Using Automation Tools to Get More Done

We're busy, sure we have multi-tasking down to a tee but there must be more ways to save time and get more done. Here's another tool to do exactly that!

Automation is a powerful tool for streamlining repetitive tasks and freeing up time for more important tasks. In today's fast-paced business world, automation is becoming increasingly important for businesses of all sizes. In this blog post, we will discuss the benefits of automation and how you can take advantage of automation tools to improve your marketing efforts.

One of the most significant benefits of automation is that it can save you time. By automating repetitive tasks, you can free up your time to focus on more important tasks such as strategy, customer engagement, and relationship building. This can also help to reduce the risk of human error, as automated processes are less prone to mistakes.

Another benefit of automation is that it can improve efficiency. Automation tools can help you to streamline your marketing efforts, making it easier to manage multiple campaigns and projects at once. This can also help to reduce costs, as automation tools can automate many tasks that would otherwise be done manually.

Automation tools are also great for keeping your data organized. With automation tools, you can easily track and analyze your data, making it easy to identify trends and make data-driven decisions. This can help you to optimize your marketing efforts and improve your ROI.

There are many different automation tools available, depending on your specific needs. Some popular automation tools for marketing include:

Marketing automation software: This type of software can automate various marketing tasks, including email marketing, social media marketing, and lead generation.

Project management software: This type of software can help you to manage multiple projects and campaigns at once, making it easy to stay organized and on top of your marketing efforts.

Social media management tools: These tools can help you to automate your social media marketing efforts, making it easy to schedule posts, engage with your audience, and track analytics.

To take advantage of automation tools, starting by identifying which tasks you want to automate is important. Once you have identified these tasks, you can then research different automation tools to find the best one for your needs.

Automation can be a powerful tool for streamlining repetitive tasks and freeing up time for more important tasks. By automating your marketing efforts, you can improve efficiency, reduce costs, and make data-driven decisions. With so many automation tools available, it's easy to find the perfect solution for your business.

Prioritization in Parenting

Reverse Pyramid

Usually when we think about how a pyramid might be built, the first few stones are placed at the bottom of the pyramid without full view of what it look look like. In the case of prioritizing with parenting the opposite may be true. In this case the pyramid is upside down and we see the goal and can take small steps toward that goal each day. This way we maintain our goals and big picture thinking, while in parallel taking small steps to achieve those goals.

And example might be a child’s college fun. In this case we know the goal we want to put aside money to pay for our children’s college fund at one point. By taking the small steps and looking at the big picture we may set aside a certain amount each month to place this money aside for this purpose. Additionally if we’re thinking about our child retirement fund we may do the same here as well. Putting aside some money in a Roth IRA on behalf of the child with a specific amount in mind each month in order to ensure due to growth and accumulation that the child will be comfortable by the time they retire.

Assess
Every situation is different

Prioritization requires and adequate assessment of where the situation is at the current moment. Understanding all the players, and all of the aspects of the situation help to assess what may be the most important next step. My father is to always say to me you are here, now. This meant I had to start where I was currently and not think about my ideal starting point. This helps to adequately understand what the best first step might be depending on the current situation.

Financially

making financial goals according to the achievements desired is a good place to begin thinking about budgeting, and plans to save.

Family

Assessing the needs of the family, each member, and the current essentials helps in determining who needs how much of the resources at any given time. If extended family requires some assistance, this can be considered as well.

Career

Making career goals according to how it fits with the other parts of the puzzle considering needs of the family and other needs is essential in creating adequate career goals. These goals may include putting certain promotions or advancements on hold for a period of time in order to prioritize other aspects of one’s livelihood.In the case for both partners are working to support a household one partner may choose to prioritize one aspect over another.

Minimalism

There are a lot of great organization techniques, and a lot of great ways to motivate oneself to organize. Plenty of ideas are available. Finding an appealing combination of motivation, inspiration, calibration, and distraction can allow for an ideal organizing environment. 

The schedule of organizing and cleaning is very specific to each household. It depends on the family members, how well each family member is utilizing self-care, and whether or not organizing truly does a joy to the household. All of these things are worth considering when scheduling cleanings and organization for the household.

