14 days to prepare for the COVID 19 Corona Virus in Tokyo
By Gregory Ng & Tyson Batino April 5th, 2020
The global scale of the COVID-19 or Corona Virus has taken hold of the world economy, travel, education, the way we live and our healthcare system. In a 4-month span, it has impacted every country and every level in society in a way that has not been seen in the 21st century.
As each Government press conference passes and the number of infected COVID-19 patients are increasing day by day and The Prime Minister of Japan will be announcing an Emergency Declaration on the 7th of April and life will begin to slow down it is time now to get prepared ready or not!
At BFF Tokyo, we want you to be safe, secure and develop a plan to hang on until a vaccine is developed and the economy returns back to it’s pre-COVID-19 state. The purpose of our guide is to give you a step-by-step process to solve challenges we are all facing. The more steps you complete, the less worries and thoughts you will have on your mind, and the more mental energy you will have to focus on the future.
How to Use This Guide
Sometimes in times of immense change or panic, we all get the moment and feeling of where to begin and what do I need to do first?
We recommend you keep things simple and thoroughly complete the tasks for each day before moving on to the following day.
Bookmark this page to keep it in mind or better yet, print it out to make you have this guide available on hand to help provide reference and ideas during these strange times.
Stay on target
Our biweekly emails will give you the skills and motivation to meet your Japanese goals.
Stage 1 : Immediate Preparations
Day 1: Clean your room and prepare your living situation
Clean Room, Clear Mind
With more and more companies requesting people to work from home, people are being forced to self-isolate or self-quarantine, social distance and stay at home, with this, our lives and daily routine will be turned upside down.
For many of us who spend most of our lives in schools, offices and out and about the city, this will be a big change for us physically and mentally. It is best to get ready now to make your living space a comfy place to ride out the upcoming months.
Having a clean room that is well stocked and prepared will firstly help let you know what you have and need, but also help you tidy up your mental space as it is one big thing you do not need to worry about during a possible quarantine.
▢ Clean your room: Make sure to clean up your room and prepare for the possibility of spending weeks inside. We will need to get used to the same walls that we live in, so keeping a clean environment will help keep you focused on the tasks that need to be done on a daily basis
Forbes has created an article on cleaning your home.
▢ Throw away or donate unnecessary items : Having clutter in your room, will lead to having clutter in your mind. Free up some space and never have to think about it again by throwing it away or donating the item. The mottainai Tokyo group on facebook is a good place to give away an item to some in need.
▢ Making a home office: For those that need a work space, ensure that you have an area that you can work comfortably from home. You can also order tables or desks online should you need additional home office ware and make sure to bring home anything you need from the office or upload your documents to a cloud-based system. Recycle stores in Japan will probably have something for 1500 - 3000 yen.
▢ Internet connection: Check your internet connection is suitable for your daily needs and ensure you have plenty of power plugs and spare cables for all your devices. For those living with others, having a full house could significantly slow down your internet speeds so be prepared to check and test in advance.
▢ Stocking up on amenities : Stock up on amenities now to get your toiletries in order and spare shampoo and soap too, along with any medical needs as well. Save time by taking an inventory list of what you have and what you will need for the next 4 months and go and make a purchase at the local pharmacy, supermarkets or 100 yen shops. Masks and hand sanitizes are harder to come to by, although you can find them if you can check on a regular basis during your daily exercise. The best times to go are in the mornings on weekdays or weekends as stock and inventory will be replenished from the night before.
Do these things now will set your up for a more comfortable living situation before your options for leaving the house become more limited or stocks become even scarcer.
Did you finish cleaning?
Did you complete your cleaning, inventory of what you have, and make your purchase for supplies? This should take a good four to eight hours and now you ready to move onto the next group of tasks.
Day 2: Keeping the fridge stocked up
Make sure to complete day one first
Have you completed all 5 steps in day one? If not, go back and take care of things before moving onto day 2. You will overwhelm your brain and experience unnecessary stress because you are trying to remember too much at once. If you have completed all steps in day one where you will never need to think about it again in the next couple months, than you are ready to move on.
