The worst days of the COVID-19 pandemic are behind us. But due to constantly-evolving strains that become increasingly more infectious, the virus remains a potent threat to communities and organizations around the world. Most health experts agree it’s only a matter of time before everyone on the planet becomes infected with COVID-19.
If you’re a business leader lucky enough to get this far without testing positive for COVID-19, it’s logical to assume you’ll wind up infected at some point in the future. The next step – if you’re abiding by the recommendations of WHO and the CDC – is to self-isolate until you test negative. That could be as little as a few days or as long as two weeks, depending on the extent of the infection.
Even a few days away from the office is a lifetime for the typical business professional. You’re driven by the quest to make a dime on a cent at every available opportunity. Being forced to sit back at home, twiddling your thumbs at home until the infection clears, sounds like a death sentence.
Fortunately, there are several ways business leaders can maintain their sanity while self-isolating at home. The following are five suggestions to consider:
Hold virtual meetings
There’s frankly no reason why you can’t conduct business as usual while isolated at home. After all, the past two years have paved the way for organizations to operate remotely. With this in mind, business leaders forced to stay at home due to COVID-19 infection can maintain day-to-day operations by conducting daily meetings in a virtual space. Even if it’s only a ten-minute session with your senior manager, it’s enough to get caught up on the important developments of the day. That helps you maintain a sense of control over your enterprise, despite feeling separated for the time being.
Play the odds online
Most business leaders have an insatiable desire to wheel and deal. Every day that goes by without the chance to make money is a day wasted. With this in mind, it’s easy to see why so many business leaders go stir crazy when forced to stay isolated for several days. They’re aching to try to make a profit in any way possible. Enter online gambling. Whether putting money behind an NFL sportsbook bet or trying your luck with virtual poker, online gambling gives business leaders in isolation the opportunity to make easy money. You might not always win, but you’ll always have fun trying.
Do some relevant reading
Several days of isolation at home is a great opportunity to do some reading. But as a business leader, you’ll feel guilty if you decide to indulge in guilty pleasures like fantasy and science fiction. If that’s how you feel, consider reading books written by successful CEOs and others with relevant insights to share. You may come back to the office with a new sense of what’s at stake and what must be done to secure future success.
Binge-watch a TV show
We get it…you’re wound up because you’re unable to obsess over the baby that is your business. While you can exhaust every method to maintain power and influence at home, you could also throw in the towel and enjoy the time off. Since you can’t travel or do anything else outside the home without endangering others, why not binge-watch a show you’ve been wanting to watch but haven’t had the time to do so? Chances are you have at least one show in mind.
Taking your mind off your business could actually be a good thing since it grants you a fresh perspective once you return. Is there a better way to do that than to find yourself caught up in the manufactured drama of a television series? If there is, please share!
Plan for the future
Running a business is a predominantly present affair. In other words, you’re often too focused on the here and now to spend an appropriate amount of time plotting your future course of action. Now that you’re stuck at home for several days, why not sit down and map out the preferred future of your enterprise? While writing it down doesn’t guarantee it will happen, conceiving a roadmap for the future can prove especially beneficial going forward.
The typical business leader sees their enterprise the same way a parent sees their child. It’s your precious baby. Being separated from your baby appears absolutely devastating. But these days, a week-long break could do some good.
Julie Steinbeck is a freelance writer from Florida. She enjoys covering topics related to business, finance, and travel.