Be realistic

It is OK not to be perfect. Sometimes the schedules and plans that are set up are not always feasible at a given time depending on the other circumstances. Because of this it’s important to assess during each time. Whether or not prioritizing a specific task might even be possible during that time. It’s also sometimes likely that certain things might be prioritized or other things to prove depending on the time frame and the time of year as well as the season. Regularly looking at ones circumstances and understanding what can be realistic and what might be overkill can really help to prioritize accordingly.

Donate generously and to a local non profit
Donating to a charity or nonprofit is a really good practice. This allows us to cleanse our own income, our wealth, and get in touch with things that are going on in the world outside of ourselves. This can also give us a sense of belonging and ownership. Being a part of something bigger has always been something that has been important to members of the human race. Socialization and being part of it is some thing that can help with mental health as well.

Schedule

When it comes to scheduling it may help to look at the schedule on a six month or one year cadence by prioritizing the following:
Start with the important dates:
Tax day
First day of school

Registration deadlines

Important doctor/dentist appointments 
Consider Holidays and Birthdays

Plan early and often
Plan weekly
Check calendar daily

Interact with kids: researching the following methods, parents and utilize resources to encourage: 
ST(R)EAM
Positive parenting
PCIT
Behavior encouragement
Social encouragement
Building Mastery

Teaching to master mental health
Being grateful - finding ways to find gratitude and self love can shape perception and increase contentment.

Don’t you dare compare. Appreciating and having gratitude can help shift this mindset. The truth is: there will always be someone better. Focusing on one’s own progress and growth is the only realistic metric to measure against. It’s not a race - it’s a marathon. Understanding that at times, steps back and forward are a normal part of any growth process is essential in maintaining strength for the long haul.

Meditation and Quiet time. Finding time to be still, mindful, and present has proven to have positive impacts on neurological processes. What does that mean? 

By taking care of oneself, one can thoughtfully prioritize effectively.

Maintaining an Agreeable Attitude During a Pandemic

Reasons Why We Are Sad
I often hear folks having various expectations of themselves and how they should be during this time. How they and others should act. How lucky we are if we are so lucky and why haven’t I done more with that luck.

Grief and Fear
Although it is easy to forget we are in a worldwide pandemic, the fact of the matter is, that the stress, along with any other stress is taxing and can impact us in different ways depending on our experiences and how we are predisposed.

Whether we have been impacted by our own health, the health of our family/friends, or are ‘doom scrolling' on our phone: viewing the news, the stress, fear, and grief impact each of us. Parents worry for their children, adult children fear for their elderly relatives, and everyone fears for the economy.

These feelings are perfectly normal under these circumstances.

Shelter In Place
Shelter-in-place and fear of contagions can cause anxiety that can come off as social anxiety. Although the experts recommend the 6-feet distancing attempting to enforce or anger at the lack of adherence may seem justified, and in turn, may be considered as a reason for entitlement. These beliefs based on science or lack of belief in science can create tension within the individual and among the population.

Tensions
Tensions created by the impacts of the pandemic, if not challenged and dealt with, can create pressures in other aspects of our lives. Those of us lucky enough to have the capabilities to work from home May feel confined and the essential workers who work tirelessly day in and day out feel pressure and fear that is not confined to their health alone.

For those of us who are parents, our children can also feel the pressure and relay it into their lives.

In addition to these parenting questions are the added question about their development, education, and future.

Schooling Alternatives
Parents want nothing more than to give their children the chance for the best potential future. Society has trained the generations to believe in a certain model of education, therefore the changes may be unsettling.

Masks
The fact of the matter is, that we live in a new world. The faster we can accept this, the easier things will become. It has been mentioned over again that masks are the best way to protect ourselves and others from this deadly virus. Resistance is understandable as there is change involved. It seems as though the days of shaving and make-up are not needed as we are mostly covered anyway. During the summer, in the hot weather, it seems especially daunting. 

Having little ones it can get very difficult to have them wear masks, especially for long periods of time. 

How can we get around this?

Masks do not have to be surgical looking all the time. There are a lot of fun options that can be used to cover the boring masks and be used to accessorize just the same. 

Children can pick their own masks and feel empowered about the masks they choose. I allow a few masks for each of them so they can pick one for the day. If they like a certain design, I will get that option for them in order to have them feel that it is a fun addition and not a burden. 

