Roastery Toastery is a cafe tucked into a wall next to the entrance to the Chalk Farm Tube station in northwestern London. It's an example of a place that new travel startup Bimble considers worth sharing with other travelers. Roastery Toastery
As reports flood in from across the country of toilet-paper shortages and grocery store shelves picked clean, it’s difficult to not feel disheartened by inconsiderate neighbors. Food shortages created by panicked shoppers add more unnecessary stress for those who are especially vulnerable, like elderly, pregnant, and immunocompromised people. And then there are the people who simply can’t afford to stock up the one month’s worth of food they’ll need during shelter-in-place edicts, like service industry workers and freelancers who face shorter work hours, layoffs, and closed restaurants and bars that were once a source of their entire income. But there’s hope for humanity yet: Community-led, grassroots efforts are providing much-needed staples from fresh produce to toilet paper for people in need. One such effort is taking place just a short distance from my home, in Jersey City.
David Trotta founded Whealth Kitchen in Jersey City’s Journal Square neighborhood in 2014. Trotta has always had an eye for social outreach (he has opened up Whealth Kitchen to Jersey City’s homeless on Christmas, for instance). On March 14, Trotta came to the difficult decision to close Whealth to the public to help stymie the spread of the virus, but he couldn’t stop at closed doors to keep the virus out. He would have to find another way to use his resources not just to feed people — but to keep his restaurant in business.
“We felt the need to do something for the community that has already supported us, and given us so much,” Trotta tells me.
On March 15, Trotta posted a message to Whealth Kitchen’s Instagram page announcing that, though the cafe itself would be closing, the meal delivery service would continue. He urged anyone hoping to support Whealth by subscribing to a meal plan, then in a subsequent post wrote that his farm partners, who provide produce to the cafe, had donated food for additional meals. “If you know someone in need we will feed them, no questions asked, DM us,” he added.
Photo: Whealth/Facebook
Trotta launched a meal delivery service eight months ago. Now, with a curfew in place in Jersey City and most restaurants only offering delivery anyway, it seemed more important than ever to use the service not just to help keep Whealth afloat but also to help people without the resources to shop or leave home.
“People want to help,” Trotta says. “They want to give me money for food to give to people, and I have been saying why don’t you just buy a meal plan and just add in the allergy section, ‘this is a donation.’ That helps us stay in business.”
Since March 15, Trotta has been posting messages to his Instagram account encouraging service industry workers, freelancers, and anyone else afraid to spend their savings to DM him with their needs, and he’ll send over a meal kit, free of charge (he offers options like shepherd’s pie, lentil salad, chili, and veggie burgers). Before the outbreak of the virus, Trotta typically made as many as 35 orders per week. In the last two weeks, that number has increased to 50.
It might not sound like much, but it’s a life-saving measure for families facing dire straits. He’s received messages from teenagers, saying, according to Trotta, “Hey I heard I can get food from you. My mom just called because they’re cutting her hours, and the whole family is stressed out.” He’s in the midst of finding volunteer drivers to deliver meals to women who are nine-months pregnant, one in Greenpoint and another in Williamsburg, who can’t leave the house.
This project doubles the benefits to small businesses like Trotta’s: Donations feed people without the resources to buy groceries and also give Trotta a much-needed revenue stream while the cafe is shuttered. Restaurants across the country are in an alarming position: As restaurants continue to shutter in the interest of public safety, The National Restaurant Association predicts the loss of between five and seven million jobs over the next three months, putting chefs out of business when they can’t pay rent and leaving hospitality workers with no source of income with which to support themselves.
Small but impactful acts of support might be the best way individuals can keep their local restaurants afloat for the time being, and they’re popping up all over Jersey City: In downtown Paulus Hook, breakfast spot Sam A.M. sold fresh produce and toilet paper out of its storefront for one day before becoming concerned that lines would needlessly expose people to the virus. In The Heights, Italian restaurant Corto is offering pick-up and delivery of pre-made pasta kits, which include sauce and homemade pasta that families can assemble at home.
Trotta plans to keep the delivery service going for at least six months, ramping it up especially in the next three months. But he believes the situation will only worsen as people return to work, repay debt, and potentially be required to pay back rent. So far, Trotta says the response from his community has been enthusiastic. His farm partners in the Hudson Valley have eagerly donated produce like boxes of carrots and tomatoes, but charitable individuals have really stepped up to improve the lives of strangers.