Do your best to avoid the panic and rush and stock up now!
As we have seen in the past (recent typhoons or other natural disasters), like many countries Japan often has a trend of panic buying, especially on the day of a government announcement, people will move quickly to stock up and by the evening most supermarkets, pharmacies, convenience stores and other shops will be empty. We often see that fresh meat, bread, eggs and milk seem to fly off the shelves during this time the most. I recall seeing one time over 50 people queuing outside my local bakery just before a major typhoon before.
Outside of these times, Japan’s supply chain cycle is strong and shops are generally well-stocked. Being prepared in advance will allow you to beat the rush and stay ahead before any major announcements will happen. Imagine having 2-4 of food and amenities stored just before things take a turn for the worse.
Just like shopping for Christmas presents, being prepared will give you some peace of mind and relieve the anxiety of having to panic to get stocked up. Here are some great foods you can stock up on now to avoid the inevitable rush to come.
▢ Non-perishable goods: Make sure to purchase plenty of non-perishable goods like pasta, instant ramen, curry packets, canned goods or high energy food like nuts, dried fruit chocolate and chocolate. Products with long perishable life spans like frozen goods, cheeses or dried meats can be a plus. Rice is also still well in stock right now.
▢ Foreign foods: Target goods that are not normally on your traditional Japanese diet like a lot of ethnic foods will be less likely to be sold out and can make for a variety in your diet. Instead of Japanese curry, get packets of Thai curry or buy things like brown rice over the white variety. Other options like Mugi rice, rice noodles, packaged potatoes, beans, tortillas, and bamboo normally do not sell out in the rush.
▢ Dairy and meat alternatives: Soy milk can make a good milk substitute due to its longer shelf life, along with prepacked preserved meats such as bacon, sausages and chicken are fresh to their counterparts.
▢ Shopping on the cheap: For the budget shoppers, find a local supermarket that can sell in bulk or the 100 yen shop often has a lot of good food on the cheap.
▢ Storing your goods: Buy a cheap box from Daiso or the 100 yen shop and make an emergency stockpile of these goods which are separate from your weekly shopping. In a space-conscious world like Japan, having 1-2 extra boxes can keep the mess in check and your room nice and tidy.
How to Succeed
If you break down 2 months into meals. You would have to prepare 60 breakfasts, lunches, and dinners to feed one mouth. Luckily we are not in a supply crises, so you do not have to hoard food, but that should give you some perspective on how much food you would need to store. For those who want to minimize their outdoor exposure, consider purchasing around two to four weeks of food. Make a list of your meals and make the purchase and Costco online might be your best friend.
Got 2 Weeks of Food Stored?
Have around 2 weeks of meals in your cupboard or storage? If yes, that is wonderful news and you have done the two main things needed to meet your own needs. Now you are in a position to start thinking about other people, which we will cover tomorrow. Get some good rest because you deserve it!
Day 3: Communication with your family abroad
Help yourself before you try to help others
The only way you can be 100% present for another person is to make sure you solve the things you are worried and feel stress about. Now that you have taken care of your your immediate needs, you now have the emotional capacity to see how your loved ones are doing and support them.
A peace of mind while being abroad
Unlike previous events in Japan such as the Great Financial Crisis or the 3/11 Tohoku earthquake, the COVID-19 situation has forced countries from around the world to place bans or tough regulations on returnees. Adding to this currently with a lack of outbound flights, it has become very unrealistic to see us travel back home in the next few months.
Stress at home can cause stress abroad and vice versa too. It is imperative that you work out workable communication strategies with your family, friends and loved ones around the world and communicate as much as possible to support each other in these difficult times.
▢ Regular communication: For those of you with family abroad, make sure to keep in touch daily with them or whenever appropriate. We are in a digital age and daily messaging and video calls are a normal thing nowadays and you can easily setup a recurring chat on google calendar or other calendar software, so you meet at the same time each week. If you do not set up a regular chat, your contact with family will start to become more inconsistent.