Donating masks to friends, family, and the needy is a great way to gift someone and also ensure that they are wearing masks regularly as well. Mask shaming is real, but not necessary. By gifting a mask rather than shaming we sent a loving message and further the health of the public.

KIT - Keeping In Touch

It is really easy to lose touch during these trying times. Maintaining regular gatherings by any means you are comfortable with is essential for social beings to continue to live healthy lives. Stay happy. Have light conversations. Check in often and with many folks on a regular basis. Understanding how people prefer to communicate and working with them helps everyone involved to maintain connections that secure happiness and emotional health.

Becoming the Best You During a Pandemic

How different things must have been during the 1912 pandemic.  Now with the internet, data-powered cell phones, offices, video-conferencing platforms, and the good'ol will-to-survive - there is a lot of opportunity during a shelter in place to rebuild and become one's best self.

I want to take a moment to acknowledge those who have been so heavily impacted during these times.  My thoughts grow heavy for those who have been battling and struggling to meet basic needs, down to taking a breath.  There are many resources to help contribute to the families impacted and the essential workers who are putting their lives on the line to help the population come through on the other side as a population.

There is no doubt that the pandemic has impacted all of us at varying levels.  Change causes stress whether it is visible or not.  Stress causes behavioral changes and can lead to depression, anger, anxiety, and a sense of loss.  These are all normal and valid feelings.  There is nothing wrong in acknowledging that this unexpected change is causing behavioral changes as well.

How then, do we survive and eventually thrive in order to rise from the ashes of the current circumstances?  I have mentioned a few ways of taking care of oneself in my blurb about helping children learn to cope.  These methods can just as easily be used to parent oneself and learn to cope as well as build mastery.  Here are a few of them.

EFT - Emotional Freedom Therapy
Emotional Freedom Therapy or "tapping" utilizes a series of acupressure points and brings the tapper back into the body - away from racing thoughts

Exercise
Physical-distanced outdoor exercise has many benefits including outdoor fresh air, increasing the heart rate, and a chance to say hello.  Being kind to everyone on the trail and focusing on beauty will help maximize this experience.  Children often love to stop and stare.  I remind myself its OK to stand around as well.  I keep a time limit instead of a goal on how many miles I want to complete when I have my children with me.  In those cases, it is more about the view than the milestones.

Choosing A Passion and: 
Joining virtual groups that meet regularly or even social media groups that post regularly
Researching online virtual groups that meet regularly can help with providing a feeling of socializing in a healthy way.  Including the children can provide a human element.

Studying Ideas on Social media
Sometimes if I cannot sleep and I want to craft but physically crafting is not possible I sometimes browse ideas on Pinterest, decorating websites, and other social media platforms in order to appease my creativity for the moment.  More times than not I find myself remembering that craft and perhaps doing it later.

Same with cooking.  I rarely cooked before pandemic times, but as with most during this time I have definitely perfected a few dishes.  Watching fun, fast-paced cooking videos, especially before bed, somehow are really motivating.  Most of the time I take that pearl and save it for later.

DIY videos
Do-it-yourself projects or DIYs can be a refreshing break. The idea of people taking simple inexpensive or old items and turning them into something amazing and new is inspiring.  Taking it easy and not pressuring myself, I find that I eventually come around to doing 10% of the DIYs I have seen.

Creating a vision board
A friend of mine initiated a group vision board party and I was blown away.  I never thought about using Pinterest in order to create a vision board, let alone create one with friends and then have a "show-and-tell" session upon completion.

With that said, I still love traditional vision boards.  Something about a board, some pictures of what I want, and some inspirational words really work.  Posting one on the wall can be powerful.

Utilizing Cleaning therapy
Cleaning one room a day or even a section of a room can create a sense of accomplishment.  Having two children under 5 and constantly feeling underwater if I have a few moments to clean just a corner it works.  Many times my kids are suddenly interested in that very corner I am cleaning which is OK too!  I let my babies discover that part of the room and work on a different part of the house.

Starting an online degree
Especially as a mom I do find if I get one free moment I am fidgeting looking for something to do.  Also, as a mom, going back to school online is a break in comparison with chasing two children around.  How about going "back to school" for that certification you've always had your eye on or that bachelor's you never finished?

