Samantha Slezak, Author at Creative Circle

As a client, have you ever struggled to get the results that you want when working with freelance creatives on a project? Learning how to communicate feedback in a way that has an impact is an especially useful skill right now. While everyone quarantines and works remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic — at least for now — interactions are less formal and less frequent. But for all of the challenges of remote management, giving meaningful feedback is a transferable skill.

Set Yourself Up for Success

The first step to getting the results you want happens before you even engage with the freelancer. Consider whether someone you’ve worked with before is a good fit for a particular project. Melissa Koehler, the owner of Kohesive Marketing, a Boston-based boutique marketing and communications firm, emphasizes that we “all have different styles, and are suitable to different kinds of work.” The photographer who takes fantastic action shots might not do portraits well. Most experienced freelancers know what their skills are and where they may not be a good fit; less experienced creatives may not know this yet.

A well-articulated brief or project assignment is critical. Koehler relates to the John Dewey quote, “A problem well put is half solved.” Share background information or context as well as a clear description of any strategy, marketing, or business goals. “Provide a deeper understanding of who the audience is. Explain what the motivators are or the drivers that you’re trying to appeal to with the work,” she continues. The client needs to invest the appropriate amount of time at the start to achieve the results they seek. That said, she quips, it’s called a brief for a reason.

Sometimes the project may shift midstream or be more iterative. Remember to clearly communicate any new goals or shifts in approach to the freelancer.

Understand Your Role

In the essential management book, Radical Candor: Be a Kickass Boss without Losing your Humanity, Kim Malone Scott shares lessons learned from leading teams at places like Apple and Google. She points out that in the tech industry, talent can easily find a new gig if they don’t like the organizational culture. These large companies invest significant resources in understanding what makes great management tick.

Scott stresses that the role of a leader is to guide people to achieve results. It’s not a directive approach and should be resilient enough to support different approaches and opinions. Creating a culture or relationship of effective feedback means being flexible and able to tolerate criticism and open debate. Understood another way, think of how your role is to support the freelancer to succeed.

Sometimes, Koehler observes, “clients focus on what they think the solution should be.” You are hiring a creative with expertise in copywriting or art direction for a particular purpose. This also means listening deeply to why they make the choices they make.

Give the Right Feedback

“Be as specific and thorough with praise as with criticism,” Scott explains. “Go deep into the details.” The tendency to rush and spurt out a compliment like “good work” or a critique such as “I don’t like this,” is meaningless, she argues. Neither explains why something works or doesn’t work. This is a time to over-communicate and make sure that you are understood.

Koehler stresses that it’s important to “give feedback on the outcome, not a prescriptive solution to a problem.” Explain how and why a work product is not reaching a specific objective. Persuasion is not merely rational, but emotional. Consider what doesn’t feel right about the outcome and why.

Feedback must be given with care and compassion to be effective. Deferring to “it’s just business” avoids taking the time to understand the problem that is being addressed and why you are responding in a particular way. For the person on the receiving end, curt feedback can feel personal, and for good reason. The reality, Scott points out, is that: “Most of us pour more time and energy into our work than anything else in our lives. Work is a part of who we are, and so it is personal.” Recognize that, and give feedback accordingly.

Be mindful that it might be “hard coming into an established team,” Koehler continues. There are many dynamics at play for creatives. There’s the client/freelancer relationship and the insider/outsider role. Have an awareness of the communication shortcuts that you have with the team you see every day, and explain things thoroughly to a new person.

While working remotely, it’s necessary to provide feedback in different formats. Be aware of what works best for the creative you are working with. An email or Slack may suffice, but if you’re providing detailed feedback, it’s probably best to do so over the phone or by video conference and then recap in an email summary.

Like any relationship, if you’re not getting the results that you want, you have a role in that. Clients — and creatives — need to take responsibility for their part in creating a successful partnership on a project. Through effective communication, they’ll reach the desired outcome.

About the author.
Jess Powers writes about marketing, food, and wellness. She has experience in nonprofit communications and emergency management. Follow her @foodandfury.

