Turning Challenges into Opportunities During Lockdown
Updated: Jan 19, 2022
Lockdown has been a funny old experience, hasn't it?
For so many it has been a time of loneliness, clock watching, tearing your hair out, chasing the kids round and round the house, and wondering how you ever lived without schools being open. And yet for all that, now that the end is in sight (hopefully!), I feel a certain amount of trepidation.
Has any good come out of the last 12 months of lockdown?
On a personal level, lockdown has presented an unprecedented opportunity. Not only did it give my husband the opportunity to be home for so many of my (now) 18-month-old daughter’s ‘firsts’, but it also gave me the chance to finally pursue my lifelong dream of becoming a Russian translator. Shortly after Lockdown Take 1 last year, I left my job of more than a decade in Cumbria and became the proud owner of my own blossoming translation, localisation, & proofreading business in the North West of the UK.
Normally you would safely assume that at that point we would have had our fair share of luck in a difficult situation, however we have also benefited enormously from Lockdown Take 2 & 3. My husband has continued to have periods of time where he has been able to work from home here in the Lake District, which has meant increased kiddie time (due to zero commute), but also time for him and I to reconnect after having two children under two. Without us both being able to work from home we would never have been in the house at the same time without the children running wildly around our legs. We have managed coffee breaks together, done meal planning, and even taken lunchtime dog walks together in the beautiful scenery that Cumbria provides. These are all mundane tasks I admit, but these have been things that, without the global pandemic, we would never have had the opportunity to do together.
How has lockdown benefited my business?
On the professional translation side of things, I admit that I have benefited from having a decreased sense of FOMO! Lockdown 2 & 3 in particular, have allowed me to truly concentrate my efforts on my business without getting caught up in cups of coffee, catch-ups with friends, and networking events across Cumbria and further afield, in the North West. That is not to say that these are not vitally important and that I am not itching to see everyone again, but there were times in the past when I should have passed on some evenings out/commutes and got down to more work. I have worked so many more evenings, weekends, and nap times than I would previously and yet because everyone else was also sitting at home and not living it up in the pub, I have not felt the pull of a pint. Life has become less about what everyone else is doing and more about me and my own unique priorities.
Normality looms
As some form of normality appears on the horizon, I am taking stock of all the good that has come out of the events of the last year. I want to ensure that as many of the good habits, the previously impossible opportunities, and moments of togetherness, remain as possible. I am keen to maintain the sense of drive and urgency that I have enjoyed over the last year, while maintaining a good and sustainable work-life balance which takes advantage of my wonderful surroundings, here in the North West.
So what are you grateful for? What are your key takeaways? Has any good come out of this strange experience for you?
If you would like to read more about my translation business or you’d like to speak to someone who can help you with translation (Russian, German, or Dutch), localisation, or proofreading, then please see my services here and get in touch today.
Thanks for reading!
Marjolein, The Native Crowd
Russian, German, Dutch Translation
Cumbria, North West, UK