Doing One Fun Thing With Your Child Each Day That He/She Enjoys
There is a small window where we are in our children's world.  That window grows small fast.  I am so tired so much of the time but even if I am lying down, I hold a Barbie doll in my hand and play with my kids from my pillow.  I bring current events into the play and we end up talking about things through the toys.

There is so much more I could say on this topic but the point is, that there is a solution to the stress that comes along with shelter-in-place and working from home.  Always being pleasant and working on ones self can actually result in a lot of extra energy and willingness to try new things.

Importance of Benchmarking Performance

We use electronics.  They light up, whir, hiss, swipe, load, clock cycles, and produce values based on input values.

In one of my earlier entries, I spoke about the different types of Technical Marketing and what they entail, and the importance of each type including what information and insight they offer.  One of the types I mentioned included performance benchmarking.  What is performance benchmarking, what does it entail, and why is it necessary?

These are all really basic questions for someone who wouldn't necessarily know about benchmarking, what it is, and the importance behind it.  It may even perhaps, sound foreign.  What does it have to do with measurements and data, and how can it be used in Marketing Claims?

First, let's talk a little bit about what benchmarking is and what its purpose is.  Benchmarks are a measurement tool (usually consisting of several workloads) focusing on and meant to measure a specific key product indicator under specific circumstances across platforms.  Platforms include technology from different vendors, specifications, and hardware/software/firmware setup.  Benchmarks are owned by consortiums, independent from but possibly in loose partnerships with vendors, designers, and manufacturers of the very platforms they measure.  This allows a chance for a fair measurement across these platforms.

Quantifying real-world use cases
Benchmarks provide an opportunity to quantify the performance in web browsing, raw compute, compute in MS Windows, Android-based workloads, and Graphics-intense workloads.

These quantifications are used to provide comparisons and values to support claims.

Substantiating Claims
In releasing a product, hardware, or platform for either consumer use, gaming, or productivity, it is easy to say ‘our new product is great.’  Supporting that claim with numbers consumers trust adds an extra element.

In addition to utilizing the data to create claims, how does one know that claim is valid?  The same benchmark used to measure can be used by a third party to validate whether or not that number is accurate and understand the confirmation used to achieve that performance data.  For example, in attaining a compute performance score using Spec CPU INT Rate using a standard memory configuration to see what the data is to determine if a higher memory size may have been used to boost the performance numbers, etc. the configuration information would presumably be presented in detail reports.  However, in a quick claim, it may be in small print or in a caveat included somewhere else.

Challenging Claims
A competitor can also use benchmarks to support data to challenge claims.  If one hardware designer claims their architecture is the best.  A competitor has an opportunity to challenge that claim and back up the challenge using a credible benchmark.

Finding hidden performance facts
Many benchmarks are available for platforms supporting different Operating systems.  Using
benchmarks that are valid for that use case but not initially considered can provide additional insight on performance.

An example would be using wanting to use a Benchmark on Chromebook but realizing that a lot of productivity is web-based also and adding a Web-heavy benchmark as a supplement as well.

Making clear, valid points
I mentioned earlier that benchmarks are a way to quantify performance claims.  Utilizing data from benchmarks takes the subjectivity out of the equation somewhat and provides a more objective basis for making performance claims.

Backing each marketing and performance claim can be a way to provide short-term and long-term credibility.  This is a great way to build and maintain trust with the customer.

Child Coping/Meditation

The topic of keeping children calm and focused is always relevant, but now as working parents, it is likely in our hands more often than usual.  My children have a lot of energy to spare as I am sure most of yours do as well and parents of young children and toddlers especially understand the new normal has definitely added a certain level of complication to working from home.

I see funny memes on the internet with lizards stuck to Kristen Bell’s head representing the reality of taking video conferencing meetings from home.  It makes me laugh (otherwise I might cry) at the relevance of this image.

It is a challenge, no doubt.  I do not pretend there is an easy fix.  Children need love and support.  Being home with parents who are usually working must be so exciting for them.

Routines help.  It’s true that routinely provides a sense of safety and part of that safety can come from the teaching self-soothing.  This is why I practice various types of meditation with my children on a regular basis.