Think back to your first day of your current job. You were probably feeling nervous and excited — but at the start, those nervous butterflies probably overshadowed any new job enthusiasm. “Will people like me? Will I like them? Who do I ask if I have a question? What am I supposed to do in my downtime? Will I have enough work to fill my day? Where is the bathroom?”

Now take that and multiply it by 10. For those starting new jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic, things are confusing, to say the least. In this age of WFH, creating a well-designed virtual onboarding process will help ensure that remote employees feel comfortable and are quickly engaged in their new roles. Here are 8 top tips to help you create a successful process that will build connections between new and current employees, increase collaboration, and further the goals of your organization — not to mention, prepare them to eventually return to a non-remote work world.

PRE-BOARDING: THE SECRET KEY TO SUCCESS.

The time between accepting a job offer and the first day of work is a fantastic opportunity to engage new hires and begin to immerse them in your company culture before they officially start. Here are some examples of actions to take that will help set you and your new hire up for success:

Have your new hire’s direct manager send them a personal message, welcoming them aboard. Or send a small care package that represents your team or your brand; just as you’d put some pens, mugs, water bottles, and other tchotchkes on your new hire’s desk on day one, sending your new teammate something small can go a long way.
Set your new remote employee up with a mentor who can help show them the ropes; this will allow them to navigate any logistical hurdles and will also provide a sounding board should they encounter any hiccups along the way. It’s also a valuable professional development opportunity for the mentor — a win-win.
Offer any home office recommendations germane to the job.
If your new employee requires a laptop or some other piece of hardware, get it to them as soon as possible — ideally a couple of days before he or she starts.
Share a list of all platforms and software used ahead of time to allow some time for familiarization.
Send logins for all software ahead of the first day so that your new hire is ready to go.
Use electronic signing and document systems to get any relevant paperwork signed.
Document and provide remote work guidelines to let your new hire know what is expected of them.

Companies that use pre-boarding are better able to foster a sense of connection to the company and maintain a new hire’s sense of enthusiasm and excitement about their new role.

UTILIZE STORYTELLING.

Your virtual onboarding experience is an opportune time to highlight the culture and values of your organization. Do you have videos, blogs, articles, presentations, or newsletters that showcase the values that define your company? Leverage them. By sharing stories that demonstrate the impact your company has had on its clients and customers, you can help inspire new employees.

A WARM WELCOME GOES A LONG WAY.

Make time to do a mindful introduction of new hires to the team via video conference. Share salient details of their work experience and what they will be doing going forward. Have co-workers introduce themselves, taking time to explain what they do, with whom they work — and to make the process more personal, have them share an interesting fact about themselves. Doing so will help new employees feel as if they are part of the “family.” Helping foster a sense of connection and belonging in new hires is critical for a distributed team; a thoughtful welcome can set things on the right path from the start. And, finally, consider a fun icebreaker — like a virtual happy hour — so that your team can get to know your new hires and vice versa.

COMMUNICATION, COMMUNICATION, COMMUNICATION.

Enabling real-time communication is vital to successfully onboarding a remote employee. There are many ways to foster communication channels — chat, instant message, project management apps, company intranet, and more. Whatever modalities your company uses, it is essential that remote employees can begin communicating with their new colleagues as soon as possible. This will help them successfully adjust to new work processes and their new role.

GET ORGANIZED.

Confusion can easily occur when employees are located in different places, which is why organization is so essential when onboarding a new remote employee. To mitigate any possible hiccups, here are three simple ways to cultivate clarity:

Create a project brief that outlines what you need from your new employee. Shared documents are a great way to do this (we are a fan of Google Docs).
Create an overarching document that outlines the main project objectives, with links to other related documents for all team members.
Create a task list that assigns each person to a specific task, along with the due date, so that everyone is on the same page.

ONE-ON-ONE TIME IS ESSENTIAL — ESPECIALLY FOR REMOTE EMPLOYEES.