“The craziest thing to me is people that started buying meal plans to support me, to support the community,” Trotta says. “People have been coming out of the woodwork with products that I can prep or products that I can give people, and I have just taken it upon myself to feed literally anybody that comes our way.”
The post This Jersey City chef wants to feed ‘literally anybody that comes our way’ appeared first on Matador Network.
If ever there were a time to be a couch potato without feeling guilty or unproductive, it’s now. But staying home doing nothing gets old pretty quick for those used to being active outdoors, particularly when spring has sprung and the sun is shining over your favorite local trail. But is it safe to walk, hike, bike, or go for a run during a global pandemic?
While specific situations vary, the general answer is a cautious “yes.” Simply stepping outside into the fresh air is not going to expose you or anyone else to COVID-19. That said, the two words that will inevitably come to define this period in popular culture — “social distancing” — should remain at the core of every step you take. Here we answer your questions on bicycling, walking, hiking, and running, during the age of coronavirus.
Photo: Oleksiy Rezin/Shutterstock
Hear us loud and clear on this one: Get on your bikes and ride. Bicycling is the best form of transportation for those who do need to move around their community while practicing social distancing. Not only will you get from point A to point B much faster than if you walked, but you’ll also avoid the temporary risks posed by public transit and rideshares. This is an especially effective way for those in urban cores to take care of general errands such as grocery shopping or a prescription pickup. UK-based Bicycle Association, a cycling advocacy group, said in a statement, “in the current extraordinary circumstances, bicycles and cycling are already playing a key role in maintaining local transport resilience in the UK, also enabling many in the UK to maintain fitness and wellbeing without risking the health of others.”
Mountain bikers can also safely use this time to explore local trails while taking necessary precautions against injury and close contact with others. It’s important to note, however, that this is not the time to take that big spring bike trip. In Moab, Utah, the country’s top mountain-biking road trip destination, the local hospital is urging visitors to stay away — going so far as to write a letter to Utah Governor Gary Herbert asking for the shuddering of non-essential businesses in an effort to temporarily deter tourism. “We’re already concerned with how we’ll meet the needs of our own community in an epidemic,” the letter states. “As a 17-bed critical access hospital, we have no ICU and minimal capability to care for critical respiratory patients.”
Answer: Keep your pedaling close to home (and avoid those six-person tandem rides) and you’re good to go.
Photo: ManuelfromMadrid/Shutterstock
Few activities are as beneficial to the mind as a good walk, especially during particularly stressful times. Heed this advice and get out for a stroll around your neighborhood, through the local park, or along a scenic riverfront path. If you’re feeling nervous about your personal situation or the greater world at large, a good walk may actually be just what you need. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, studies have shown that a 10-minute walk can have the same stress-reducing effect as a 45-minute workout, with the aerobic exertion actually serving to stabilize the mood and reduce mental tension. If the park up the street is full of people, opt instead for a clear sidewalk or trail.
Should you need an excuse or a dose of motivation, walking the dog is among the activities permitted even in places with the strictest isolation bans. In the San Francisco Bay Area, for example, health officer Dr. Grant Colfax told reporters at a news briefing, “You will still be able to walk your dog or go on a hike alone, or with someone you live with, or even with another person as long as you keep six feet between you.”
That said, avoid parks that tend to get crowded on a normal day. This is especially true in major cities. Now is not the time to picnic in Prospect Park, New Yorkers.
Answer: Go for a long, solo walk on an uncrowded path. It’ll do you good and provide ample time to think as, of course, you won’t be walking in groups or chatting up strangers you pass along the way.
Photo: Spectral-Design/Shutterstock
This certainly isn’t the time to join the local running club. But as with walking or riding a bike, a solo run might be just what you need right now. Most joggers are familiar with the term “runner’s high,” referring to the endorphins released during a prolonged period of aerobic exercise. You can use this to your ultimate advantage after several days of isolation because those same endorphins are known to calm the mind and ease stress. As we mentioned above, be careful to maintain six feet between you and others as you pass them. If you live in a city and typically run a route through town, avoid doing so if it’s busy. Now’s the perfect time to mix up your routine.
Answer: Just like walking, it is safe to run as long as you keep to yourself.
Photo: mavo/Shutterstock
Trailheads around the country are currently seeing swarms of people looking to escape the confines of their homes. Not only are hikers on crowded trails violating the sacred mantra of social distancing, but they’re also potentially creating a problem for the surrounding small towns that don’t have the medical infrastructure to handle a large crisis. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with going on a hike during the pandemic, it’s important to be mindful of potential risks. Avoid busy trailheads in favor of less-crowded routes or earlier departure times. If you get to the trailhead and the parking lot is packed, keep driving to the next one.