Children as Empathetic Whirlpools
Children, like most people, are impacted by outside forces.  Emotions can change in an instant from playful to angry.  My four-year-old will hide under the table if I pick up her sister first.  I consider toddlerville emotional boot camp (mostly for the parents).  For me, remaining calm and even throughout my children’s emotions helps me stay grounded and gives me a chance to teach them to guide through their feelings in a healthy and productive way as well.

Pure Feelings
In addition to being in a world where everything is as large as the fourth world in Super Mario Brothers 3, children are dealing with literal, physical, and neurological growing pains.  Neurons that never fired before are suddenly beginning to fire.  New connections are being made.  The body is growing and stretching at a rate that the bones are constantly in flux and in motion.  Ouch!  These kids deserve a medal!  It’s no wonder their feelings are as pure as their love.

The Importance of Learning to Cope Young
Ninety percent of the brain is developed by age five.  Sixty percent in the first six months of life including the more primitive parts of the brain that steer flight, fight, and freeze.  Imagine if, during this tender time, children learn ways to soothe themselves and navigate through intense emotions in order to not only endure changes but also take control of their actions and ultimately reach their goals.  Learning to cope with emotions can help people maintain motivation, increase grit, overcome failure and help a person achieve what they need to keep moving forward.

Children of Working parents
As working parents, our limited time with our children can be considered a disadvantage.  The fact of the matter is, however, children will likely be facing circumstances where they are encouraged to work cooperatively in teams and establish relationships.  Having a support team full of loving adults and consistent children can help children come to their parents for help where needed.  Keeping a close relationship with other caretakers allows parents an opportunity to fill gaps at home and work with children from an objective outside perspective.

Exercise and Activity
Fresh air is important for everyone.  Sun rays provide vitamin D that the body needs decreases depression and set the biological clock to allow children to have a healthy slumber during the correct hours.

I like to mix up my exercise routines with my children: yoga one day, and bike riding the next.  A hike here, a playground (when safe) there.  Mixing up the routine allows for a fresh day but the same physical exertion.

Projects
I like to keep projects around the house that the kids can easily do and keep busy with for five minutes to an hour if they are really interested.  They call the shots.  The nice thing about having them with me, is I get to see what sparks their interest and work with that.  I can also use the fun activity as a reward for less-desired activities.

Coloring books, painting with water, mini canvas painting, blocks, and Lego blocks, are some handy ones that are easy to guide them towards.  I have two of a similar age so I will encourage them to play simple board games with each other as well.

ST(R)EAM (Science, technology, reading, engineering, art, mathematics) activities include:

• Sorting pom-poms by color in respective cups using a tweezer
• Building with blocks that have numbers of units
• Using number matching puzzles and having them match numbers and the numeric symbol
• Using their chemistry set to create secondary colors or make colorful, simple chemical reactions
• Painting with brushes or finger painting
• Building with Playdoh and colored pasta
• Cooking

Meditation

There are three types of meditation I use in sequence.  

1. Heavy, fast breathing tires their minds and allows a chance to focus.  
2. Physical/mental scan through a guided meditation.
3. Visualization technique that includes pruning of being nice to siblings and other peers, listening to caretakers, and using manners

There are also some great sleep meditations for toddlers available on YouTube.  My kids like the world of Moshi.

EFT
Finally, Emotional Freedom Tapping therapy is one of my favorite easy techniques to get mindful, quickly.  Plus it’s really fun to watch toddlers tap.  Using pressure points, lightly, repeatedly tapping from the eyebrows, temples, cheekbones, chin, collar bone, shoulders, triceps, lap, sides of the shins, etc, allows one to quickly ground.  Children love to mimic so this is a perfect calming version of ‘Simon says.’

Teaching children methods to soothe and stay focus not only sets them up for success in the future, but both child and parent will also find they are building a better attachment and bond with each other.

The New Normal - Living in a World Through a Time of Pandemic

Ways the World has Changed
On March 9th, I began to get concerned about the state of things.  I was reading more and more about a certain rising issue that would be called a Pandemic about a week later and I grew concerned for my health and the health of my family.

The storm seemed to continue brewing and to take precautions I discussed options of working from home with my manager.