Studies have shown that up to 20% of new hires resign within the first 45 days of starting a new role, often due to lack of clarity, confusion about process, and poor management. When the onboarding process is virtual, getting it right is even more critical, as the lack of physical interaction can make it more challenging to spot a potential problem. In a recent study conducted by LinkedIn, 72% of those surveyed said that “one-on-one time with their direct manager was the most important part of any pre-boarding or onboarding process.” Educate supervisors on the importance of carving out time for one-on-one meetings, and encourage management to prioritize spending time with new hires as an essential cornerstone of your company’s virtual onboarding process.

CULTIVATE CULTURE.

Company culture can get lost in the shuffle for remote employees under normal circumstances. And now that COVID-19 has now made us all remote employees, imparting a sense of your company’s culture to a new hire is all the more important. Coaching and mentoring are key ways to culturally onboard a remote employee. Pair your new hire with an “on-site” member to help foster communication to ensure that virtual employees can check in about workflow, company values, and performance expectations, among other things.

When employees feel connected to company culture, they are more willing to work hard and feel that their contributions are making a real impact. A LinkedIn survey of more than 3,000 American professionals found that 70% of those surveyed would leave a top company if it had a bad culture. 71% disclosed that they would take a pay cut to work for an organization “that shares their values and has a mission they believe in.”

BE NIMBLE. ASK FOR FEEDBACK AND ACT ON IT.

Let’s face it — we are all in uncharted territory. For most companies, virtual onboarding is a new process. Even with all the best intentions, you may not get it perfectly right the first time. Or the second. And that’s okay. Ask for feedback from new hires so you can be agile and continue to optimize the process for your company. Look at this as an iterative, continuous learning process that you can continue to enhance — that will help ensure the best possible outcomes for your organization.

Today’s environment is definitely not business-as-usual for any of us. But with some mindful planning, virtual onboarding can be a successful process for all involved.

About the author.
An award-winning creator and digital health, wellness, and lifestyle content strategist — Karina writes, edits, and produces engaging content across multiple platforms — including articles, video, interactive tools, and documentary film. Her work has been featured on MSN Lifestyle, Apartment Therapy, Goop, Psycom, Pregnancy & Newborn, Eat This Not That, thirdAGE, and Remedy Health Media digital properties. You can see more of her work at karinamargit.com.

It’s a confusing time for everyone. None the more so than advertisers and marketers. If you have something to say, it’s critical to get it right, because the world is paying attention. But also, did you get that? The world is paying attention.

With reduced access to offices, gyms, restaurants, bars, and national parks to visit, the whole country is spending more time online and in front of TVs, soaking up news and information. The Wall Street Journal reports that Facebook usage has surged by 50% since the crisis began.

This means marketers have a unique opportunity to chime in and speak up about their values. Brands who can maintain relevance are well-poised to grow their audience, and resonate with customers far into the future.

For messaging that adheres to CDC recommendations, there’s already a template being made for you. AdAge reports that:

Ad Council is teaming up with the White House, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to “provide critical and urgent messages to the American public,” the group said in a statement.

…“That script, developed by Group SJR, will also be made available as a template for media companies to create assets with their own local and state public health officials.”

It’s a long tough road ahead, but we’ve survived catastrophes before. Most recently, after 9/11, General Motors quickly rolled out its highly effective “Keep America Rolling” marketing plan to advertise its zero interest 84-month loans to get Americans back on the road.

Their campaign offers a good lesson for our current situation. In a time of uncertainty, the right messaging (with the right actions in place, to back that message up) can give customers assurance that brands are there for them.

How can you or your clients be there for your customers? One thing is to try and recreate some semblance of normalcy while we remain socially distant. Brands can shift their attention to social spaces where communities are congregating (if they aren’t already there) and provide entertainment, humor, or a breath of fresh air. Or they can take meaningful action that supports their community like these three have: Allbirds offered free shoes to healthcare practitioners. Lyft expanded into delivery partnerships to support their drivers. Target announced pay raises, bonuses, and paid leave.

