The end of the pandemic is in sight. People are trickling back into the office. Clients and agencies are contemplating in-person meetings. And while the forward-looking me is incredibly excited and optimistic, if I’m being honest, the real-time me is a little burned out. 

So, what can we do over the next few months to make the Zooms and the tech and this next transition a little more manageable? 

Remind ourselves (myself) to: Commit to shorter, more efficient video meetings. Take 15 to 20-minute breaks away from our computers. Create and stick to boundaries. Acknowledge that receiving an email at 6:00 a.m. may be because that client/colleague/partner has to be off for an hour or two in the middle of the day. (Not because they expect everyone to be working at 6:00 a.m.) Know that just because you can respond to an email at 9:30 p.m., doesn’t mean you must. 

And finally, be aware that you, your clients, agency partners, colleagues and peers have been at this for over a year, and everyone is trying to figure out the best way to transition back to some semblance of normalcy without sacrificing productivity, creativity or health.