As we recently discussed in detail, it is not appropriate to head out of town to destination parks during the pandemic. While the National Park System is (counterproductively, in our opinion) waiving entrance fees to promote getting into nature, anyone who’s been to the Grand Canyon knows that crowds at these popular parks can resemble Disneyland even on an off-peak day. Furthermore, lodging and dining options in many outdoors-focused resort communities around the country have been temporarily shut down as a means to prevent viral spread there. Let these communities take care of themselves, while yours does the same.
Answer: Hike local trails and peaks, but now isn’t the time to visit trails or chase summits not accessible from your community. And it’s certainly not the time for a road trip to Yosemite.
Answer: Yes. As the situation develops, certain places are enforcing stricter lockdowns, curfews, and “shelter-in-place” directives. Look to your local, state, and even federal governments to see what the official policies are, and recognize that they could change day-to-day. Do your part to keep the peace by following all mandated restrictions — this too shall pass, and you can always exercise indoors.
The post Your questions about exercising outside while social distancing, answered appeared first on Matador Network.
An image from a recent Lastminute.com campaign. The parent company is optimistic about a bounceback in demand later this year. LM Holding
As service providers to our beloved tourism industry, day by day, we are increasingly shattered and shocked at how this crisis is impacting our friends and colleagues, and we are truly empathising for you all.
We've decided that the best thing we can do to help our industry, is to try and pull together some strategies and actions for Destinations (this article), Visitor Centres (coming soon) and Operators to consider as you all work your way through these unchartered waters, in a hope that maybe some of our ideas help to keep you and your teams focussed and united in your approach to fighting this invisible war.
If you are a destination, visitor centre or operator, we encourage you to share your ideas and your actions with us, so we can all work through this together. Similarly, if you are a consultant reading this, we encourage you to share with us more ideas that we can add to this list too!
In times of crisis, the businesses in your destination have their ear to the ground waiting for updates from industry leaders in their State Tourism Organisation and their State Tourism Industry Council. But what they really need and crave is for someone to distill all of the 'high level' information into something that is practical and relevant so they can make sense of it all, and start planning their response to the new economic situation in which they are operating.
Whilst destinations think they could potentially be adding to the 'noise' online, it is critical at this time that regional organisations don't leave their tourism operators hanging. There has never been a more important time to be the leader for the tourism industry in your destination.
Below are a few examples of what destinations or regional organisations can implement (some already are) to support their industry throughout this turbulent time.
If you don't already have a clear industry communication and engagement strategy, now is the time to develop one. Below are some of the key actions that could form part of your immediate response for industry communications.
With the key government directive for COVID-19 instructing society to socially distant and avoid group gatherings, people are going to need to localise themselves and their families until such a time that the Government restrictions are lifted. This presents an opportunity for destinations to develop a Local Advocacy campaign to help their local businesses stay in business.
From my own past experience working in regional tourism, it's easy to sit in your silo and try and figure things out by yourself. This is not the time for that.
I strongly urge you to set up a Zoom meeting/online meeting with a group of your closest tourism colleagues who work in similar roles to yourself to share ideas/support each other through this crisis.
Rebecca and I have facilitated and booked calls with some of our clients to have brain storm sessions, and will be doing more of this in the coming days/weeks... and it seems to help, even if it is just to download what is happening at the grassroots and get emotional support.
Be kind to each other, and reach out - we can only imagine what you are going through.
In times like this it's really hard to comprehend what is happening, and not get too overwhelmed by the task at hand.
I watched Anna Pollock's (from Concious.Travel) presentation from Bay of Plenty's (NZ) recent Tourism Conference, and it has COMPLETELY opened my eyes to how our industry should operate for success post COVID-19.
I highly recommend you take time as soon as possible to watch her presentation too.
There is no telling the impact that the crisis will have on the sustainability of our nation's tourism businesses. However, what we do know, is that those that do survive will need all the support they can get to rebound effectively and efficiently once travel is reinstated.
In the immediate and short term, while travel restrictions are in place, and while the economy and people's livelihoods are in turmoil, there is no point focussing too many efforts on consumer direct marketing. However, there are a couple of actions that you can do in the short term to ensure you are prepared for when travel restrictions are lifted, and demand resumes.