Meanwhile, entertainment companies like ViacomCBS, Walt Disney, ABC, and iHeartMedia are at work on campaigns centered around the importance of physical distancing.

Understandably, not every brand can make grand gestures. The key is maintaining a dialogue with customers that is sensitive to the current climate and the emotional state of customers, while being mindful of government, World Health Organization, and CDC guidelines.

There are lessons to be learned from brands whose best intentions backfired. We all remember the Kendall Jenner Pepsi scandal, Dodge Ram’s dodgy use of MLK’s voice, and Bud Light’s cringey “up for whatever” campaign.

It’s no secret that brands want to sell their products, and agencies want to get paid to work on advertising those products — but you also don’t want your marketing to come across as pandering or insensitive. Ensure your message is saying the right thing, at the right time. Think before you send, pay attention to the here and now, and don’t forget to run any and all marketing efforts past many people, to gauge their reactions and ensure that your efforts don’t backfire.

Moral of the story: customers are paying attention, now more than ever. But countless people are struggling, and your message needs to be respectful of customers’ various situations. So tread lightly. When done correctly, marketing during times of crisis can build brand trust and help propel your brand into the future. But there are many cautionary tales that must be heeded, to avoid a marketing nightmare.

About the author.
Héloïse Chung is writing the great American science fiction blockbuster in the moments between her day job as a copywriter and creative director. Non-screen activities include rock-climbing and making ceramics.
website: heloisechung.com
twitter: @hzla_de_encanta
instagram: @heloise_chung

Maybe getting that work out in is a little harder when you don’t have to stop at the gym on your way home. Maybe not having weights is a bummer. Maybe you’ve lost the will to move physically more than is absolutely necessary. Never fear! We have a list of body weight exercises so you can mix and match your way to a quick yet efficient workout.

Short workouts in between work sprints may actually be even better than one longer sweat sesh at the gym. A short HIIT (or high-intensity interval training) sesh will burn more fat, make you stronger, and up your cardio more efficiently than a longer steady state workout. One study shows that HIIT training is five times more efficient than endurance training, and there are plenty of exercises you can combine that don’t require equipment.

Other benefits to short workouts include less post-workout fatigue and hunger, fewer cravings for sweets, and maybe even an elimination of that afternoon coffee. Plus, a midday workout can help reduce stress and anxiety, which we can all use help with right about now. Let’s get to it.

How to create your set:

Choose one exercise from each section below. 60 seconds on 10 seconds rest. You can repeat 2-3 times for a 15-minute workout. Sometimes getting over that first 5 minutes will get you in the mood, so if you want to keep going to a full hour, HIIT it, killer! (I am both sorry and not sorry for that dad joke.)

If you want to build longer sets, you can choose your own range with the Tabata style combo below:

45-60 seconds ON
10-20 seconds OFF
x5
20-60 seconds REST
Repeat 5-12 times for a 30-75min workout

You can use a timer to help you keep track of time. I use the app Seconds because the only thing that can get me to push myself right now is a robot telling me to.

Keep reading for a list of exercises to mix and match, as well as a demo video wherein I show you all my favorite sweet moves.

Warm Up

Add these movements before you begin as a bonus for better mobility.

Crescent Lunge: Use padding under the knee if you need to and activate your glutes to get a deeper stretch in the hip flexors.

Plank to Low Lunge: Activate the core by lifting the pelvic floor, then step teach foot forward with control to open up that hip mobility.

Downward Dog to Plank: This exercise give you core activation plus spinal movement to warm up the whole torso.

Jumping Jacks: Nothing like the old-fashioned standby to get the heart rate going. Make sure to land softly by moving ball to heel to protect your knees. You can also march in place for a low impact option.

Lower Body

Lunges: The trick with lunges is alignment. Get the knee hovering just above the floor if you can, creating two right angles with the legs. You can perform these stationary, walking throughout the house, or back and forth.
Side lunges target the inner thighs and can be really useful to target those stabilizers.

