With hour-long commutes reduced to a few steps, lunch out with colleagues or clients put on temporary hold and, in many cases, less work to deal with in general, many business people are finding a few extra hours in their day and dwindling options to fill them. According to advice from several life coaches, now is the perfect time to organize your life, look deep inside your mind and plan for the future to place yourself in a stronger position when life and work returns to normalcy. “It is also OK to sleep in, take a nap in the middle of the day and not be so hard on yourself,” explains Tara Donohue Rudo, Life Strategist and Owner of No More Piles.

“With so many of us rushing around 100 miles an hour year after year, now is the perfect opportunity to sit back, reset the world around you and focus on the things that are truly important, as unnatural as that might seem,” explained Annette Walter, Founder of iEvolve Consulting, LLC. “Take time out of each day to declutter your head and dig deeper into self-awareness. I expect a lot of career shifting when we get to the other side of this, as people will recognize they wish to move in a different direction.”

Annette Walter

“I recommend sitting still, collecting your thoughts and just listening to your inner thoughts,” said Sonny Tannan, author of Through the eyes of Om and an inspirational lecturer whospeaks worldwide. “This is a foreign concept as people had neither the time nor the inclination for this type of self-reflection. For those that may have lost their jobs or numerous clients, write down goals, milestones and expected timelines to achieve positive accomplishments. Understand what is and what is not in your control, so be realistic.”

For those addicted to staying busy

Tara Donohue Rudo echoes the “control what you can control” mantra and recommends picking out different areas of the house to organize or clean out and even names it the “quarantined organizer.” She explains that each person can control their “sleep and exercise schedule, nutrition and home environment” and emphasizes the need for self-care during these stressful times.

Tara Donohue Rudo

“Now is the perfect opportunity to teach your children some important life skills, whether they are just a few years away from attending college or currently in elementary school,” Rudo adds. “This could be teaching how to hard boil an egg, using a screwdriver or checking the engine oil in the car – anything that most adults now take for granted. Are there any soon-to-be-expiring certifications that need to be renewed? How about rummaging through the closets and thinning out the wardrobe?”

Walter stresses the importance of staying healthy – both physically and mentally – and this starts with maintaining a routine and rhythm including waking up at the same time each morning. “Go back to making your bed,” she urges, “set up virtual engagement gatherings with colleagues and friends and take the opportunity to learn something new. There has never been a pandemic before in which individuals had the gift of the Internet to grow and evolve so take advantage of the resources at your fingertips,” she said.

Collaboration goes a long way

“Even if you live alone, don’t attack this situation without help from a buddy,” implores Rudo, who works from offices in Reisterstown, Maryland. “Partake in a zoom happy hour to lift the spirits, take a virtual run with a headset while talking to a friend or sign up for a virtual race with someone who you would typically train or run with. “We’re all flying by the seat of our pants right now, but it helps to have an accountability partner to keep us moving in the right direction and keep concrete goals.”

“Take the opportunity to reset, stay at home with ones that you love and grow through this together,” says Walter, who runs her business from Cockeysville, Maryland

Sonny Tannan

“The lines are currently blurred between our professional and personal lives, so don’t look any further than your home to learn the valuable lessons of collaboration,” added Tannan, who maintains his office in Laurel, Maryland. “Now is the time to listen to the needs of your family and determine what works for them, and then translating this understanding to your professional life in a similar fashion. Invest in mastering technology, using it to your advantage and continue to develop and nurture your relationships.”

Listen to what your mind is trying to tell you

Tannan shares three important things to remember. “I believe it is extremely important to (1) take time to understand yourself, (2) do an honest self-reflection and (3) continue to self-develop. These concepts are things that most may not have thought about, let alone mastered,” Tannan said. “This takes focus and quiet and the ability to find an idea or thought that resonates within you. I recommend sitting still for a few moments with no one around you and implementing a forced slowdown. Remember that slow is smooth – and smooth is fast. Don’t be frustrated if you don’t master this the first time, while recognizing what a valuable step forward this will be when you accomplish the task.”

“We are living in a real-life Groundhog Day, and you need to cut yourself some slack and be patient. Everything feels unnatural right now with the world resetting around us. Even though everything feels the same day in and day out, it is important to find some finish lines and achieve accomplishments,” Rudo explained.

“The goal is to emerge better, stronger and happier after this situation and, in many cases, that may require a reinvention of some sorts. I fully expect many people to take this as a wake-up call to pursue a passion that they might not have otherwise taken. If you ever experience moments feeling down or weak, immediately change your mindset and replace it with something good,” Walter concludes.

Larry Lichtenauer is President of Lawrence Howard & Associates, Inc., a Stevenson, Maryland-based public relations, communications and market research firm. He can be reached at Larry@lawrencehoward.com