Things We’ve Learned from Quarantine

Social distancing has been easy for only a few of us. For most, it’s been… difficult. Many of the CU 2.0 team have replaced a social life and recreational activities with work. It’s stressful, but we all cope how we can.

In our limited free time in quarantine, we’ve learned a few things. Sometimes, they’re life lessons. Sometimes they’re industry insights. Embarrassingly often, they’re basic life skills. (Turns out making pizza from scratch isn’t that hard—or that good.)

So, here are a handful of lessons we’ve learned from quarantine.

1. That meeting could have been an email.
2. Sourdough starter must be fed constantly.
3. A wild amount of people believe conspiracy theories.
4. Digital transformation is here to stay—and it’s more important than ever.
5. If you germinate your seeds before planting them, you get better results.
6. People who work from home don’t have more time to clean.
7. We’re accelerating toward a cashless society, which means we’ll need plans for technology and the underbanked.
8. You can propagate basil, onions, bok choy, and more.
9. It’s actually pretty easy to build a website in WordPress (if you use a builder and have time).
10. Most people don’t wash their hands enough—and they’re bad at it.
11. You probably don’t need to hire a handyman for basic appliance fixes. (Heck, we cleaned the lint trap in our washing machine without a hitch.)
12. This one’s no secret: you’re not hungry, you’re just bored.
13. You can totally get away with wearing pajama bottoms in Zoom calls.
14. Nothing is easy right now, but people are understanding. We all have an obligation to be more generous with each other when times are tough.
15. Food from your own garden may not always look or taste as good, but it’s rewarding.
16. This may seem like the apocalypse, and it brings perspective. So, do what makes you feel good—have an extra cocktail, binge watch a show, sleep in, etc.
17. People don’t want to be sold to—they want their problems fixed and they want to feel safe.
18. People who can sew are crushing the quarantine fashion game.
19. Cookies are surprisingly difficult to bake right.
20. Fried rice makes a great breakfast, too.
21. Facilitating remote connections and seamless, rewarding digital experiences is a must in this age—both personally and in business.

In Oregon, we just started our “Phase One” reopen. There are five phases, and the stay home order may come back at any time if the case count increases dramatically or if people don’t act responsibly.

Furthermore, those of us who can continue working remotely will continue working remotely. That means that the CU 2.0 team could be cooped up in the house a lot longer. There will probably be more lessons to come—and more time to perfect what we’ve learned.