My request soon became a company-wide suggestion, a recommendation, and finally, a requirement.  I was now working from home full-time.  People had laughed at my caution, perhaps suggesting I was taking this too seriously, but a mom has a strong will to survive and protect her cubs.

The balance was a challenge at first, my children were at risk in the beginning and I had to scramble for care so that I could maintain a working schedule that allowed me to continue to be available.  Fears crept, but there was no space for that.  I have too much at stake and even more on my plate.

Now what?

Information was key.  Information without inundation.  I do not have time to worry about what will happen next but on the same token I want to know what I am dealing with so I can protect myself and assist the vulnerable members of my family from my toddlers to the elderly.

"Flatten the Curve" the experts kept saying.  It took me a while to understand what that meant, but after having been a mom for almost half a decade and seeing kids pass colds along like it was a hacki-sak, I knew that physical distancing made the odds better for me and my family.

Now, the experts are saying that it could be working and that San Francisco Bay Area Cases are promising but that the worst is not over.

How then, do we respond to such a worldwide change?

People's Response
I have seen people react in different ways.  Most with compassion and availability.  Others with different responses, but understandably so.  Questioning the circumstance is valid.  Making sense of things is what we do as emotional beings and this pandemic is no different.

The temptation to point fingers could come naturally.  Finding reasons to be grateful can seem like a reach, especially for some who have lost a family member or a colleague.

My hope is, no matter what the response, that there is someone to listen to, be available, and support.  If not, perhaps taking the opportunity to support others may provide solace.  What can we do?

Organizations and corporations have provided immediate support to protect their population and allowing access to work and connect remotely.

Protecting and Producing for Ourselves and Others
I have seen charts and graphs that show how physical distancing can save lives.  Whether or not the time distancing was wasted is a question that uses energy that can be conserved for other things.  Whether or not it is easy to admit a time like this is taxing on everyone.

Even my young children who do not know how to ask the questions express their frustration by being fussy, not eating, expressing boredom, asking about extended family, and yearning to watch videos.  Their physical health is number one including mental health.  More details about helping children cope will be published in a later blog including:

• Having a routine
• Introducing Meditation and Spiritual Practice
• Have them list their "Thank yous"
• Reminding them gently to use their manners by using manners with them
• Ensuring physical comfort
• Making everyday activities fun and special

Pressing upon the point of social distancing, doing everything that can be done to stay home is essential.  It would be helpful to lean on grocery delivery, however as time goes on, finding delivery slots with grocery delivery services becomes increasingly challenging.  Some helpful directions may include:

Being flexible.  I have two young daughters who still depend on milk for both comfort and nutrition. Luckily, boxed milk is a good alternative to fresh milk.  Mixing it for children can help them make the transition and be flexible between each kind.  This makes it easier to stay home for a few weeks at a time when grocery delivery is not available.

Getting as many frozen things as possible and freezing the rest.  Freezing vegetables, and meats, and purchasing frozen foods can both make eating at home easier and help assuring that food is available for longer.

Often times fruit and vegetables do not taste the same - getting creative and making a smoothie, or placing vegetables in dishes with sauce can help mitigate this change.

Interchanging non-perishables such as rice and pasta can help.

What about the elderly?  If shopping for the elderly and providing for them, protecting one's self is essential.  Better to be overly cautious and wear a mask and gloves than to take a risk or illicit unnecessarily anxiety over the possibility of risking exposure.

Emotions
It is easy to forget that the world has changed.  Even with requirements to work from home, for some who may work from home regularly, essentially little to nothing has changed.  For those who are used to going to the office, it can become very easy to quickly get used to the new schedule as people are resilient and able to adjust for the most part.

There is one aspect that can easily be neglected, and that is the perspective of the emotional response of self and others.  These responses may look different for each person based on background, workload, circumstance, coping background, etc.

Being Supportive and Accepting Support
A few ways to provide support were mentioned above.  Supporting children and aiding them in coping.  Helping folks at risk and with pre-existing conditions.

This also goes along with protecting self and others.  Be cautious while driving.  Using an extra sense to read the room, the road, and the people around.  This is a time more than ever that being conscious of the emotions of others can act as a method of survival and certainly a method of thriving during this difficult time.