▢ Catch up with all your family members: Reach out to your extended family too. We are all going through the same thing and it's a great way to use the time to catch up with extended family from all around the world. Use the world time buddy to check the difference and you can compare 3 locations or more.
▢ Group chats: If you don't have one now you can make one easily on Facebook, WhatsApp or Line. These allow for smooth daily communication with family and lets you keep everyone in your family updated in the same chat. Be patient with your older family members or technically challenged ones when setting things up.
When my family asks how I am doing, I always tell them that I got everything under control and that you do not need to worry about me. Then I turn the focus of the conversation to how they are doing and asking how I can support them emotionally or completing a task for them. Since I have done most of the things on this guide, my needs have been met and now is time to focus on others and be of service. Allow your family to use their mental load on helping themselves because it will help them get through this more effectively.
Day 4: Creating a local support circle
Get your support squad ready for when times get tough!
For many of us living in a foreign country, from time to time things can get tough with language barriers, cultural differences and home sicknesses to name a few. With the COVID-19 situation, these stresses & anxieties can be quickly exacerbated with the fear of the unknown and many more not understanding the situation only adding to this.
Additionally, many of our friends, colleagues and neighbours who are foreigners, whether they are long-term people to Japan or those who have just arrived in the last few months, along with our Japanese friends will be going through similar stresses from home, work and the societal challenges around them.
One truth about a virus and pandemic is that it does not discriminate, so it is imperative we come together to support each other and keep each other going strong when times get tough.
▢ Share information: Create a group chat or contact your friends to share information about products or goods that are in stock. Sharing tips about working in the home will be a topic in the future along with managing our household responsibilities and looking after the family.
▢ Virtual communications: Come up with innovative ways to communicate and keep in touch with each other. Hold Netflix streaming nights together, video group nomikai`s (drinking parties), play games online or make TikTok videos together. Some companies are also making live music streaming concerts with wifi and group chat videos. We can do anything we put our minds to.
▢ Be there for each other: Check on everyone's mental health and be there to listen. In times of panic, people show and share emotion in different ways. Some people who are the loudest may just need to say it out loud and they feel fine after. Others may need to spend time processing things and would need someone to ask them to open up. Also, try to call as well. It is much more well-received and people feel better about it.
Stage 2 : Security and Wellbeing
Day 5: Keeping check on your emotional diet
Don't neglect your emotional diet!
The biggest challenge for the upcoming COVID-19 pandemic and any potential quarantine or lockdown will be more than just washing your hands and physical distancing.
People are creatures of habit and if these patterns are disrupted this will lead to sudden emotional changes which can cause issues to your emotional diet.
Having your routine and daily needs suddenly disrupted, being unable to be unfulfilled can lead to immense stress and negative behavioural patterns which may affect yourself, your friends and your family too.
There have been a lot of cases already about the difficulties self-quarantine can cause from all over the world and it will be wise to start preparing now about how you can best cope coming up.
▢ Do an emotional diet check: Think of 5-7 things now that you need to feel happy and stable in your life. Be it exercise, socialising, working with your colleagues, making jokes with the guys or shopping with your girlfriends on a Saturday.
▢ Come up with alternatives: Think of alternatives that you can do in the house to replace these. You may need to come up with creative solutions and find answers day by day. For example, if you enjoy chatting with your colleagues on a daily basis make sure to arrange a daily video chat. If you are used to having a date night with that special someone, make sure to keep the same time and date and think of ideas within the house.
▢ Lower your expectations: This phrase the "new normal" and has been used a lot recently to describe the current world conditions under COVID 19. Accept that you will have to make some adjustments to your expectations and lifestyle and be prepared to adapt and make changes to your daily routines.
For those also looking for more support TELL Japan has been a leading English counselling phone service run by a dedicated group of volunteers. Check out their website here: https://telljp.com/
Day 6: Partners, family members and the kids
What about the family and kids?
