What have I learned from the Covid pandemic?

Hopefully in ten years we will look back at the year 2020 and have more fond memories than bad ones.  For those who suffered through the virus or who lost loved ones my heart and prayer go out to you.  I personally knew several people who died as a result of the pandemic and the complications it provided to existing conditions.  My intent with this post is to reflect briefly about what I have learned from this period of time and how it might be beneficial personally and to others in the months and years ahead.

Here are a few things that I have learned as a result of the pandemic:

  1. Much of the business I have done in person can be done via electronic means.  I know many of you are so past the Zoom and Teams craze, but I think you would also admit that these technologies kept life sane and in motion for most of the last year.  People adopted to video conferencing in a rapid manner and the results were positive for most and I can say they were for me.
  2. Many in person meetings and events are not as necessary as we once thought.  This may seem like a repeat of #1, but the direction is different.  I now realize that many events I attended were not that vital and I will be more selective in where I physically appear versus appearing virtually in the months and years ahead.
  3. Face masks will never fully go away.  I know many of you think that masks don’t work or that you just don’t want to wear them.  I can remember being in Japan in the 1990s and seeing people wearing masks then.  There is a time and place for people to wear masks to restrict what they share with others and the adoption of masks in larger venues is something that some will never abandon.
  4. Time with family and loved ones is the best time.  In comparison to many of my friends we had the ability to spend time with our family and especially our grandchild often during the pandemic.  This did provide a few wrinkles, but those were worth it in the end.  Keeping people away from personal contact with other loved ones has long-term implications and finding ways to keep essential relationships going is important.

I could write more, but this is enough for today.

What have you learned from the pandemic?  How will you use this moving ahead?