Flexibility in Uncertain Times

There’s been a lot lately on the value of routine in uncertain times, but not so much looking at the benefits of the increased flexibility that has come from a break in the normal routine.  I’m not saying routine isn’t important, I definitely look to my fortnightly lab meetings, morning daily-goal check ins with one of the Slack communities I’m a part of, and other set time slots to help keep some sense of normalcy through otherwise crazy times.  Instead, I’m recognizing how an acceptance of flexibility has really helped me in the transition to working from home.  Just as flexibility is a critical skill to succeed in a fieldwork dominated discipline, flexibility helps moderate stress and productivity in a time of great uncertainty.  A lot of my current flexibility comes from privilege of not having caring responsibilities and having the resources I need (computers, internet, food, etc.) to be productive while staying healthy at home and the ability to keep in touch/check in with loved ones around the world. 

Part of our routine has become carving out no-screen time on Saturday or Sunday to build a Lego or Nanoblock kit – here we build a blue whale skeleton

I’ve always worked with supervisors that were happy to be flexible, with the condition that what had to get done, got done. This really helped me to hone my time management skills, I could slot in tasks I knew I could do together at the same time and make sure I was done early enough to go to that exercise class on Tuesdays if I stayed late on Wednesdays… If a housemate needed quiet on Monday night I could eat early then do a later shift in the lab to be out of the way, or if the week was going to be unusually busy I could push more of the meal prep to Sunday. I have friends that this type of supervision just would not have worked for, they do better with supervisors that provide micro-scale management.  But that’s a different conversation, long story short: students choose a supervisor you want to work with, program and project are secondary to personality match with your supervisor.

As seems to be the case with a lot of fellow scientists based on Twitter, I’ve started baking much more frequently since #StayatHome started – cookies, bread, and even muffins

I still remember one day as we sat down in class my high school history teacher (also psychology and economics teacher, soccer coach, softball coach, etc.  Small school and I’m not sure which of his classes this was from) handed us each a Dr. Seuss book. A bit confused, we questioned the plan for the day and were told we were learning to listen to the voice inside our heads.  Responding to what had to be blank stares of confusion, he went on to explain we were to start reading the book we were given and read until the little voice in our head stopped agreeing with the words on the page – in other words, pay attention to whether or not our thoughts were wandering.  It didn’t take long for most of the class to have closed their books, indicating their thoughts had in fact wandered away from the task at hand.  How is this relevant to our current situation? Recognizing when we can focus and to what degree is critical to time management – especially for important (but not urgent) tasks. 

Paddleboarding has become my #socialdistancing preferred exercise – I can be outside and most certainly able to avoid coming within a couple meters of any other people

If I sit down to write, whether it’s a manuscript, a newsletter, or a blog, if my thoughts are wandering away from the writing at hand I’m not going to be effective writing. Instead, I’ll likely get frustrated because I felt like I wasted time and imposter syndrome began to creep in unnoticed. Add into that the constant worry for family and friends’ safety and well being in the middle of a global pandemic, and the day can quickly become pretty miserable. But, if after 15-20 minutes of trying to engage and being unsuccessful I switch to something more achievable but productive I can generally make myself feel a little better and then when I do engage with the writing task there are less other ‘should do’s’ to compete for my time.  In the office, this was typically catching up with a colleague over coffee about a class or a project or working on a figure with headphones on and music blaring.

Another #Stayathome project has become a windowsill kitchen garden with a mix of herbs I can sprout from cuttings and the never ending supply of spider plants from the living room plant.

At home, that list of tasks that needs to be done but doesn’t take full focus greatly expands – instead of emails, making figures look pretty, formatting, entering data, exercise, etc. it now also includes cooking, cleaning, laundry etc.  If I can prepare a meal at 2 pm when my brain is telling me to nap, then I don’t have to stop at 5 or 6 pm- I can eat the already prepped meal and keep writing until I’m no longer engaged with it instead of having to break the flow because my stomach is growling.  Similarly, for me a quick break to get in some exercise routinely does wonders for writers block… or what some loud music as I make figures does for my mood. I’m still actively processing the information as I run/paddle/walk/bike/weight lift but without the pressure of making words appear on the page.  Then, when I get back to the computer I’ve checked off exercise for the day and I have a working outline in my head which make the process of engaging and getting words on the page go that much smoother. Who knows, if my writing spree lasts long enough friends and family in the states may be awake for a quick video catch up before I go to bed.

A photo I captured of a sea turtle near Mauritius in January

So until this thing passes, enjoy this picture of a sea turtle swimming off Mauritius and stay home, stay healthy, save lives.