“Plant and Pivot” Anyone who has played or watched a basketball game can resonate with this term. It’s the best way I can describe the ongoing shifts and adjustments which we continually are making on a daily basis in order to create some type of balance to our lives, both professional and personal. Fighting to stay grounded, while also being able to adapt to a fluid situation. The only difference is in basketball there is a playbook based on years of knowledge and expertise, which includes both successes and mistakes. No playbook for how to maintain “work/ life” balance during COVID-19 and not feel as if you are failing in some aspect of your life.

There is nothing “balanced” about the current “work/life” balance each of us daily strives to create amidst a pandemic. This is discovering what fits into each of our lives and what works best for your professional and personal situation.

Let’s remove some of the components which are emphasizing an already stressful situation.

  • Stop comparing. Your new daily routine will not look like your neighbor’s. Do not let anyone convince you that their path should be your path. Remember to be thankful for what you have vs. what you don’t’ have.
  • Stop judging. Respect your neighbor for their choices, their opinions, and their actions. They are doing the best they can just as you are. You don’t know the intimate details of their situation, nor do they know yours. Supporting one another is essential, in every aspect of our lives.
  • Stop the “self-doubt”. You are not perfect, no one is. Remove the pressure and expectations off yourself and focus on what you “can do”, and not what “you can’t do.”
  • “Plant.” Find something that grounds you; your family, your friends, your spouse/ significant other, your children, your hobbies, your faith, volunteer work…something that creates a sense of stability, positivity, and normalcy for you. You will need this for when it is time to pivot.
  • Remain “present”. The best we can do is use the information you have at hand and make the best decision possible for you and your situation.

You are stronger than you think. Tap into your “toolbox”. Use the strengths you have you discovered and/or realized which have provided you with the resilience to begin each day with positive perspective.

One of the most important things I hope you take away from this is this is not just “your pandemic”, it is everyone’s pandemic. You are not alone. What you are going through is being experienced by millions of others; whether you are The Workaholic, The Disciplinarian, The Working Parent, The Single Parent, The Essential Employee, The Green Horn, The Extrovert, The Introvert, or The Unemployed.

And I will say it again…….YOU ARE NOT ALONE. I am always here to listen, and I am an open book as far as discussing how I have had to “pivot” in my life in order to continue pressing forward with a positive perspective, while balancing life/ home/ work. It doesn’t happen overnight.