Most know me as a “social butterfly”, “Hotfoot”, “Robot” … It’s ok, I am not offended by your name calling. That’s what I thrive on. I feed off the energy of my team, clients and friends. The first day that we decided to get our teams to work remotely I asked Andrew if I could take my chair home for my bad back and he said I could take anything but the toilet paper. Shain grabbed my chair for me and we walked through the office looking like bandits, threw it in my trunk and I started to head home. I remember speaking to Hayden on the way home about the plans for our full team and I remember feeling like I was in a bad movie. A client today said to me, “It’s not a bad movie this is a freaking horror show”.

The first day of being home, I thought to myself, “Wow … YOU ARE SO PRODUCTIVE… No one to interrupt one thought in my head, not one question and I got through everything on my to do list. Cake! The second day, I started to miss my team, we had our first of many Zoom meetings, little did I know that this was the new way forward. There is a conspiracy that COVID-19 was developed by Zoom, that’s one of the things that make me laugh daily. This week was tough, on Monday I got through a lot, but I realized that social distancing was not for me. I have never felt so lonely at work. Reality is, real estate agents have one thing in common, they like to socialize and be around people. There are very few introverts in the real estate world and even one on my team who claims she is.….IS NOT. 

It’s normal to feel like this, being around people all the time to being in a room by yourself is a big change. I decided on Tuesday I would turn things around and change my mindset on this. It’s Wednesday and I feel now that I am a pro.….I also feel like I am much like everything around us with this virus…. Fluid (not in the new millennial sense). Everything around us changes every day and you have to roll with it. 

Here are some tips that have got me through so far:

• Wake up at the same time you used to
• Drink a nice strong black coffee 
• Get your workout in the AM. Can be a quick walk, run, full on training session (There are lots of live streams on Instagram and also there are so many trainers that are happy to do online sessions now). This step I feel is so important. Andrew said to us that use the travel time for exercise and that stuck with me. Dropping Charlie to school can sometimes take an hour out of my day.
• Find your workspace at home, make sure it’s free from distractions (aka anyone like Charlie), quiet, has a window and breeze if possible
• Dress as if you are going to work. Even if it’s just the top part of you! No one wants to see a sloppy looking person on the other end of a Zoom call. Also, it sets your mind as to what you are doing
• Talk to your clients, vendors, team, management team as much as possible. There are so many people around you that you think are strong that during this time may be totally affected. Be there for them. It takes 5 mins to make a call. 
• Video call ALWAYS where possible. It’s good to connect with people face to face. Yes, at first, it’s awkward but then you realize that it does you just as much good as the person on the other end
• Take breaks, go on Facebook and check out the silly memes that give you a giggle. Watch out for the scaremongers online, if someone is constantly offending … block them. It’s a perfect time to cull your Facebook list
• Be present, be emphatic, be kind, be funny, be YOU
• Finish off your day with some form of work out. Emma Hutson sends me 20 min work outs daily. Ask her to send it to you too
• I know this last tip isn’t allowed in most places, but Barbados is blessed with a multitude of beaches and let me tell you, there are many on the west that are empty. Take your family for a swim on a beach where hardly anyone is around or go for a drive and get some fresh air on your face
• Finish your day with a cocktail … ok that’s some bad advice… I will stop there

That’s all for now. Let me know if you want to hear more from my desk. Happy to let everyone in … VIRTUALLY… Keep 6 feet away from me please!

Rachel