It's hard for us to be able to advise on specific recovery strategies at this stage (March 19th), given that we are unsure of where this crisis will land and what the overarching impact will be. However, there are a couple of broad Recovery strategies that destinations can be thinking about in the immediate term.
Over the course of the crisis and moving through to recovery, Governments of all levels may look to provide stimulus packages for the tourism industry (with the National and some States already doing so). So, to prepare for this potential opportunity, we suggest that your team:
Check out our Bootcamp webpage for all of the details >
On top of Australia's bushfires at the start of the year COVID-19 is bringing the tourism industry to its knees, not just here in Australia, but globally.
While there's plenty of official information from Government and National/State Tourism Organisations on support for industry, here are 3 practical things to help guide your focus right now, and then 4 more ideas to think about working on in the coming months.
If you work in Destination Marketing, we have a COVID-19 Immediate Response Action Plan for you too. As for Visitor Servicing staff, stay tuned, as we are pulling an article together for you as well in the coming days.
If you haven't already, how can you adapt and innovate your tourism experience in light of current health and travel restrictions?
It looks like we're going to be in this current new normal for at least 6 months (from March 2020), if not longer.
While it's changing by the day, think of what you can do with the current restrictions, but also have a plan if we do all move into partial or complete lock down on domestic Australian travel (eg. as Tasmania has announced on March 19th).
How can you adapt your experience to:
Your residents and nearby communities are going to be a cornerstone for keeping many of your businesses afloat over the coming months.
So, perhaps think about how you can adapt your experience for local communities? Many hospitality businesses such as cafes and pubs are offering phone orders/take away/home deliveries/delivery to their car for example.
If your business can, sell your product/experience/service online. Then let your community know about it, as everyone is looking to support local businesses. This includes:
For those businesses relying heavily on international visitors, look at how you can innovate + pivot your current business assets to deliver a product/experience for domestic travellers? People travelling for business? Small group corporate travellers? Families self driving for local trips in school holidays? Couples travelling on their round Australia trip? Profile and Journey Map them and adapt/test products for them.
Great examples we are seeing (and will continue to add to) are listed below.
We'll keep adding to this list as we see/hear great examples. Please send them through or tag us on Facebook.
Everyone’s hurting right now, and no-one has the answer as to when this crisis will be over.
But what we can do is keep in touch via phone/online meetings (not email).
Reach out and use it as real opportunity to build even better relationships with people around you who are also being affected.
Keep in touch with staff. Be open, honest and transparent. Share your challenges in keeping the business open and financial. Get their help with ideas for Priority Area 1 and also ideas further down in this blog. Do what you need to do to look after them mentally as well as financially where you can.
Keep in touch with your customers. Use all your channels you have to keep them updated on what's happening, and how you are adapting/evolving and looking after them as best you can. Discovery Parks sent this good example out recently. Also check in how they are going (lovely example by Golding Wines)
Keep in touch with businesses in your region/sector. Get on the phone or a Zoom meeting. See how they are going. Brainstorm ideas with them on how you can get through this tough time via product innovation. Be there for each other.
Also keep in touch with your industry colleagues, Visitor Centres, Regional Tourism Organisations, State Tourism Organisations, Tourism Industry Bodies.
Everyone is pulling together and wants to help, so don't be afraid to ask for help.
Trade Partners would also be hurting at the moment. Many are close friends who may have been built over the years at trade shows/sales calls. Again get on the phone or a Zoom call. See how they are going, and keep them updated on how your business is going/adapting. Hopefully they will be there, ready to send business back to you when travel returns post the crisis.
It’s not business as usual, so it's not right to keep posting as if it is.
However, going quiet on social is also not a good plan as your community want to hear from you.
In times of crisis and also this new world of "self-isolation" and "social-distancing", social is actually a great way to keep in touch and also remain top of mind for customers.
Many people are stuck at home and spending more time on screens than ever.
Tips for posts include:
Great examples we've seen this week include:
Here's a few ideas of what you could work on over the next few months while business is quieter or even closed to customers.
Use this time to plan out new product ideas for recovery and the new-normal once travel resumes.
A few resources to get you started:
Get all your customer touch points up to date, and ready for potential customer to find you/book you online once travel patterns resume to normal.
Use this time for professional development and learning. Read, watch, listen to credible business/marketing/product innovation/experience development/climate change and any other topics you've been meaning to delve into?
Catch up on those saved articles on your phone, books you've been wanting to read podcasts you want to listen to.
