With COVID-19 Shelter at Home and Social Distance reality upon us, we’ve all found ourselves unceremoniously ejected from the comfort zone of our normal routines. Some have recently been furloughed while others suddenly find themselves working from home with a load of kids to educate and entertain. Then there are the heroes on the front lines as essential employees while all of the above is going on at home (we❤️ you, btw).

Each one of us has a special story to tell. But one thing unites everyone: This isolation thing ain’t for sissies.

Having been self-employed for the majority of my career, I’ve weathered it all at one time or another. Uncertainty has been my middle name for a while now. And with the exception of a catastrophic pandemic stress-o-meter looming overhead, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Here are some tips for managing the insanity.

Schedule, schedule, schedule. Did I say schedule?

Just like at work, establish a daily schedule that includes breaks, lunches and most importantly, getting dressed. Whether you’re working from home or not working at all, sorry to inform, but three days in PJs is not a good look. Trust me, your family will thank you. If you keep a “normal” routine, this will help everyone stay productive. These days, Zoom helps us connect to co-workers, but it doesn’t help that feeling of confinement. Try to take a walk outside on one of your breaks. Socially distant, of course.

Establish a workspace and keep it organized.

I’ve been seeing some pretty hilarious and inventive workspaces. One of the best was an ironing board, which gives a whole new take on the adjustable desk. When times get desperate, the desperate get creative! Often, an entire family is competing for working space, so a little organization goes a long way in keeping everyone’s stress level down. Establish an individual space for everyone and keep it consistent.

Manage interruptions.

 We’ve all seen the poor chap whose child stole the show by breaking into his nationally televised interview. It’s going to happen, and no, it’s not okay to tie up the kids and put them in the closet for your Zoom meeting. In my years at home I’ve had meetings interrupted by the dog barking, my neighbor’s weed-whackers, and my own home maintenance workers. And then there was the time my elderly father loudly reacted to an outlandish request from a client while I was on speakerphone. Add emails and text messages to this and it’s enough to drive anyone bonkers. Simply letting people know your schedule or shutting off the text messages while you’re on a call helps. Some kind of Om therapy might be in order when the uncontrollable happens.

Create boundaries.

I happen to work in an industry that could be 24/7 if I let it. There are time bombs and land mines on a daily basis. I admit I’m not the best at the boundary thing and there is a fair amount of triage that goes on. I do try to keep semi-regular hours and distinguish between emergency and non-emergency situations. Example: If your boss or client sends you an afterhours email with multiple exclamation marks, highlighted and bolded with red. Pay attention. If same boss sends same email at the same time as your kid spills an entire bowl of SpaghettiOs all over himself and the dog. Tend to kid and dog and answer email later. Unless it’s a medical emergency, more than likely it’s something that can wait.

Identify and understand distractions and isolation.

This is a biggie. There is always that moment when I swear I can hear the fridge calling or I have a sudden urge to purchase yet another pair of boots. Or there’s an inflammatory political post on Facebook that gets me going. Why am I on Facebook in the middle of a workday? Yeah, that too. This is where self-discipline comes in. Invoke everything – God, Buddha, your spirit animal, whatever gives you strength – to walk away and focus on the task at hand. If you do find yourself giving into your guilty pleasure demons, give yourself a few extra minutes on the back end to compensate. The beauty of this working from home thing, is that you have the power over your schedule.

If you live alone (as I did for many years), these can be particularly isolating and scary times. Yes, there is plenty of streaming entertainment to catch up on, but if reducing the isolation is the goal, take advantage of this technologically abundant time and schedule a Quarantini happy hour with friends or cook dinner together. Most fitness studios have taken themselves online and plenty of celebrity chefs are offering tutorials through the Food Network on demand. Right now, you’re likely to find out that your favorite Yoga instructor has a class on you can join from the comfort of your living room. So many people are in this same boat that if you reach out, you may be surprised who you touch.

Bottom line is these are strange and unsettling times indeed. It may be an opportunity as well. If we can embrace the isolation just long enough to listen to what we are supposed to learn from all of this, we may come out with a new perspective. If nothing else, we’ll all be ready for a gigantic group hug.

I’ll share another post soon about how to achieve creativity in times of stress. Until then, please stay healthy and yes, stay home.