Resources for Social Distancing Well

As we all try to collectively figure out the societal norm of living through a pandemic, we’re also all on our homefronts, trying our best to figure out our own new normal as well. For some of you, you may be working from home for the first time. You might also be homeschooling for the first time.

That’s a lot of new all at once. I’m right there with you.

I’ve done both — work from home and homeschool — for a number of years now, so I thought I’d share a few links, resources, and ideas already out there.

Tips on Working From Home

There’s lots of great info out there right now, largely via podcasts. Here’s a few that might give you practical tips or motivational encouragement:

5 Tips for Staying Focused While Working From Home, from Focus on This
Measure the Day by the Task, not Time, from Before Breakfast
How to Keep Moving Forward in Times of Stress, from Building a Storybrand
Pandemic Ready? Coronavirus and Your Business, from Being Boss
Leading Through the Coronavirus, from John Maxwell Leadership

Tips on Homeschooling

I couldn’t sum up my own thoughts better on how to homeschool right now than this Twitter thread (click through to read the whole thing):

To all the folks trying to recreate school at home, with highly structured schedules & worksheets: we teach that way in schools because of CROWD CONTROL, not because it's the best way to learn. Kids have a rare opportunity here to engage in deep, authentic learning instead. 1/
— Sim Kern (@sim_kern) March 18, 2020

Also, my friend Susan Wise Bauer is SUPER smart and knows what she’s talking about — she’s part of a free online conference about suddenly-at-homeschooling. It’s already happening, but you can sign up to watch individual webinars, and I highly recommend learning from these wise folks.

It’s delightful to see so many artists, entrepreneurs, and businesses helping each other out right now. Just a few resources I know about:

Tons of booklists, from Read-Aloud Revival
Science class on YouTube MWF, from Mark Rober
Shapiro School (learn about current events), from Ari Shapiro
A calendar of virtual field trips — zoos, museums, farms, and the like on live-cam
Free classic audiobooks, from Audible
Draw with Wendy MacNaughton, via Instagram Live
Daily Lunch Doodles, from Mo Willems
How to draw (all sorts of things), from my talented friend Brady Black
Dance with Debbie Allen, via Instagram Live
Free writing class for teens, with Shawn Smucker

Tips on Staying Sane

First off, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention my own work-from-home work, because I actually feel a sense of purpose to this more than ever at the moment. If you’re like me, you need reminders of the good, little things in life that make things better.

There are a few social distancing-specific episodes such as creating a basket of comfort art and establishing a golden hour. There’s also a few other timeless episodes that feel all the more timely right now: routines are good, candles — really, and memento mori all come to mind.

There’s so many tools, resources, and sources of encouragement out there right now — it’s really remarkable. Stay safe, wash those hands, and do what you need to do to stay sane. Give yourself lots of grace. We’ll get through this time together.