For many of us, lockdown has been a rollercoaster of emotions. From the novelty of staying home to the anxiety of 'when will this be over?', it can be difficult to remain positive and motivated whilst trying to navigate through this arduous time. 

To provide insights on how to stay motivated during Covid-19, what we can be doing now to ensure we don't burn out, and how we can develop a growth mindset to ensure we overcome the challenges of lockdown, we chatted to business coach Ashleigh Abadia on how to stay motivated during Covid-19. 

It has been a difficult time for business owners due to the COVID-19 restrictions. What do you think is important for business owners to be doing to keep their business moving during right now?

Every single business around the world is being impacted by COVID-19 in some way right now.  The business owners who will continue to achieve great results despite COVID-19 are the ones working with a Growth Mindset.  This means they are adapting, collaborating, learning and developing ways to work smarter to capture new revenue opportunities.

With many people working from home due to COVID-19, it can be difficult to stay motivated and keep a positive mindset. What do you recommend people start implementing in their routine to keep focused and stay positive at home?

These are demanding times, and especially as a business owner you often demand so much of yourself.  Many of us feel compelled to measure our success in terms of our assets and income so we work and hustle and very rarely take time out for ourselves or reflect on what we have achieved. 

Investing in yourself, taking time to care for yourself and reminding yourself of your wins is not selfish.  In fact it helps you develop a positive mindset so that you show up better for others in your life or your business.  Self-care can prevent burnout, reduce the negative effects of stress, promote a healthy work-life balance and help you refocus.  

Some examples that have come out of my 1:1 coaching sessions are: reflecting on three big achievements in your life (they don’t have to be work related), going for a walk outside, getting a massage, having a bath, doing yoga or meditating so you can be alone with your thoughts.    

A popular thing to be doing while self-isolating is learning something new and trying to upskill. Do you think this is an important thing to be doing right now? 

I am very passionate about continuous learning and striving to better yourself whether it’s a skill or a hobby.  Just like eating food nourishes our bodies, information and continuous learning nourishes our minds.  From a business perspective its important to up skill at any point in your career and here are three reasons why:

1.     You want to remain relevant:  Don’t fall behind the competition.  Ensure you remain relevant to your industry by keeping up to date with trends and adapting your skill set.  You need to learn new things to remain valuable.

2.    Be prepared for the unexpected:  Lifelong learning will help you adapt to last minute business decisions or unexpected changes such as COVID-19.

3.    Competence leads to confidence:  learning new things makes you feel confident in your capabilities which in turn makes you more attractive to your customers and industry.

It can be hard to switch off from work when home and work are in the same space. What things could people be doing to ensure they don’t feel burnt out and always ‘switched on’?

Working from home can be a major benefit but for people who may not have worked autonomously or remotely for long periods of time it requires a lot of self-discipline to switch on and switch off when you need to.  

Having studied Psychology I believe in order to be productive you actually need to create a work zone that is separate from any other distractions (eg where you relax or watch tv).  This conditions your brain to know when it’s time to ‘switch on’ and do some work and when you’re away from your work zone this conditions your brain to ‘switch off’.

Detaching yourself from work requires a mindset shift.  This can be achieved by leisure activities that are sociable, do not require a lot of mental effort and are physically active.  Some detaching strategies include doing something when you leave your work zone every day to help your brain know it’s time to switch off from work whether it’s a shower, change your clothes, go for a walk, take a coffee break with no technology. 

Do you have any TV shows, movies, activities, games or recipes you recommend people watch or try at home?

I think there’s a documentary on Netflix or Stan to support every kind of diet known to mankind right now so it’s really hard for people to discern what is actually healthy to eat for your mind and body in the long term.  For me personally, I’ve always stuck to eating in a way that is sustainable and recipes that are easy to follow and include lots of yummy ingredients. 

I’m currently reading a wonderful book called ‘Bring out their Best’ by Natalie Ashdown and Mel Leow that provides a practical framework for introducing coaching into the workplace. Coaching is fast being adopted by leaders around the world as a preferred method of managing and bringing out the best from their teams. 

Ashleigh Abadia is currently working as a Business Coach and a  Business Development Executive at Coca-Cola Amatil. Connect with Ashleigh on LinkedIn, and follow her coaching page on Instagram for more of her insights.