Governor Newsom of California has provided resources for residents to reach out and not feel alone.  He has even suggested reaching out to vulnerable populations and checking in with them.

Emotional responses can look like compassion, sadness, and vulnerability, but they can also look like anger, negging, gas-lighting, and bullying.  It is important to maintain boundaries and be available as capability allows.

Being conscious of one's own emotions is crucial and self-care is more important than ever during times that cause an increased amount of stress.

Signs of Burnout
Stress has been briefly mentioned and change of circumstances may easily be part of the adjustment as regulations are consistently changing.

As a mother of two young children, I can attest to the challenge of balancing caring for children at home and even finding child care during this time, mitigating the risk, and ensuring a level of balance and ability to work.

Working from home may also not allow for the same rigid routine as being in the office and having office hours may allow.  With video conferencing, retrieving emails on the smartphone, and having a majority of the office productivity suite on the phone as well means that it is easier to smudge the lines and have work and family time impede on each other.  It is valid to feel a level of stress from multi-tasking and want to provide a sense of normalcy for children, especially while schools are closed.

It is important to know what to ask for help and have contingency plans when possible.  At the very least, recognizing burnout can reduce further stress from not understanding what is happening.

Signs of burnout can include but are not limited to:

• Feelings of being overwhelmed
• Fatigue
• Anxiety around the events
• A feeling of "dropping the ball"
• Skipping meals
• Poor eating habits
• Not enjoying meals
• Memory issues
• Spacing out

Luckily, a lot of medical resources include phone appointments, advice nurses, and other distant services.  Utilizing these can be the difference between burnout and carrying on, even if it is not at the top-level of productivity that is desired.

Productivity
I have seen and heard many suggestions and examples of different levels of productivity during this time.  New craft efforts, increased career-related efforts, planning a vacation, homeschooling children, and learning to cook new things.  These are all excellent ways to spend the quarantine time.  Sharing these accomplishments is even better: inspiring and fun to share.

Planning a vacation or getaway for after the restrictions are lifted can provide a sense of excitement and something to look forward to.  It allows an opportunity to look visualize a level of new normal, especially for those who love to travel or those with young children who are asking about going somewhere else.  Vacations are excellent bonding opportunities for families.  Planning vacations and visualizing those vacations have an extremely similar cognitive impact.  Essentially planning a visualizing a vacation is a mini-vacation in itself.

It is also OK to learn about oneself during this time.  Starting a meditation practice, readying philosophy, and being available for oneself can be just as productive as tangible projects and planning.  Doing research on health that perhaps is not completely urgent.  Figuring out if there are any vitamins or supplements that may increase health vibrancy.  Self-care is a very productive endeavor.  Finding healthy ways to feel good and build mastery even in small ways can help build self-esteem.  Being in a place of gratitude during a time like this is not intuitive, but being thankful for what is available is possible.  Making a list, having a thank-you party with the kids, and acting from a place of gratitude is a slow but ample way to get into a healthy mindset.

Dismissing toxicity within self and others and not taking things too personally can also help during this time.  Staying in the now and learning to be mindful through each moment not only helps navigate a crisis but is excellent practice in general as modern philosophers such as Ekhart Tolle suggests.  The concepts are also deep and can be fun to think about.

How do we work from home if it is not something we are used to?  Going into this knowing it does not have to be, nor will it be perfect.  It is OK to mourn what was.  A perfectly orchestrated ergonomic setup, office decorations, and real-life connections with colleagues, these are all valid things to process.

• Having a designated area for working can help provide a mindset of productivity.  
• Having a daily routine can also help to train ourselves to be productive at certain times.  Taking breaks, being regular, and eating lunch are all just as important now as any other time.
• Checking the calendar the night before and the morning of.  This provides a sense of security in knowing what is coming and what can be prioritized.
• Keeping in touch regularly and effectively.  Communication is more important than ever,  Asking questions, being available, and providing resources if a question has the one answering stumped.

These are, needless to say, unprecedented times.  Self-care is the cornerstone of coping, supporting, being productive, and adjusting to this new world that seems to have changed overnight.  Heads are floating just above the water and everyone has been impacted.  In a time as technologically advanced as this information and resources are at the fingertips of those who reach them.