We share some of our favourite online resources here >
Use this time to have a good look at your business carbon footprint and also wider social and community impacts. Not because customers increasingly expect it (and they do), but also because it's the right thing to do for the planet.
How can you use this time to work on reducing, neutralising and even giving back to local environment and local communities?
Note. Things are changing by the day, this was last updated on Thursday 19th March 2020, and will continue to be updated, and we will keep updated at things change.
For many people around the country, this COVID-19 era is dark times. Restaurants and bars nationwide have laid off hourly employees. Hotels, airlines, buses, and other travel-related fields are surely not far behind. And only time will tell how far-reaching this month’s economic consequences may be.
Organizations all over the nation are trying to help people who have lost their jobs or are otherwise struggling financially, and all are accepting donations. That means you, assuming you’re cash-secure, can give assistance to your service industry friends. And if you find yourself in a difficult situation, you can find a resource that may be able to help below.
We’ll update this list as new organizations and relief programs emerge.
The United States Bartenders Guild has launched one of the biggest relief campaigns in the nation through its Bartender Emergency Assistance Program. It will pay grants to bartenders and their families who have experienced a sudden and unexpected loss of income. It’s already received half a million dollars from Jameson and another $1,00,000 from the drinks conglomerate Diageo.
The hospitality group behind New York City favorites Cleo, Parker & Quinn, David Burke’s The Woodpecker, and others is launching a program to provide daily meals to affected service industry workers. Named after the fabled pre-shift feast, the program will allow people to send in a daily order form for the meal — posted at @igchospitality’s Instagram — and then pick it up at Parker & Quinn. You can donate to the program through a GoFundMe page here.
Kind of like a cross between a savings bond and Groupon, this site launched by New York-based Hall PR and HP-PR allows you to go online and buy a restaurant gift card at a reduced rate, redeemable long after the crisis is over. So, essentially, you can buy $100 worth of gift card for $75 now, though terms vary by restaurant. The site has a map listing restaurants nationwide.
The San Diego-based whiskey company is collecting money to compile care packages for hospitality workers through its cleverly named Skrew COVID-19 program. For every Instagram share of the program, it’ll also donate $1 to the USBG Bartender Emergency Assistance Program, if you care to do a little extra to donate to that campaign.
The RWCF has started an emergency relief fund serving a threefold approach: Donating money to economically impacted workers, establishing zero-interest loans to small businesses so they can continue to pay their employees during the crisis, and directing money to other organizations working directly with those most affected.
The renowned New York/LA/Denver cocktail bar has launched a relief fund for its furloughed employees. The company is continuing health-care coverage for its team through April 30 but is looking to raise money for them through a GoFundMe campaign and has received a matching pledge through one of its investors for up to $10,000.
The organization devoted to fighting sub-minimum wages among service industry workers has begun its own emergency relief fund that aims to raise $213,000 for cash-strapped employees in reference to the $2.13 an hour base wage they make in many cities. The organization assists workers in 11 states but is open to donations from anywhere.
This charity, founded in 2012 to help Atlanta-area chef Ryan Hiddinger fight late-stage lung cancer, helps hospitality employees who find themselves unable to work through its Pass the Hat campaign. Currently, donations to the campaign will be used to help those now jobless due to restaurant closures.
This Miami-based lifestyle publication has developed a small business resource center where small businesses in Miami and everywhere else can go to find links to government assistance, charitable organizations, and other helping hands. It has also developed a program to match donors with individuals in need through a manual application program.
The post How you can help hospitality workers affected by COVID-19 appeared first on Matador Network.
We’d love for everyone to be able to travel as much as they possibly can, but sometimes, life (or a nasty respiratory disease) gets in the way, and your two weeks of paid time off cannot be spent sunbathing in Tahiti. Some people may not have the luxury of rescheduling their days to later in the year, or those days rolling over into the next year. Although it can feel like a waste of a much-anticipated break, staying at home during your annual vacation might be just what you need to get your life in order.
In 2019, for the second year in a row, my thoroughly planned trip to the Arctic was canceled. The first year, I decided to cancel my vacation time and work as usual. What I thought was a wise decision turned out to be an exhausting mistake — the combination of the disappointment, the frenzy of canceling everything, and the lack of rest that I needed did a number on my well-being. So, the second time around, I decided to just keep my scheduled time off.
Out of the four weeks of vacation I had booked, I used two of them to stay at home and do the things that needed to be done: a ton of paperwork. I had a few years of taxes to claim (don’t judge), and I needed to get an immigration application done. Those were huge anxiety-inducing preoccupations in my life, and if I could take care of them in the two weeks I had, I could finally sleep at night. And I did. At the end of the two weeks, I had sent everything that needed to be sent and ended up believing that the cancellation was a godsend.
