Connecting at a Distance: Some Ideas for Living and Working in the New Normal

Yes, That’s a VGA-HDMI Adapter.

This is more a journal of the last couple of weeks than a piece with any sort of theme, but perhaps you find some tips or ideas for how get more accustomed to living and working remotely.

The Bigger Picture: What’s Going to Change?

Call it the “new normal,” or adopt whatever buzzword you like, but the fact that Zoom is now a household word and boasts a stock value of more than all U.S. Airlines combined is significant.

Consider putting some attention and time to the proposition of what work will look like going forward. Listen to “The New Future of Work” with Sam Harris and Matt Mullenweg.

After understanding a little more about what “distributed work” entails, I believe even more fully William Gibson’s observation (pun intended) that

The future is already here — it’s just not very evenly distributed.

The Setup: Keep Security in Mind

A Screen is a Screen. Let go of your Cathode Mindset

Working in a distributed fashion does present some different security challenges, as remote workers are in fact within the confines of exactly the same firewalls. Some resources include:

• Bruce Schneier offers some helpful Work-From-Home Security Advice.
• SANS is making its Work-From-Home Deployment Kit available for free.
• I put together 10 Security Tips for Working Remotely.
• Consider a password manager, and watch Why You Need a Password Manager.
• Be vigilant of online fraudsters. I created videos on Avoiding Coronavirus Scams and Beware of Covid-Themed Phishing Attempts.
• If you are going to use Zoom, take a look at Craig Ball’s Protect Your Meetings from Zoom Bombers, and The Agile Attorney Network’s Zoom is Safe for Lawyers (if you use it right).
• I also created a short video on getting started with Zoom.

The Routine: Consider Some Tools for Working Smarter

Below are some short videos about some of the tools I use to get better at what I do.

Why not take some of this time to evaluate where and how you can improve?

• Using WordRake as a Document Editor. Learn more about WordRake.
• Using Feedly to Capture and Organize Content. Learn more about Feedly
• Automating Social Media Posts with Buffer. Learn more about Buffer.
• Using the Evernote Web Clipper. Learn more about Evernote.
• Avoiding Distractions with Freedom. Learn more about Freedom.

By the way, there are no promotional benefits to me buried anywhere in these links. I pay for these tools because they are valuable to me.

The Engine: Take Care of Yourself

Adapting to some distance can be lonely and difficult, especially during such an anxious time. And as Laurie Santos pointed out on Deep Background, spiking your sympathetic nervous system is not good for your immune system or your health in general.

So below are a few suggestions for getting that parasympathetic nervous system engaged, keeping from becoming too isolated, and staying healthy.

• Find Good Routines and Habits- Figuring out how to navigate your new environment is crucial. With that in mind, consider Patrick Fuller’s Thread on Working from Home.
• Get Outside. One of the wonderful unintended consequences of the current situation is the number of people out walking in neighborhoods. There is ample evidence of the benefits of getting outside. And the out-of-doors also helps fight burnout.

If you are curious about what you are seeing, get the iNaturalist App, and you can get suggestions on species, as well as record your observations. My current observations are below:

• Connect Even While Distancing. It’s so crucial to maintain ties and relationships during a difficult time. Zoom Happy Hours are amazing, but so are phone calls and reaching out to those we care about. And that process of connecting reminds us we’re all in this together.
• Exercise and Eat Well. I always sound like I am preaching, but moving and getting your heart rate up benefits every single system in your body. And lots of time at home and a nervous state are not the best recipe for giving your body what it needs. These are the things I do and use regularly (Concept2, TRX, Onnit, Athletic Greens), but everyone is different:

• Be Kind to Others and Yourself. I don’t put this as well as others do. Read Seven Things You Can Do During the Pandemic by my friend John Sean Doyle. Put those ideas into practice. Take 26 minutes and listen to This Episode of Unlocking Us, with Brene Brown. Understanding the importance of empathy and its power right now is so crucial. Fear and scarcity are on display in every grocery store and on every social media platform. Empathy is the inexhaustible antidote.

Conclusion: Figure Out What Works

I don’t know what works for you. Hell, I don’t know what works for me most of the time. But when faced with a bunch of uncertainty, getting curious generally serves me best.

I hope something in this post sparks your curiosity as we move through this together.