If you're living with your partner, wife or husband, kids and extended family then the upcoming challenges will also require some thought, preparation and planning to make it through day by day.
We are going to be spending the whole day with each other and it is important that you talk and discuss with the people of your household to ensure that you have a clear plan of action and communicate the best you can under these circumstances.
Japanese housing situations are much smaller than your average global household, so be prepared for some fun times together in some very enclosed places.
▢ Set clear boundaries and responsibilities in the household: Boundaries and clear responsibilities are the perfect blends for a great relationship. Some examples could be as follows:
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- If one or both of you are working at home, you will both need separate spaces to work in the house.
- You will all need space to enjoy the things you love.
- Have a discussion and make clear responsibilities about managing the house affairs such as shopping, looking after the kids and so on.
▢ Kids need boundaries too: With the kids in the house, try to make a schedule to best mimic their daily schedule where best. Of course, older children may be able to entertain themselves although younger kids may need more parental support. Each day, try to plan out activities together, make your own study lessons or arrange for online lessons where possible. The internet is full of ideas to do with the kids and I am certain creative parents in Japan will be sharing them for sure!
The World Health Organization has created a very good guide to parenting during COVID-19 on their website.
▢ Enjoy the time with your family: Despite the circumstances, make the most of the situation to spend with your partners, family and kids. For many people in life, we may never get an opportunity like this again to spend as a family, so make the best you can out of the circumstances!
Day 7: Budgeting and cutting back
Prepare your finances for the upcoming challenges ahead
With economies forecast looking grim and the likelihood of a recession being high, it will be a great time to review those finances to ensure you have money in the bank for a rainy day.
Many industries have already been significantly affected and it may be months or even several years until the economy returns to post COVID-19 days.
▢ Where is your money going?: When times get tough the first thing you need to do is assess your budget and situation.
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- Firstly work out your expected income from the month. Include both your fixed and irregular income (eg parttime teacher etc)
- Start with your bare essentials: Work out your fixed costs such as rent, power, water, internet, phone, insurance and basic food costs.
- Next work out your entertainment or lifestyle expenses. This can include things such as shopping funds, going out money, gym memberships, streaming or music subscriptions, fan club memberships and so on.
- Do a debt check as well should you be paying off things like credit cards, student loans payments or other fixed payments things.
- Finally, subtract the income from expenses and you will complete your budget.
Some links for more information on making a budget can be seen as below.
There are plenty of options or apps out there that you can plan your budget online. One option is everydollar which you can construct a budget within 10 minutes or moneytree which is a popular Japanese app and site that does the same thing
Based on your monthly budget you can then set saving goals or look at cutting back on expenses. Of course not being able to go out to the local izakaya for a month can help and here are a few ways you can cut your expenses.
▢ Check your subscriptions: One-way to help cut costs is to start cutting back on non-essentials such as media subscription services (Netflix, Spotify, etc), cable tv or any other media services.
▢ Cheaper cell phone plan: Switch to a low-cost cell phone carrier such as Line mobile or Yahoo. They offer a much cheaper alternative to the big 3 players of AU, Docomo and Softbank.
▢ Membership fees: Place things like gym or club memberships on hold. Kyukai,休会 could be an additional way to save a few yen for the long team as you only pay a small retainer fee to keep your membership. Additionally, it seems that a lot of gyms are offering this right now and are also refunding the month of April too (Check out your local gym for details).
Should you be looking for that extra support though check out day 8 to see how we can increase that income.
Day 8a: Creating new income streams
Creating new income streams
If your hours are being cut or seeing a slow down in your work, there are some great ways to boost up your income by finding alternative income streams. Even in times of crisis, there is opportunity to make a new business idea come to light.
▢ Freelance teaching: With people not wanting to travel outside their neighborhoods or having their daily routes disrupted, you may be able to gain a few hours teaching in your local area.
