There Is Still Something We Can Do

In March, there was a frenzy of activity while we all stocked up for what felt like an Alaskan January. Then we enjoyed the novelty of working from home in our loungewear, Zooming into meetings, and sharing stories of adapting. It was a curious experiment. Now, it’s become a routine and a bore.

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This is the first time in my life that I remember going an entire summer without jumping into a lake for a swim, but my state park is limiting numbers, and I want the kids who are around to enjoy the water. I’m lonely without my workout buddies, as much as we Facebook each other. Finally, our clients see us only online at a time that they could really use a friendly face and helpful advice while they try to pivot in a hurricane.
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Meanwhile, there are webinars every day on fundraising during the crisis, but, frankly, our eyes are getting tired. There is a wide range of companies telling us how to raise money now and helping us hold virtual events. The flurry of online offerings represents the concern that we vendors have for you and your organization. We are trying to help, and we’re probably also making your email box pretty noisy.

Even with Covid fatigue, though, we can still do something to help ourselves and our organizations stay the course, and staying the course is the hardest part – just ask all those young kids milling around on the beach without masks. The most important themes for our summer and fall are that we have to remain dependable for our organizations and that we have to take care of our families and ourselves. This is going to be a long ride. Let’s look at some ideas.

For Your Organization
Like it or not, any pause in normal activity allows us to do those odious projects that we were able to put off during our busier periods. These include:

• A database audit. Reaching your constituents is the first step to asking them to give. Also, life becomes much more efficient when data is organized, much like how much easier it is to find a fork when you’ve organized your silverware drawer. We’ve offered our tips on auditing your database here. 
• Find communication gaps and build bridges. Consider setting up task request systems for your business intelligence team, your research team, and your administrative assistance team. All do better when they can prioritize their tasks and get a good view of what is wanted. Also, tracking is easier.
• Rethink your business intelligence. In the frenzy of our day-to-day work, we have difficulty focusing on a redesign project. But sitting on your couch is a great time to grab a piece of paper and draw out what your most frequently used reports should look like. Draft out your ideas using visuals, and pass it around to those colleagues who would use it (and those who would have to create the new reports). If your idea gets implemented, you’ve made an improvement.
• Ask your supervisor and internal clients what they need right now and then carefully listen to their response. People often talk about what they need by complaining about what they don’t have, so you can work on your consulting skills by letting them talk (unless the talk is only gossip). You can then help out with any project or task that’s under your job description.

Remember that your top executives are stressed. They have to raise money, defend your job to their supervisors (or board), and perhaps figure out whom to lay off. Do not make suggestions that someone else has to implement. Just take care of business and be transparent. That will relieve your boss from worrying about what you’re up to. Also, if you ask for feedback, stick with project-based feedback. Chances are your upper management are overwhelmed with work and personal needs to give you a pat on the back, as much as you deserve it.
 
For Your Family 
This is a fundraising blog, but -- like our farming ancestors -- our work, our family, and our social life are now at home. Here are some ways to cope, taken from our experience.

• Keep your normal schedule. Your health and your work will do well if you wake up and go to bed at the same time every day. A routine is still vital to your and your family’s health.
• Work alongside the kids. When I was in my MBA program, my daughter and I sat at the kitchen table and did our homework together. It was a time to bond and I was setting an example for her.
• Teach the kids (or grandkids) how to cook. Cooking is probably the best skill a new adult can have, and the recession requires that we economize. When we cook ourselves, we eat cheaper and better. 
• Share the chores. Kids who share the chores get more time after dinner with their parents. Couples who share the chores get more time with each other. Kids who can wash their own clothes don’t bring them home to Mom and Dad when they are older.
• Shut off the TV for most of the day. Play board or other games together to promote bonding. Playing after dinner allows everyone to get a respite. 
• Eat dinner outside when you can. Breathe fresh air. Go for walks or bike rides. 

 
For Yourself
In March and April, I did a lot of food buying and cooking since it was all I was allowed to do, given how much New York was trying to contain the virus (and we did!). However, I, like a lot of my friends, picked up extra pounds within a few weeks. And then, by June, even food shopping lost its luster since it was my only excuse to leave the house. Now, what? Here are some things that we’ve done at Staupell to take care of ourselves.

• No work in the bedroom. Do not bring your laptop into the bedroom, or even your iPad if your intention is to work. You need a break between work and rest, and your commute used to be that. Now you have to create it deliberately.
• Find out when you work best. For me, I’m most creative in the morning (I’m writing this blog post in the morning). Greg is most creative at night and his time zone is 3 hours behind Patti’s and mine; he’s joking that he has Hunter S. Thompson hours. Patti communicates very early and very late, and intermingles her work throughout the day. 
• Keep something in your hands during Zoom meetings. I often have a rock to roll around in my hands. By keeping my body busy, I’m able to focus my mind on the meeting.[1]
• Filter your email box. If you get advertising in your email, you can set your program to filter it to spam. You can also filter emails from internal clients and your boss into an “Important” folder. That way, you are not slogging through nonsense to get at your work.
• Exercise. I am doing workouts at home which are designed by my fitness coach. You can take a walk, even, to reduce stress and to keep your heart healthy.
• Learn something new. You have the time. Also, it’s better for you long term than watching the news.

 
I’ll admit, during this lockdown I made faster progress on our upcoming course on analytics and I am about to make my first batch of homemade soap in 15 years. My workday still starts at 7:30 am and ends at 6:00pm, but it’s much more quiet than I like and I see very few people in person. This is hard. But we’re all in it together and we still have workarounds.
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Write to me at marianne@staupell.com to share how you’re coping and working. 


[1] See this article on the mind/body connection here.