Don’t call it "the new normal".
The COVID-19 situation is very likely to mess up your days and nights in ways you couldn’t imagine. Here is my (very subjective) list of people whose advice and experiences might make your time in quarantine or self-isolation more tolerable, or even productive. No particular order.
1. Susan Cain
Her book, "Quiet", was the most important book in my life for many, many years. This was the introvert manifesto that I needed. Now, it seems, most of us might need The Quiet Revolution.
2. Jack Monroe
The self-styled "Tin Can Cook" first appeared on my radar in 2012. Her experiences of living, cooking, and feeding a child while in poverty have helped her develop a no-nonsense approach to food. Her recipes are just what you need now: cheap, anti-fancy, flexible, and written with self-care in mind.
3 / 4. The Happy Pear
Two dudes from Ireland whose approach to vegan food made me look forward to my switch to veggie! Spend 5 minutes on their YouTube channel and you will see how easy it is to prepare meat-free food which taste good and don’t cost much. Added bonus: their optimism and goofines is the only contagious thing you’ll want to catch.
5. Esther Perel
Here’s what I really, really respect about Esther Perel’s work: the courage to talk about love, relationships, work, therapy, and traumas – all in one conversation. As your work life and home life and love life conflates into a space of several square feet, you may find yourself in need of someone whose thinking helps make sense of it all, and so far – she is leading the pack for me.
6. Joe Wicks
Also known as "The Body Coach". This guy is a bundle of energy, he refuses to surrender to the doom and gloom – and today, he started a great initiative – a PE class, live on YouTube, each morning for 30 minutes. The class is great for your kids to follow at home, and quite useful for adults, too! If you want more, there are hundreds of free workout routine demonstrations on his channel, too.
7. Leo Babauta
When difficult times are around, you sometimes think of a person and realize that everything they had been doing was, at all times, one of the best things to prepare for what is going on now. Leo Babauta – the founder of Zen Habits – is one of these people. I am grateful to him from dispelling many of the mindfulness myths with his simple, accessible language.
8. Naomi Klein
Because if you think that this isn’t about politics, and that after Covid-19 things will go back to where they were before, then you aren’t paying attention.
9. Headphone Commute
Whenever I fly back to Poland, I sit at my old desk, pull out my ancient laptop, and (if the laptop still works, and the broadband still connects) I download the latest Headphone Commute podcast. If you’re looking to do an hour of solid, focused work every now and then, get some headphones and play one of their mixes. This isn’t easy listening, and the moods will vary – but most of the time, it allows you to escape the ridiculousness of your thoughts.
10. Matthew Walker
You’re not getting enough sleep, and you’re getting this guy worried. Matthew Walker is here to tell you why the best investment you can make right now is a good night’s sleep – he wrote books, delivered TED talks, and constanty engages in fascinating research on that topic. Sleep well, and everything falls into place!
Photo by Tobias Fischer on Unsplash
Wiktor (Vic) Kostrzewski (MA, DELTA) is an author, translator, editor and project manage based in London. When he works, he thinks about languages, education, books, EdTech and teachers. When he doesn’t work, he probably trains for his next triathlon or drinks his next coffee.
BRAVE Learning (formerly known as 16 Kinds) is a lifelong learning and productivity blog. If you enjoy these posts, please check out one of my books and courses.
My recent publications, and my archive, is now all available on my new project: PUNK LEARNING. Hope to see you there!