105 things I would not have done before Covid19
I would not have…
Panic-bought a rowing machine the day before lockdown started (and never used it)
Panic-bought an electronic keyboard the day the day before lockdown started (and never used it)
Panic-bought knitting materials to make a blanket the day before lockdown started (and never used them)
Panic-bought new recipe books the day before lockdown started (and never used them)
Panic-bought painting materials the day before lockdown started (did use them!)
Realised how many adults panic-bought toilet roll instead…
Bought new games and toys for the dog so he wouldn’t get bored during lockdown either
Downloaded the Coronavirus Tracker from the Financial Times
Made a sourdough starter for the first time
Wrote a thank you poem to all the key-workers to post on my website and social media pages
Wrote thank you poems for EMARI clients who wanted to do the same
Found out that my husband is classed as a key worker
Learned to share my office space with my husband
Realised how different my husband is when he’s in “work mode”
Realised how many buzzwords my husband uses when he’s on work calls
Played several games of buzzword bingo whilst listening to my husband on work calls
Realised how distracting it is to have my husband working from home
Enjoyed regular lunch-dates with my husband because he’s working from home
Made a really long list of activities that you can do inside your house so you don’t get bored
Made a really long list of resources my friends with children could use to home-school their kids
Made a really big collection of different novelty zoom backgrounds
Added branded zoom backgrounds to EMARI’s Start-Up Branding Package
Used zoom for at least 2 hours of every working day - truth? Sometimes it’s been more like 10…
Had my regular blood test for my thyroid issue cancelled
Had a telephone call appointment with the GP rather than face to face
Started my workday at 930 rather than 730am because everyone else seemed to be starting a bit later (because they’re working from home)
Had an influx of emails from companies that hadn’t emailed me since the GDPR rules came in to tell me that they cared about me and would be doing everything they could to help me during “these unprecedented times”
Heard the word “Unprecedented” more times than I can count
Made a really long list of other words people could use instead of the word “Unprecedented”
Queued for ages to get into Tesco to buy shopping for my neighbour (despite my husband’s key-worker status)
Taught my 80-year-old neighbour how to shop online instead
Been at home when my elderly neighbour fell down the stairs and called an ambulance. Several stitches and a strong cup of tea later she seemed ok…
Regularly joined a weekly Saturday morning zoom call with my Australian, American, Scottish and English relatives
Been amazed at how quickly my 95-year-old Grandma learned how to use Zoom so she could join in
Taught several OAPs how to use Facebook more easily so they could connect with their families
Created a virtual church service from several home-recorded videos for Cowes Baptist Church
Watched a documentary comparing the Spanish Flu to Covid19
Finished a full bottle of hand-sanitiser in the space of a week
Realised that shops would need to bring in rationing rules for hand-sanitiser and other random items.
Thought the world had gone mad whilst watching videos of people fighting in shops for the last packet of toilet roll in America, Australia and various other places
Gone to a virtual pub
Done SO MANY virtual pub quizzes
Watched Jimmy Carr’s Little Tiny Quiz of The Lockdown almost religiously
Tried virtual networking sessions at Portsmouth Business Exchange
Called a long list of businesses to see if they could help print sewing patterns & cut material to help with local efforts to make scrubs for hospitals
Been awarded a JCI Covid19 Community Hero Award
Participated in virtual Junior Chamber International virtual training events - lots of them!
Become part of a virtual book-club
Done Latin Dance Footwork challenges
Gone Deep into YouTube just trying to find something interesting to watch - that 1995 Windows advert with Rachel & Chandler from Friends was weird…
Watched Tiger King
Played The King of Tokyo boardgame
Bought every expansion pack for Cards Against Humanity because it’s still funny when you only play with 2 people
Downloaded the cards against humanity app to play with friends (Evil Apples App)
Started playing World of Warcraft and reached Level 42 as a Troll Shaman before being told I was only half-way through the game and deciding it wasn’t really for me.
Fished over 1000 “deviate delights” on World of Warcraft for my husband and his friends before closing my account and realising it’s a weird kind of mindfulness exercise
Bought foundation (make-up) online
Done a virtual tour of an aquarium
Done a virtual tour of the Vatican Museum
Done a virtual tour of the British Museum
Done a virtual tour of The Louvre
Done a virtual tour of Pinacoteca di Brera
Done a virtual Zumba class
Tried yoga
Organised a Friday morning “Virtual Coffee Break” call for Junior Chamber International members
Learned what “Being Furloughed” means
Posted a box of yeast to a friend who wanted to make bread and couldn’t find any in their hometown
Made friends with an AI out of curiosity (Replika app)
Made a real point of exercising for at least one hour every day
Actually missed going to the gym
Cleaned the house to within an inch of its life out of sheer boredom
Decided to teach my dog how to speak after seeing someone do it on Instagram, bought all the buzzers, realised how difficult it was and gave up after 2 weeks
Found time to paint a large canvas of one of my favourite views of Amsterdam
Posted a picture of the large canvas on LinkedIn just to find out what other people were doing to stay occupied during lockdown to get some new ideas
Got really drunk on a Saturday night Zoom call with some friends and then passed out on the sofa
Cried in the shower because I missed seeing my friends, family and going dancing... just my “REAL LIFE”
Felt a bit pathetic about grieving for my REAL LIFE when other people were losing their loved ones, their jobs and their businesses due to Covid19
Had virtual counselling sessions via WhatsApp to help
Entered the “What the hell am I doing with my life?” stage of lockdown
Raised over £4000 in 5 days for The WetWheels Foundation by getting people to take selfies of them drinking tea for the #TwoPointSixChallenge...Because the London Marathon was cancelled
Bought several “nice” face masks off Etsy
Watched Hamilton on Disney
Had a birthday during lockdown
Experienced a variety of virtual birthday parties because of lockdown
Cancelled a family sailing holiday in Scotland
Cancelled three holidays to Amsterdam
Taken a free Covid-19 test. It really has to go UP INSIDE YOUR NOSE
Realised how important being able to hug someone is
Realised how much I love Latin dancing as a form of stress relief
Learned how to use Squarespace and rebuild my website in two days flat
Found time to properly rebrand EMARI (due to less travelling)
Found time to write more resources for clients (due to less travelling)
Had the opportunity to work with Zoe Toseland pretty much full-time on rebranding EMARI and various bits of client work
Mentored people on how to safeguard their career during Covid19
Realised how privileged I am that no one I know has passed from Covid19
Realised how privileged I am to still be in business and have work to do
Realised how tiring being on zoom all the time actually is
Applied for and received a bounce-back loan
Applied for a small business grant
Missed my nephew’s birth
Missed my other nephew’s birthday
Got really exciting about having a face-to-face meeting (after 4 months of only having virtual meetings)
Got a lecture from a taxi driver about Covid19
Had a virtual singing lesson/karaoke session with Eleanor Hanwell and others in the Phlywheel community
Made a list of 105 things I would never have done before Covid19