▢ Online teaching: Many students will be taking their English study options online. This includes kids, adults and everyone in between. Outside of English, you can teach other subjects too. Furthermore, you can target global markets where the situation may not be as extreme.
- An example of a few sites where you can register and teach online.
- One Coin English (The first major Tokyo Eikawa to switch to remote lessons in COVID-19)
- Engoo (teaching options up to 70 countries around the world)
- VipKid (teaching kids and pays well)
- Magic Ears (pays around 20 - 25 dollars an hour)
- SayABC (teaching kids and pays well)
- Mainichi Eikaiwa
▢ Business email proofreading: With many Japanese working at home, some people may not have the same support in the office. You could support your friends or make a business by checking and supporting documentation and grammar needs.
▢ Digital & IT consulting: Many companies are now looking to shift to an online business model or work from home environment. For those more technically savvy, you may be able to make a few clients by consulting and helping them make the switch.
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- Some freelance IT sites can be found here
▢ Trade your skills for goods: Perhaps in more closer communities, you can teach English or skill for food or groceries.
▢ Delivery: Since everyone is indoors now, the need for deliveries has increased. Uber eats does have a website in English in Japan.
Day 8B: Evaluating Your Job Opportunities
▢ Understand how your industry is doing
The job market is going to drastically change in the next 3 to 6 months and we should be vigilant about how our industry is doing. I would recommend talking to other friends who work in the same industry and ask these 3 questions.
- Is your company sales increasing or decreasing?
- Are companies in your industry hiring more people, not hiring at all, or worse, doing layoffs and decreasing staff numbers?
- Are there any companies in your industry that is doing successful?
Ask around 5 people (personally I recommend more than 10) from different companies to get a general feel of the landscape for your industry. You can check job boards like Jobs in Japan and GaijinPot or our article on the 15 jobs boards in Tokyo for links and check to see if companies in your industry is hiring.
▢ See what industries are hiring
If your industry is not doing so well, you may need to consider other options. Check out the same job boards above to see what positions companies are hiring for. Then check the job description to see what skills they are looking for and let that guide what type of online education you take.
▢ Secure your position
Similar to above, looking at job descriptions for your own company and other companies for your position and industry can give you an idea of what to improve on. Having been in HR for more than 8 years, I have never met anyone who has kept a copy of the job description and check it on a weekly or even monthly basis. Working hard is a virtue, but working smart will help you more in hard times. If you are particularly ambitious, read the job description for your boss and develop those skills.
I would also recommend asking your company what skills they need right now or how you can be of most service. I would also suggest putting in some overtime if you are in a position where they will have to do lay offs because doing overtime does suggest that you are more committed to the company. Hopefully, you work for a company that would reciprocate and invest in you the way you invested in them.
▢ Looking For a Position?
We hope you are able to find a position as soon as possible. We recommend you check out our jobs section at jobs.bfftokyo.com - there are a ton of articles on what jobs are available, the 15 job boards for Tokyo, and how to interview among many other things. Our jobs site is probably one of the best resources out there for finding a job.
Additionally, here are a list of podcasts that focus on job hunting.
Stage 3 : Preparing for the future
Day 9: Taking on future study opportunities
Time indoors means time to prepare for the future!
With the time off or more time indoors, this is the perfect opportunity to gain some new skills for a future career change or to improve in your current field.
- There are many courses online to improve your skills in almost any field. From finance to IT, there are free and premium courses available.
- Youtube has plenty of information and how-to guides to improve on using daily software and design software.
For example, you can see some sites here:
Paid
https://www.linkedin.com/learning/me
FREE
https://startupstash.com/free-online-courses/
- This could also be a great time to study a topic of your choosing so make sure to stock up on books, e-books, podcasts and reading materials.
Day 10: Improve your Japanese skills
Study now and improve to reap the benefits in the future
One silver lining from the situation at hand is that once the World & Japanese economy returns back to normal, there will still be a huge demand for foreign workers in the areas of tourism, IT, hospitality and the service industry. At the end of the day, Japan will still have a major shortage of workers in these areas and Corona or not, this won’t be changing anytime soon.
