannot handle a routine like that, as they need variety.  I, for one, fall somewhere in the middle, I like a routine sometimes but also like variety in a schedule.

There are times when a routine helps get the mandatory things completed, and sometimes, they are determined by others.  A routine can also result in the inability to accomplish things because it just the same things over and over.

In some cases, just escaping your daily routine can enable you to accomplish so much more.  it may mean doing things in a different order or even in a different location if that is possible.  This escape is a way of seeing what needs to be done in a different light and maybe seeing a different way of doing things.

For me, I escape my routine by doing my work in different locations when possible.  The variety of locations means that I can see the tasks differently and sometimes change what I have always done.  A different location can also mean new ideas are generated.

Escaping your daily routine is important at different times to ensure you can recharge your internal battery.  The escaping of your daily routine is one reason, so many companies force vacation time for their employees.  Yes, you may come back from vacation to a lot of work, but at least you escaped your daily routine for a bit.