By Lauren Grenier
Have your days started blending together since the start of shelter in place? I know mine have! That’s why it’s so important to change up our daily schedules. I have never worked from home, so that was a new transition in itself. But, by the end of the day, I find myself looking for a break in routine even though so many people and articles advise us to retain a schedule and stay consistent. “Routine, routine, routine – that will keep you sane,” they say.
Well, that lasted for a few weeks before I was going crazy, needing to add something new to my “new routine.” So, I started working out from home and I relearned how to rollerblade with my fiancé. I also take different walking paths around the neighborhood for a change of scenery. These are all things that I would probably not have done or had a chance to do were it not for our current situation.
I’m also a big believer in self-care. I know there are many parents out there who have busy schedules and are now balancing those roles with working from home. Cheers to you! I hope you are finding time for yourself – even if it’s 10 minutes – as a new part of your routine.
Before quarantine, my favorite for of self-care was shopping. Since TJMAXX online shopping hasn’t been available until recently, I have saved a lot of money! This is a significant new change in routine for me. After work, I often would find myself going here and there to “pick up a few things,” but now I understand the need to save. I even started looking into financial advice to help create more long-term “buckets.” (Who am I?! I hardly recognize myself.)
Now that the states are beginning to lift their “stay in place,” orders, some of our teammates may continue to work from home while others will go back into the office. Restaurants are opening up and we can interrupt the weeknights by spending time with family and friends over drinks and great food. It may seem almost normal. But let’s not let our lives become routine; let’s continue to find ways to do something new.
About the Author
Lauren Grenier is director of marketing at Granite and Chair of the ACW Communications Committee. She rose quickly through the ranks at Granite over the past eight years and was named the company’s first director of marketing in 2018. Grenier is active in the channel community as a member of the Alliance of Channel Women (ACW), a not-for-profit organization of women in the indirect sales channel of the telecom and IT industry. She’s currently Chair of the ACW Communications Committee and in 2019, she received the ACW ACT Award for her volunteer contributions to the organization. In 2020 Grenier received the 2020 Channel Partners Circle of Excellence Award and was named to the CRN Women of the Channel list.