Many industries will still be hiring in the future and due to some instability in hiring and bringing talent from overseas due to foreseeable border restrictions, there is a chance for local foreign talent to take these positions.
▢ Daily study: Use the time to prepare to improve your Japanese skills daily. There are many online resources or purchase textbooks in advance. We recommend our section on how to learn Japanese to learn how to study effectively. There are a ton of articles written based on our experiences of reaching N2 and N1.
▢ Study virtually: Creative virtual or local study groups with your buddies or Japanese friends and use an app like https://habitica.com/static/home to manage your studies task and keep each other on track.
▢ Go online: Take online lessons or use an app to focus on specific Japanese learning needs.
There is one school called Japan Switch based in Gotanda and Shinjuku that also offers weekly lessons on the cheap. They will offer online classes and they are one of the only Japanese schools that offer weekly classes for a reasonable price.
Day 11a: Exercising and Personal Health
Staying fit while staying inside
With the potential of gyms closing and limited opportunities to exercise, we will likely be limited to outside facilities such as parks while stuck inside the house.
My first day of working from home-recorded a whopping 157 steps on my iPhone, this suggested to me quickly I needed to set up a routine and get some home workout gear to stay in shape. Just by the fact, we will not leave the house on a daily basis can really mess with your diet, health and mental state.
▢ Get in your steps: Figure from the Ministry Health Labor and Welfare shows that a Japanese person in their 20's averages around 7-8000 steps per day, so even just by leaving the house and getting on the train to work does have its health benefits. Since we will be housebound, even if you are not a big exerciser to replicate these numbers you may need to still make time during the day even to get some air and go for a walk around the block for an hour.
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- On average it takes around 10 minutes to do 1000 step. You can break it up into 2-3 sessions a day of 20 - 30 minutes or go for a big hour walk around your neighbourhood.
▢ Consider body weight training : There is a whole industry of people who teach you how to become fit and develop muscles using gravity as a weight. Save money and space in your house by learning how to do body weight training.
▢ Get your home exercise goods: Pick up a yoga mat from Amazon or online to ensure you have a comfy place to exercise. Not only is Yoga a great way to relax and keep fit, it can also minimize the noise of some exercises and stop annoying the downstairs neighbours. The average yoga mat can be from 1000-2000 yen. There are also lots of affordable home training gear available online too like exercise bands or free weights that can keep you in shape while you are at home.
▢ Online workouts: For those people looking to start exercising, you can search on youtube or online for at-home workout videos that you can do. There are 1000’s out there, so check them out.
▢ Missing the night life?: Looking for something more fun? Check out fitness dance videos or Zumba online! These are easy ways to burn some calories and more importantly get your groove on too. Check these out:
▢ Group classes: Better yet, do skype or video sessions with your training buddies and take turns leading the group. There are lots of apps now, both free and with gyms taking a more online mode, where you can stay in shape. Furthermore some apps include:
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- https://aaptiv.com/
- https://dailyburn.com/landing
- https://finc.com/ (One of the bigger Japanese apps)
Day 11B: Strengthen Your Immune System
Step 1 : Practice Social Distancing and Other Preventative Measures
There are two ways to protect yourself from Corona Virus.
The most obvious one is prevention. We all know that the best way to protect ourselves from catching COVID-19 is to wash our hands for more than 20 seconds, avoid touching our face and other people's faces, and practice physical distancing from other people. Here are some official guidelines from the UK National Health Service.
Step 2 : Strengthen Your Immune System
The second way to protect your virus is to develop a strong immune system. People with compromised immune systems are at risk and you may never know when your immune system will become compromised, so it is best to develop a strong immune system now since we may be potentially living with COVID-19 for a while.