Curtsey lunges can help target the glutes more specifically and help to address imbalances.

To add some intensity, jump lunges can spike your heart rate quickly. Be careful not to advance to these until you’ve got the alignment and stability portion in check. Otherwise, you could hurt yourself.

Squats: Stand with your hips slightly further apart than your hips with feet slightly turned out and squat down past your knees if possible. The deeper you go, the more range of motions you work, the stronger you’ll get.

You can also work on sitting back into a chair if squatting past the ankles is challenging. It’ll strengthen the basics so you can build.

To go stationary, try a wall sit. Back to the wall, thighs parallel to the floor, knees over ankles. When it burns and you’re trembling, you’ll know it’s working.

Finally, for more intensity, go for jump squats by launching yourself up from the bottom of your squat. Make sure to land on your toes first to absorb the shock and protect your knees (like with jumping jacks).

Bridge: Drive the heels down to lift your hips. You can repeat the full range of motion, hold, or pulse.

To go further you can lift one leg up and down or pulse the opposite side with the leg lifted.

Leg Lift: There are tons of leg lifts out there, but two I find that really help isolate the glutes. First, a pulse in a slight arabesque. Second, a clam variation that lifts the feet to give a slight internal rotation followed by a leg extension.

Upper Body

Push Ups: Elbows in or out it’s your choice. (Out will be a standard pushup. In gives you that yoga-style chaturanga push up.) You can also lower the knees if you find yourself sacrificing form.

Take it up a notch with diamond pushups to get more tricep action.

Take it up several notches by adding a dynamic clap at the top.

Handstands: Practicing handstands against the wall can be super fun. L-shape or jumping up against the wall are two great options, especially when you don’t have weights to get into the core.

You can also walk forward and back to push the shoulders to fatigue and activate the core stabilizers.

Scapular Retraction: This one may require some weight or a resistance band for you to feel something. Rows or reverse flies can be helpful and water bottles can be just as good as weights. (I’ve even seen people use bags of books. I have personally used a ladder before. Get creative!)

Core

Planks: On your hands or forearms — what’s most important here is to hold steady and not let the hips or shoulders sink. Be sure to breathe and lift the pelvic floor to let the core feel sturdy.

You can work on side planks instead and lift one leg for an extra challenge, or rotate for a crunch.

For something more dynamic, try plank jacks!

Twists: You can use weight here as an option as you twist from side to side and leave the feet on the floor or lift them for a challenge.

Roman Deadlift: Another stabilizer, this enhances balance and will work the core and lower back. Lean forward keeping the spine long as you lift one leg behind you. The big challenge here is keeping your hips square.

Superman: This one is a little more targeted for the low back as you lift, hold, and release.

You can move continuously with Swimmers as a variation.

Full Body

Mountain Climbers: Tuck each knee into the chest, working hip mobility, legs, arms and core.

Burpees: The best, and also the worst. You can jump at the top or reach your arms up. You can jump to the top of a push up or step back. You can perform a full push up, knees lowered push up, or just hold plank for a beat. Either way, this will be the hardest minute of them all, probably.

Bear Crawl: Keeping the knees as low to the ground as possible, you’ll want to crawl forward and backward. You can also hold in place in between movements.

Cardio

Stairs: If you have stairs in your house, running (or honestly just walking regular style) up and down them is a great way to get your heart rate up!

Step Knee to Elbow: Take two steps and then crunch that knee to your elbow alternating sides. This one requires a bit of rhythm and coordination and can be super fun.

Roundhouse Kicks: Great for hip rotation this move gets you as much cardio as force you put into it. Make sure there are no children, pets, or sharp objects around.

Jab and Cross: Your standard one two punch can be done stationary to give the core more focus or you can move your feet forward and back to channel your inner Rocky/Creed for shadow boxing.

Butt Kicks: Almost like jogging in place, these will help you contract you hamstring. They’re often used as a running warm up.

High Knees: Keep your hands above your hips to make sure you really reach. You can also march in place for a low impact version.

