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Issue 52: Don't Forget About You

Welcome to Backstory, a weekly newsletter turning global technology shifts into a three-minute read. This week, we’re reflecting on how to balance our online and offline worlds when life moves to the internet – Joseph Dana, Senior Editor


THE BIG TAKE

Don't Forget About You

Another week in the grand experiment of remote work. How have you been holding up? Have you maintained productivity levels or do you find those afternoon dips lasting longer and longer? Given the extraordinary events happening all around us, it's critical to focus on mental health during this period. We’ve been thinking about surefire steps you can take to keep your mental health on track. It all starts with unplugging. 

Boredom is good: To understand the awesome power of technology, we need to step away from it occasionally. That means willingly entering into the analog world. Whether it’s reading a book or writing a letter by hand, the analog world is a place of focus, reflection, and even boredom. Given the constant stream of news, a little boredom might be a good thing, don’t you think? 

Insights: For the past two weeks, Xische has been sharing tips for remote work drawn from years of experience. An empathic workplace can help ease the psychological burden of remote work, and entering the analog is a great way to hit the restart button. Above all else, don’t forget about yourself during these challenging times.

Here are a couple of other tips that help our team members stay productive and engaged. Keep plans short term. Plan for today and the next few days so you don’t burden yourself more than necessary. Exercise. Even seven minutes a day will greatly improve your mental attitude. Breathe. A five-minute breathing exercise can improve focus for hours. Treat yourself. It’s okay to have an extra cookie or sweet. And last but not least, connect with others by any means necessary.


QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“We tell ourselves stories in order to live.”

Joan Didion, American writer


Staying Connected
 

All of us will face some huge challenges over the coming weeks as we navigate a full transition to remote work amidst this global crisis. At Xische, we remain focused on sharing our insights and tips in this uncertain time. We encourage you to share this newsletter with anyone who you think would enjoy a weekly dose of connectedness.  We would also love to hear from you. Please don’t hesitate to reach out and share your tips and tricks for this new normal by emailing d.farhan@xische.com


OUR VIEWS THIS WEEK

How I work: As part of our remote work series, we’re publishing a series of interviews with Xische team members about how they work. We’ve been working with partners on four continents and across time zones for years. To help curb the spread of covid-19, we’ve gone completely remote and so far have seen a spike in our collective productivity. In the How I Work series, we go deep on tips and tricks for making remote work better. Who doesn’t love a good list of the best apps and platforms to make your digital life easier? Stay tuned for insights that help our team members maximize productivity and stay engaged. 

Resilience is key: Writing in The National, Mary Ames, our director of strategy, considered the role of urban resilience in countering the covid-19 crisis in the UAE. Urban resilience is the ability of a city to maintain continuity during crises and adapt to the future. The keys to urban resilience are great infrastructure, cohesive communities and good governance. Moreover, Ames noted in the piece, the greater number of vital functions that move online now, the easier these services will be to administer after the covid-19 crisis. Head over to The National to read more of this critical perspective.


A MESSAGE FROM EMPOWERING THROUGH
 

A new paradigm. Now more than ever, the power of people to create and share their experiences is critical to the health of the planet. The challenge is how to celebrate them. At Empowering through, we believe that people are empowered. Our goal is to empower a system to celebrate them. Join us as we create a new economic and social movement together.


SPOTTED ELSEWHERE

Podcast blues: Covid-19 is upending the global economy and leading to fundamental changes for how business gets done. One unlikely victim of the sudden change is podcasts. According to Quartz, podcast advertising revenue has fallen off a cliff as a result of the crisis. It seems that the vast majority of people enjoy podcasts on their daily commute, but with everyone at home now they just aren’t listening as much. Is this your experience as well or has your podcast consumption increased over the last month? 

Pandemic privacy: Used efficiently, our smartphones can track the spread of covid-19 and inform critical decisions about resource allocation to save lives. Writing in the Asia Times, Xische’s senior editor Joseph Dana argued that we need to harness the power of our technology to curb the spread of covid-19. “While it might sound frightening to grant governments more power over the intimate details of our lives,” Dana wrote. “The world is facing an unprecedented situation. We have the tools to curb the spread of this virus dramatically.”


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