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Doing paperwork in the evening after a full day’s work sucks. Doing paperwork on the weekend when you’re supposed to take it easy sucks even more. Paperwork is boring and stressful, but if you have a couple of weeks of free time ahead of you, tackling a mountain of visa bills, receipts, and bank statements can be done a little at a time, with tea breaks and walks in between, and does not feel as daunting.
Start with getting organized. Dig out all the binders, plastic sleeves, and sticky labels you can find and file away. Once the paperwork is organized and easy to find, it won’t be such a drag to get things done regularly — half the pain of paperwork is locating the things we need when we need them.
Once your stuff is tidy, tackle one topic at a time: If you’ve been thinking that your bank fees are too high but have not had the time to look into it, do it now. If your passport expires in the next six months, it may be time to get the forms for a renewal. If you’ve been wanting to switch all your paper bills to digital format, get on it. Getting all these mundane tasks done will give you a sense of achievement and make you feel proud of yourself.
And if you have not filed your taxes, now is the time to do it. The relief that comes with having them sent way before the deadline has no match. Once you’ve hit the send button or dropped it off at the post office, celebrate with a much-deserved tipple — you’re not working tomorrow, so you can go to town.
Finding time for fitness when you have a busy work schedule can be difficult, especially if you’re the type of person who does not get easily motivated or if you have a family that needs caring for.
Take advantage of being at home and schedule-free to test online workout programs like YogaGlo for unlimited yoga, meditation, and pilates, or Sweat for a more intense workout. Find out what you like by testing a few classes regularly during your vacation — the benefits you’ll gain during that time will make it easier to keep up the habit when you resume work.
If you prefer to exercise outside the house (and are able to), use your free time to find out about the gyms near you and the classes they offer. If something sounds interesting to you, test it out. Trying out a new fitness class at lunchtime or between work and supper is never ideal to start a routine and can be intimidating; instead, do it when you have ample time to prepare and recover, so you’ll know what you need for the classes when you go back to work. Giving the gym a try when you’re relaxed and open to new activities might lead to a passion for Zumba, an obsession with spin class, or even an interest in aquafit. Once you’ve found out what you like and have tested it a couple of times, it’ll be easier to stick to it in the long run.
Everyone should have a budget. Whether you’ve got money coming out the yin-yang or you’re struggling to make ends meet, budgeting is an essential part of living a more relaxed life. Nobody likes to sit down and look in detail at their finances because it’s time-consuming and can lead to a lot of anxiety, but when you have the bandwidth and have eliminated the stress of work, dive into the numbers because it will change your life for the better.
An Excel sheet is probably best, but if you’re more into old-fashioned methods, a notebook, pencil, and calculator will do the trick just fine. All you need to do is to grab your visa bills and bank statements and compare the income to the spendings. Categorize your spendings into essentials like groceries, rent, student loans, etc. and the non-essentials like eating out, clothing, and spa treatments. Taking half a day out of your vacation to look at your finances and create a budget is eye-opening and a great way to adopt a more reasonable spending regimen that’ll help you save money and pay off your debts faster. And more money put aside and fewer debts mean you can travel more in the future, so get budgeting.
We’d rather you stayed away from the screen during your time off, but because our phones, laptops, and tablets are such a large part of our life, it may just be impossible to do so when staying at home. That said, there’s a way to be online and be productive. If you’ve been wanting to get your online presence tidier and more secure, your time at home might provide a great opportunity to do it. A few of the things you can tackle are:
Nobody’s got the time to go full Marie Kondo when they work eight or more hours a day. But if you know you’re collecting things you don’t need, and you are seeing your living space being reduced by the amount of stuff you stock in your home, use your couple of weeks of vacation to sort it all out.
Going room by room is easier than trying to tackle the whole house at once, so get started with the areas you know hide the most stuff and start to make choices. By now, you know what the rule is: Keep only the things you need and the things that make you happy — repurpose, donate, recycle, or sell the rest.
Decluttering will eventually lead to cleaning and tidying up, and there’s no better feeling than having improved a space that needed it badly. Not only will the feeling of accomplishment be immense, but starting work again and coming home to a clean and tidy house will allow you to relax when you truly need it.
The post A stay-at-home vacation is actually the best way to sort out your life appeared first on Matador Network.