Star Jacks: This is a more dynamic version of jumping jacks where you jump into a star formation and land crouching.

BONUS

DANCE! You don’t need instructions for this one. Just make a playlist of your favorite 2-3 songs and go crazy until it’s over. You can catch your break between songs. This will not only get your heart rate up, but dancing can be a major mood booster. You can also replace the cardio category with DANCE!

About the author.
Alessandra is the mentor, educator, and writer behind Boneseed, a private practice devoted to deep self-inquiry through a range of physical, energetic, and mental modalities. She has over 500 hours of yoga, mentorship, and facilitation training and can be found slinging knowledge on her website, newsletter, and @bone.seed

You are somewhat new to Brooklyn. Where are you from?

In October 2018, I went on vacation to New York City. On the first day of the trip, I met a girl and fell in love. I moved here in June 2019, and we got married one year to the day we met.

What do you do?

Since moving from Buenos Aires, I’ve tried a variety of jobs. I’ve been a hot sauce brand ambassador, kids’ entertainer, landscaper, model, and managed the build team around massive art and music installation. This ambitious project took me to Burning Man last year. These diverse experiences allowed me to learn more about myself and helped guide my thinking about what career path to pursue. I wanted to do something with more long-term growth potential — not just pursue gigs for a paycheck.

What did you do in Argentina?

In Argentina, I taught English as a second language for 14 years and own a school with a staff of 8 people and over 100 students. I did not initially plan to go into education here. Ultimately, however, I decided that it would be smart to use my experience and expertise and started to teach again. Two other things factored into this decision: many friends and friends-of-friends had expressed interest in learning Spanish, and the building I live in has beautiful offices for tenants to use, which could serve as my classrooms.

I took several weeks at the end of 2019 to research and plan the classes and materials. Teaching Spanish was a first for me — but I trusted that my teaching skills and experience would translate from one language to the other.

When did you start your new teaching venture?

My new venture started in January 2020. I was excited to work with enthusiastic, curious students. After the first few classes, many of my students were happy and spread the word. I finished my first month with eight students. I thought: “not bad considering that I was only teaching adults who wanted to learn Spanish as a hobby!” In February, I posted an ad on the building’s online bulletin board advertising a free first class, which brought in more people. By the end of the month, I had around 15 students in the evenings, which left me with some time off in the morning and early afternoon to do other work. I also created an Instagram account to help get the word out.

What happened to your job or business as a result of C19?

March started promisingly — I reached the goal of 20 students that I’d set for myself. I was happy to be able to focus on giving the best possible classes rather than on how to get more students. But then coronavirus hit and everything changed. In just seven days, I had to figure out how to continue my classes in this new era of social distancing. While I had been asked to teach remotely before, I never gave it much thought — that is, until I had no other choice.

I did not want to give up my new venture, so I took a crash course in Zoom and looked up resources online to help maintain the quality of the learning experience. But unfortunately, many of my students had lost their jobs and could no longer afford to take lessons with me. In comparison with rent and food, my classes were not “essential.” I offered discounts and payment plans, but unfortunately, it still didn’t fit their budget — and just when things started to take off.

How have you adapted to the realities of C19?

In Argentina, crisis is our baseline. We continuously have to adapt to changes — either because of currency devaluation or due to bad government decisions that disproportionately affect small businesses and entrepreneurs. I knew I had to reinvent myself, once again. I tried to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I decided to continue with my classes, as much for the few adult students I retained as for myself since teaching offered me an escape from isolation and an opportunity to socialize — if distantly. And I decided to turn to those for whom learning is essential: families with school-age children. I joined a Facebook group for parents and offered my services as a tutor, figuring that homeschooling is not an easy task and that with many parents still working, I could help.

What has been the result of your adapted mode of work?

By the end of March, I had my first family clients! And after having classes with their children, I’m getting more emails from their references. In this new age of COVID-19, I am dealing with challenges by trying different ideas. In many ways, I feel fortunate that I’ve had to adapt to crisis in the past because that ability is serving me well today.

