I wanted to add a bit of light-heartedness to our blog and newsletter but also reflect on a serious point at the same time. 

Life is different right now, and it's different for us all.  Some are busier than ever, with all sorts of pressure on you, some are dead quiet, with a lot of time on your hands and minds, and some of us, myself included, are not able to provide our services but are busy improving systems in preparation for a return to work.  Life is so different and unique for each and every one of us.  As a business owner, I have Family, clients, team members, and suppliers to think about.  Many of you will be the same and many will also be different with kids to home school, essential service work to do, and other people to look after.

My question in his article is, what are you doing to look after you?  How do you plan and run your day and week so you look after your mental well-being?  We are in this for a few more weeks to come along with the challenges that will come once we are back at some level of normal.

Through observations and my own experience I wanted to share some thoughts on the things you can do to look after you:

• Connect socially, online, with people outside your bubble on a regular basis including family, friends, and business networks - some of us like the peacefulness of lockdown, but some of us still need the social contact of others.
• Share what you are going through with like-minded people - a problem shared is a problem halved - Often just talking through a situation helps gain clarity and reset for the next day or two
• Make time for a bit of activity to take you away from the daily challenges.  This will be different for us all, it may include reading, watching a movie, exercise, time with the kids/family, or time away from the kids (LOL), playing games, and more.
• Don't be hard on yourself, - this can be a really different world for many of us.  Reset your goals, be realistic based on what's happening for you, and be ready for the restart when it comes
• Keep on top of what is important - this includes your health and well-being, your financial situation, and the people around you. 
• Support - if you need support grab it with both hands - We have applied for the wage subsidy and Covid resurgence fund and received both.  We have funding in place for our business should I need to call on it. 
• Use technology in a smart way - Personally, I can get too much news and it affects my mindset.  Early in lockdown, I was looking at news apps throughout the day looking for the next bit of breaking news on Covid in NZ and around the world.  I realized that this wasn't good for me and I changed to only look at the news twice each day.
• Focus on what you can control! Personally, this is a big one for me.  I can't control how long this lockdown is, or when I can meet with my friends for a beer or meal, and I certainly can't control the lack of business I am able to do right now.  Here are some of the things I try to focus on:
  • Family and Freinds
  • Flexibility for our team because it's just as hard for them
  • Good communication and leadership for our team and customers
  • Sound business activities -
    • We have and continue to review and improve processes and systems
    • Our team are completing online training and upskilling
    • We are working with customers on projects and opportunities that we can deliver after lockdown
  • Yes we do, and I do, fall back into different mindsets, but by having clear thoughts and mindsets it is often easier to get back on track when that happens.
• Have Fun!  I'm taking time each day to step back to my younger years, taking over the lounge to set up my old Scalextric Slot Car set which hasn't seen daylight for about 10 years, and I've been playing around shooting some slow-motion video as well - the quality needs more work so watch this space.  It's my current happy place and is a lot of fun. Check out a couple of videos below. 

• My brother Dave, at our Tauranga Branch, has been rebuilding a go-cart.  He says it's "for the kids", but Im not so sure!  What a cool-looking fun machine Dave!  Can't wait to see it going.

We would love to know what you are enjoying about lockdown, where are you finding your fun and balance.  Share your stories back to me as I would love to add them to this blog and include them in future news  letters to our customers. kevan@tiwl.co.nz

Al the very best to you all.

Kevan and Dave Hunt

• insulation
• 02 September