WE ALL have favourite ways of doing things. Whether it’s a morning routine, a preferred place to work or even a particular strength of tea; some things simply don’t change. That is, however, until you throw a pandemic into the mix.
Just about everyone has had to change things up and figure out new ways to do things. As Stephen Hawking said “intelligence is the ability to adapt to change'' and while we can’t all claim to be as intelligent as Stephen Hawking, we can agree that the ability to adapt is critical during a pandemic.
Some people have flexed their green fingers and taken up gardening, others have laced up their trainers and hit the roads. Some have worked out new ways to do their old jobs, whilst others have discovered fresh skills entirely.
We asked our community what changes they’ve made recently that they have decided to hold onto, into 2021 and beyond.
For technical director at Moojoo Designs, Jennie Williams, settling into a slightly slower pace of life was something her family really wanted to hold on to.
“We’ve really started trying to do less. We have always been squeezing so much into our lives that we left ourselves no time to enjoy our home, our garden and each other. We don’t try to fill our time now nearly as much as we used to, and the things we actually do are now so much less rushed.”
Gaining personal time was a bit of a theme amongst the community. Play therapist, Louise Hope, said that taking things online had not only helped her grow her business, but had resulted in more time with her family.
“I’ve finally moved my notes system online which I should’ve done years ago. It’s helped me take on some new contracts with larger agencies and was necessary for consent forms and contracts when providing online therapy sessions for children.
“I do miss the initial meeting in a new family’s home, but it’s been amazing to have that flexibility for intake and review meetings for online work. It’s also meant I’ve been able to provide supervision to other practitioners all over the country, without having to worry about childcare, which means I’m improving but not at the detriment of my family.”
For photographer Jon Plimmer, rather than gaining time, he found a new sense of value in his work.
“I've learned a lot around value over lockdown. When you’re self-employed you can fall into your own bubble, and miss your impact on other people. Recently, I received a message from a former client that was extremely emotional around how much they valued pictures I had taken of a family member who has since passed away. My pictures were now worth so much more to them. Yes, there is a financial need in the work I do, but the emotional value I provide when capturing someone's special moments is priceless.”
Llinos Neale is the community manager of local enterprise Hub - Welsh ICE. The Campus in Caerphilly is home to more than 200 organisations and has an online community of more than 500 business owners, staff and entrepreneurs.
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