Are you feeling any constraints as a result of the global pandemic?  Perhaps you’re feeling like you don’t have enough money or you don’t have enough time or you don’t have a sense of security or calm.   Perhaps you’re feeling weighed down by a lot of different constraints right now.

 

One of my favourite podcasters and authors of all time, Whitney Johnson, talks about the importance of embracing constraints – of reframing our greatest limitations as opportunities. And it seems like this idea of embracing constraints is a really important lesson right now for all of us.

 

For me, my biggest constraint has remained constant – global pandemic or not… it’s always that I don’t have enough time to get all the things done that I want to do.   And now that I’m working from home full-time with two kids in the house, this constraint has not changed.  So in light of Whitney Johnson’s message, I have been thinking how to embrace constraints during this time of significant personal, economic and social disruption.

 

When Constraints Create New Opportunities

 

There have been several experiences in my life where constraints have resulted in important discoveries and an improved process. One experience was when I was co-teaching an experiential course focused on Aboriginal law in law school. The course involved two weeks of intensive classroom work to prepare the students for placements around the world. Due to unforeseen circumstances, we weren’t able to hold classes on campus so we arranged to have our classes in various Indigenous organizations across Toronto.  At each of these Indigenous organizations, a representative would welcome the class, talk about the work of the organization, and describe how it serves Indigenous people in Toronto. At the end of the semester, the students reflected that visiting the different organizations and learning about their work was one of the most valuable parts of the course. Now 10 years have passed and the course directors continue to hold classes in various Indigenous organizations in Toronto.

 

The constraint of not being able to have classes on campus therefore resulted in an important innovation and improvement in the delivery of that course for students. It created even more experiential components within an already experiential curriculum. It deepened the relationship between the law school and Indigenous organizations in Toronto. And most importantly, it created connections for the law students with those organizations and increased the students’ interests in working with those organizations in the future.

 

The Constraints of Social/Physical Distancing

 

Another important opportunity to embrace constraints has arisen as a result of COVID19. At my work, we are fortunate in that we have been able to transition most of our work to be done remotely without a significant disruption. However, with this change and all the uncertainty around COVID19, it has been an isolating and anxiety-producing experience for many people. This is particularly the case for those who live alone and now have very little interaction with others during the day.

 

Due to the disruption of moving all work remotely, we have organized a regular videoconferencing call twice per week to check-in so people can talk about how they are adjusting to this new reality and connect with one another. People share how they are feeling, how they are coping with their anxiety, if any, and at the end ask questions or share anything else they would like to share.

 

Even prior to the COVID19 disruption, some staff regularly worked remotely. These staff members have already noted that it would be great to continue having these regular check-in calls to help maintain connection and cohesion with the rest of the team. We also have a small team of front-line workers who work out of different cities across Ontario. They have already started connecting more via videoconferencing and will likely continue to do this more regularly after the work from home recommendations are lifted.

 

So the constraints of working remotely provided an important opportunity for us as a workplace to explore alternative ways of remaining connected. And these lessons can be extended beyond this global pandemic of COVID19 to contribute to more cohesion and connection within our team in the future.  This constraint therefore will end up providing even more opportunities for cohesion in an already cohesive workplace.

 

My Personal Constraint: “I don’t have enough time!”

 

One of my routines that has been impacted by the social/physical distancing recommendations regarding COVID19 is my daily early morning workout with my friend Amy. Gyms are closed and we have decided not to meet up in the mornings to comply with physical distancing guidelines. Although hypothetically I could continue to work out in the early hours since we are fortunate to have some workout equipment in our house, I don’t want to risk waking my husband and children with my noisy stairmastering.

 

So…. I’m going to use the constraint of not being able to go the gym in the morning to start getting up again at 5 am and work on my various side projects – finalizing my book manuscript that is based on my PhD and writing my young adult novel. This constraint of not being able to go to the gym, therefore, has created the opportunity for me to repurpose my early morning time to put more time into those projects that I haven’t been prioritizing of late. And my early morning workouts have now become a daily obstacle course designed by my kids to do over my lunch break, which are actually quite hilarious.

 

So what about you?

Do you have any experiences where constraints have created important opportunities for growth or change?

What are the new constraints you’re experiencing and how could they be turned into opportunities?

 

We would love to hear about it in the comments section below this article!

 

If you liked this article, check out:

https://www.possibilify.com/high-achiever-putting-community-first/