One of the oh-too-many interesting revelations of this world health crisis is how we are all handling it very differently.
We are all drifting on a variety of spectrums right now; emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually. Some days are better than others. Some days are just downright drab and boring. Some days get away from us and we forget to write the promised update of Day 12. ;)
There are a few people, though, who have gone into hyper-planning mode.
I would *think* that I could and should belong with this group of planners in a crisis.
For as many plans as I am tentatively considering, there are as many times that I throw my hands in the air and say, "What's the point?!"
I think there are only two appropriate timelines for planning at the moment.
1. This week.
2. Three months from now.
I even cringe writing the three months timeline because on June 26, there is the unfortunate possibility that I may be still typing these updates.
I am also certain there are people out there right now who don't even feel like they can plan tomorrow, let alone a week or months from now.
We are learning that our humanity and mortality connects us all. Yet some people are still not connecting the reality that EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED.
Health. Career. Finances. Economics. Politics. Media. Travel. You name it, it's in the mix right now.
So, please be sensitive to the fact that none of us know what the next weeks or months will hold for us. The seemingly reliable trajectories of schedules, budgets, habits, ambition, and even age and time have been drastically interrupted.
I think I can understand why some people are over-planning, though, and it is because they are grasping at former reality as an effort to retain normalcy. It's also perhaps an exercise in "positive thinking;" planning with the expectation that the pandemic will subside more quickly than it appears it will.
Whether this "interruption" lasts another two weeks or two months or even longer -- let us collectively respect that not everyone feels the same security or insecurity about the future as we ourselves do in any given moment.
Anyway, it's more important to stay in touch and communicate support at this time than it is to plan our next strategies.
If you are emotionally unable to barely even plan tomorrow, I encourage you to make a game plan for your week. Every Friday night, sit down with your loved ones (whether in real time or FaceTime) and decide together how your next week will go. This will be about as much "normalcy" as you can handle, and that is totally okay.
If you are emotionally so stable that your certainty might be overwhelming others, I encourage you to make as many plans as you want. Then keep them to yourself. Open up discussions with the potential people in your plans instead of demanding decisions and actions. Some people will be happy to join you on your efficient timetable and others will be really upset by it.
I would say the best way to measure this with people right now is to speak in "ideas" instead of in "plans." If they take your ideas to plans on their own, you know it's fine to speed ahead. If your ideas are even too much for someone to deal with right now, then better to defer this discussion until later when this person can feel more secure.
Support, not pressure, is what most people need right now. Sure, this will ebb and flow and eventually return to some form of normalcy. But until a real timeline exists for that plan, it's better for everyone to "control what we can control."
You can follow all of my daily updates during the CoVid-19 quarantine here.