According
to working millennial mom Heather Sundell, writing for Fast Company,
being raised with AOL, and being a digital native in general, has really come in
handy during Covid-19. Millennials are generally considered those born between
1981 and 1996. Even if you’re not a millennial, it can be helpful to view
Sundell’s perspective, and see that some work habits you thought were bad are
actually useful during Covid-19.
For
instance, Sundell is an unapologetic multitasker, noting how she was once
criticized by co-workers for spending so much time on Google chat between
copywriting assignments, but her boss had her back, asserting that she got her
work done, and done well, so what’s the big deal?
As she
puts it: “Coming of age with AOL taught us to write papers while flirting with
three screen names at once, and bringing a laptop to college lectures helped us
surf the web while taking notes. The recession forced us, as recent graduates,
to take side gigs just to avoid moving back in with our parents.”
She says
all of this prepared her for working from home while taking care of her child
during Covid-19. She still struggles but sees her long-ingrained habits of combining
work life and personal life as assets. We can identify with the need to juggle answering
emails at all hours, never leaving work at the office and personal life at home.
READ MORE: Digital native adjusting better in pandemic
Sundell
has it easier than a lot of moms, though. She has a husband with a flexible
work schedule and a union job that provides them with healthcare. Even if you
do not have either of those advantages, Sundell’s tips for using millennial
methods can be helpful to you if you’re struggling to keep it all together in
the pandemic.
She
advises to maximize meetings, pointing out how Covid-19 has shown how in-person
meetings – actually meetings in general – are not nearly as essential as we
thought. She also suggests embracing being “always on” and ready to tackle
something at any hour.
Sundell
knows that sounds like a recipe for exhaustion. She says: “Yes, millennial burnout is very real. But, being always on doesn’t mean you’re always operating at maximum capacity.
It certainly doesn’t imply you’re always on in every aspect of your life at once.
It means you’re strategically leveraging drive and energy from one
responsibility to another.”
She points
out the value of “knowing your recharge activities,” like engaging with people
while still finding “me time.”
According
to Sundell, “being authentic,” which to Sundell means taking Zoom calls from
the nursery, stating upfront that meetings need to be scheduled around her
son’s naps, have helped her personal relationships.
And if you
can’t manage any of the above because, say, you’re Gen X like me, that’s fine,
too.
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