One thing you can do is to start removing things from your diet and daily life that creates inflammation in your body. The less inflammation your body has to create in response to an unhealthy diet and lifestyle, the less active your immune system will need to be, so when push comes to shove it can focus on what it is meant to do as opposed to fighting two battles at once. Just to show you how important inflammation is, chronic inflammation has been connected to cancer, heart disease, and strokes. You can learn more about at risk populations on the National Health Services page.
You can reduce your bodies need to produce inflammation by having an anti-inflammation diet and reducing your consumption of inflammatory food and beverages. Here are some common examples of foods that causes inflammation : sugar, refined carbohydrates, alcohol, and processed meats. Another inflammation buddy of yours tobacco is also known to cause inflammation. Cut these things from your diet and give your immune system a rest from having to produce inflammation, as you have seen in the article above, chronic inflammation is connected to many things you do not want and will probably (not a doctor here) increase your risk to the harmful effects of COVID-19.
The second thing you can do is take care of your gut microbiome. This is a huge topic in itself, but you can look here for more information.
Day 12: Get the right information
The right information changes situations!
With mass media sensationalism running among panic and anxiety can hit you very quickly and these feelings of dread and loss of control can lead you to become emotionally out of control.
However, with the right information and understanding, this can help you cope in these strange times.
▢ Try to avoid watching the daily news cycles and getting dragged into the hysteria. Be cautious about social media sites too as the content people post may upset you and it may be good to have a detox from it.
▢ Follow a regular Japanese newspaper online for the latest updates in Japan. There are a lot of Japanese newspapers with great English sites and up-to-date government movements. You can also follow local metropolitan sites or ask a Japanese friend to help support things. Some good Japanese sites include:
Ministry of Health, Labour & Welfare
Health Information
▢ Listen to the experts: Listen to health professionals to ensure the best hygiene practices are kept. The idea is that is everyone follows the same rules and procedures in order to limit the spread of the virus and life will start to return back to normal. Useful health websites are as follows:
Economic Information
These reports on the economy by McKinsey (the world famous one) provide some insights in what we can expect:
Safeguarding our lives and our livelihoods: The imperative of our time
Day 13: Find a group of like minded people or a wise Senpai
Everyone is looking for answers!
One fascinating thing about the Coronavirus situation is that nobody has a clear solution to solve it and everyone is seeking advice on how to improve their situation. Good people think alike and now is the perfect time to reach out to people in your network to discuss openly on how you can improve your situation.
▢ Gain advice from someone more senior: Find someone in your network who has experienced difficult times before. They may be able to provide advice on how to survive the upcoming conditions and getting them to share their experiences can provide insight solutions and help lighten your mental burden.
▢ Start your own information circle: Start a social group and discuss solutions on how you can improve your situation, share experiences and also stay positive with positive thinking and solution-driven discussions. You can easily create a private Facebook or slack group and share your concerns and look for solutions. We created a business Facebook group for small business owners sharing tips and ideas to make it through these tough times and made a google spreadsheet to share with everyone.
▢ Join an active online community: There are also established community groups online with both Tokyo or country specific expat communities too. People are actively posting up Corona related questions and are there to support each other in these difficult times.
Day 14: Plan for a better future
Gandalf the Grey once said, “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
Unfortunately, we can’t control the circumstances given to us right now. Like Frodo's epic journey to travel to destroy the one ring, we are all feeling some level of burden, stress and anxiety in wondering how we are going to overcome this and when life will return to normal.
However, the world will get better and eventually over time life will begin to go back to normal, the shops will open and we will be celebrating the human spirit in the 2021 Olympics! A positive mindset will go a long way in these tough times!
▢ Use the time wisely: It is important that we use the time given to us now the best we can and use this blessing to challenge ourselves to come out stronger than ever before.
▢ Review your goals: Now is a great time to review your goals and long term dreams, start planning now and use the time wisely to improve your life to get to that dream situation.
▢ Think about your career: Check the job market situation regularly, companies will still be hiring sooner than later and when they do, you want to be in the best situation to get that dream job of yours!
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