Check out Federico on Instagram, @profedenyc

About the author.
An award-winning creator and digital health, wellness, and lifestyle content strategist — Karina writes, edits, and produces compelling content across multiple platforms — including articles, video, interactive tools, and documentary film. Her work has been featured on MSN Lifestyle, Apartment Therapy, Goop, Psycom, Pregnancy & Newborn, Eat This Not That, thirdAGE, and Remedy Health Media digital properties.

We are now a nation of remote workers. While some of us are digital nomads — used to the rhyme and rhythm of working from home — most of us are not. Taking care now to prevent burnout is more important than ever.

Even when operating under normal circumstances, more than half of all employees in the United States feel burned out at least some of the time, and almost one in four feel burned out very often or always. Here’s why this matters, maybe now more than ever: this doesn’t just impair our productivity — it can damage our mental and physical wellbeing, too. Evidence links burnout with a weakened immune system and heart disease — the antithesis of what we want right now. And let’s face it, during a pandemic, we are more at risk of burnout and emotional exhaustion. We are more likely to feel depleted and isolated, leaving us with less to give. We are all on edge living in a time that has no real historical parallel.

So here are five smart ways to work smart in these unusual times so that you can help keep burnout at bay!

1. Move Your Body.

Set an alarm. Every hour get up. Shake your body. Stretch your arms to the sky. Bend down and reach your fingers towards the ground. Bend from side to side. Try ten jumping jacks. Jog in place. Get animalistic with a down dog and some cat / cow poses. Do any movement that moves blood through your body, loosens your muscles, and gives you a brief respite from sitting (or perhaps standing) in front of a screen. Also, I am loving Dance Church. Created by Kate Wallich in 2010 to bring dance to non-dancers, it’s the party you want to go to, just happening now in your living room. Designed for humans of all shapes, sizes, creeds, and identities (and their pets, now that it’s virtual) as a safe container for free expression through movement — with some fantastic dance music. Part dance party / part workout, it’s an amazing way to let the ya-yas out. I’ve been livestreaming the class (free, every Wednesday and Sunday) and doing a Zoom so I can do it with my friends and feel a sense of togetherness. Great for mind, body, soul.

2. Fresh Air — Get Some.

Cabin fever is real, especially for folks not used to working from home regularly. Without the imposed excursions of a commute and set lunch breaks, we can get squirreled away in our homes and forget to go out. Create a routine for yourself. Every morning, try to take a break and get outside (social distancing please!) and get some fresh air. And then, every day, take a post-prandial solo stroll. Make getting outside a habit — it will help you stay balanced mentally and physically.

3. Clock In / Clock Out

Crafting a daily routine with consistent parameters will help eliminate the stress of constantly “winging it.” When your office is your home and your home is your office, without the physical separation of “work time” and “personal time,” it’s easy to just keep working — which can lead to stress and burnout. Create a work schedule for yourself and stick to it as much as you can. Start at the same time every day. Clock out around the same time as well. Take your fresh air and move your body breaks at the same time. Eat lunch at the same time. Endeavor to keep your work schedule as consistent as you can. Routine is reassuring when you have to create your own schedule. You no longer have the rhythm of a commute and morning coffee talk and lunchtime as schedule markers. It’s up to you to create a new routine so that you can normalize things as much as possible.

4. Get Square: If You Start to Feel Stressed, Try Box Breathing

You may feel anxiety creeping up — and that’s okay. If that happens to you, try this breathwork technique known as square or box breathing — a very simple and effective way to manage stress in the moment. Here’s how it works:

Breathe in for a count of four (1—2—3—4). See the air entering your body and feel it expanding your lungs.
Hold that breath in for a count of four (1—2—3—4).
Now exhale fully for a count of four (1—2—3—4).
Hold for a count of four (1—2—3—4) before repeating the cycle and breathing in again for a count of four.

Do this for at least five cycles. Studies show that this and other breathing techniques can successfully help promote relaxation.

