It seems we’re a bit obsessed with the word “normal.” We talk about what used to be “normal” and the “new normal” and when we can “return to normal.” In the midst of all this chaos and uncertainty, we want to feel grounded. We miss people and experiences. We want to feel comfortable and at ease again.
But is the past really what we want to go back to?
We’re probably viewing the past a bit through rose-colored glasses. Absolutely, there are things that were great and that we can’t wait to get to do again. It will be so nice to go to a baseball game or even just get to hug my parents. But let’s be honest – things weren’t perfect. They weren’t perfect in my life or your life, and they weren’t perfect in the workplace either. There were things you wished were different or changes you wanted to make.
A quote from Dave Hollis is being shared a lot right now, so you’ve probably seen it – “In the rush to return to normal, use this time to consider which parts of normal are worth rushing back to.” We all want this crazy, chaotic time to be over, but if we aren’t careful, we’ll have wasted an enormous opportunity to intentionally create a better future. Just like you can’t return to yesterday, you can’t truly return to the past.
This crisis has caused all of us to rethink what’s truly important. Whether you’ve been working long hours on the front lines, working from home, or laid off; missing family and friends or cooped up with too many of them; navigating illness or enjoying health, you have viewed life from a different perspective over these last 11 or so weeks. My husband, Joel, and I have spent a lot of time lately talking about the things we want to make sure are incorporated into our lives as we move forward. We’ve both been working from home and have been able to enjoy really sweet time with our 13-month old, which has made us appreciate the simple things like family dinners every night and walks in the evenings.
While Hollis’s quote certainly applies personally, it also applies professionally. Work can feel like a nonstop merry-go-round. Once you’re on it, it’s hard to get off because everyone else seems to be on it too. You have an impossibly long list of to-do’s and an overflowing email inbox that makes it hard to sleep at night much less take an actual vacation day. If you’re a working parent who’s tried to continue this nonstop work schedule at home while also caring for your children, no doubt you’re exhausted beyond measure. Burnout in the workplace is so common that the World Health Organization categorized it as an “occupational phenomenon.”
We can do better.
We have an opportunity to rethink work. To refocus on what truly matters and then align our money and time accordingly. If we take the time now to decide what we want the future to look like, we’ll be able to take intentional next steps forward to create it rather than just falling into old habits. This new future will ultimately feel like “normal” – and we’ll be much happier with the results.
Over a series of articles, we’ll apply this perspective to a few areas in practical ways you can immediately start implementing.
- Purpose – what matters?
- Money – how can you prepare your budget so you spend money on what matters?
- Time – how can you focus yourself and your team to spend time on what matters?
For now, we’ll focus on our perspective going into this. Take a few minutes to reflect on your experience over the last 11 weeks, and write down your responses to the following questions:
- What have you learned about being a leader that can improve your leadership in the future?
- What have you learned about your team that can improve how your team operates in the future?
Your answers can be simple or elaborate. They may involve solutions entirely within your control, or they may require a lot of others to be onboard. What’s important is that they reflect the future normal you’d like to create. This way, you know where you’d like to go. You may find yourself immediately analyzing the feasibility or lack thereof (my type-A self tends to do this), but don’t knock any of your ideas too quickly. Creating not just a new normal but a better future normal will involve doing some things differently. With your responses in mind, let’s begin by applying this perspective to knowing your purpose.
Photo credit: By Ridofranz / Canva