5. Nix Notifications When You Have to Focus

Yes. These are scary times. The news is coming at us fast, furious — but we can control when we consume this hard-hitting information. A constant deluge of anxiety-inducing notifications is just going to raise your stress levels and make it that much harder to stay focused. Consider making a hard limit for yourself in terms of checking the news — two times a day, maybe three. Try and be present, as much as possible, with what is in front of you. You’ll feel better for it.

Try these simple methods to stave off burnout — let us know if they help you out — we’d love to hear about it. These are unusual times, but you’ve got this!

It’s Week Three. This morning felt different. Someone had turned down the roar of dread, panic, and confusion in my head so when I woke up, it was now just a tolerable low level drone. It seemed my brain had finally had enough time to process everything and settle into some kind of acceptance at the state of things. (Speaking of drones, how are leaf blowers still considered essential business? Aren’t they illegal in LA? And also, they kill bees. But I digress.)

It’s also a relief to see that the federal government is finally getting on board with science-backed recommendations for civic preservation. I didn’t want to get into yet another argument on some social channel about the benefits of wearing masks or staying at home. It seemed common sense to me and many others that if there’s a contagion, the only logical thing was to reduce contact and limit asymptomatic carriers from spreading their germs in public. But I know how powerfully anecdotes can sway any one of us. We are story-based creatures after all. So it’s easy to see how a personal anecdote that looms larger than any mountain of evidence to the contrary — say, a story about how one person was fine while on a crowded beach — can become the basis for confirmation bias. We believe what we want to believe.

My anxiety, at this point, has also been the genesis for a million projects (that don’t include the screenplay I had planned to finish) so I could become more self-sufficient. This week I started seeing the rewards. A gift of sourdough starter had bloomed into two pillowy loafs of bread. My first attempt at kombucha (something I’d long scoffed at when I lived in NYC) is showing a thin layer of fresh scoby — this is a weird slimy pancake that apparently forms every time you brew a batch, and which you need to start a new batch. My scallions regrown from the ends of my last farmers market bunch, some foraged nasturtiums, and a tiny basil plant were all thriving. (Fingers still crossed for my kale, collard, and daikon seeds.) I’ve found a couple online yoga videos I like. Here’s one with Cat Meffan I enjoyed this morning. My friend Sondra, who has the most soothing voice ever, hosts my favorite yoga class which you can find under the moniker Sondra Sun Yoga on Sundays, Mondays, and Fridays. Another friend donated his old pullup bar, while I patiently await my six-weeks-out backordered hangboard for climbing practice. And of course, like half the country, I am dancing along with Ryan Heffington at Dance Church along with friends via Zoom.

I’m one of the lucky ones, I know.

I have steady work for the time being. A welcome respite from a months long job hunt last year, that finally turned around this winter. I’m lucky that I can work remotely, that I have access to outdoor space where I can grow my own food, that I’m in good, non-urgent health, and that we live in a time where groceries and supplies can arrive on our doorsteps with just a few keystrokes.

The joy of steady work, of course, is tempered by the fact that many of my friends and colleagues don’t have the same flexibility and they’re either adapting (by moving their classes online for example), scrambling to cobble together enough work, or counting on unemployment to get them by, because their work can only be done face to face — like restaurant work.

But it’s also a time of intense mental and emotional drain.

I’ve forgotten what it means to focus. This blog post for example. To be honest, it took me a few days of fits and starts to find the words and silence the siren call of neverending information online. Plus there were the frequent breaks to tend to my elderly dog, forage for snacks, or just stand on my balcony listening to the birds trill and chatter into the quiet void left by the disappeared traffic.

But I think I’m finally becoming more acclimated to the rhythm of our days as defined by isolation. I know I need to practice more self discipline. Not just to sit down and work. But to know when to stop and be done for the day. To not be productive at all, to breathe, to be still, to cherish what freedoms I do still have. And of course, make sure my dog gets plenty of treats and pets. It’s 6:17pm. I think I’m actually going to sign off and enjoy the sunset for once. I hope you can, too.