Page 4 - Al-Rashed Newsletter April 2020

HOW ARE YOU KEEPING UP?

How are you keeping up?

Stepping out in the halls, it seemed to eerie. Each step was a resounding thud without the cacophony of the
world outside. The lights once shone bright flickered with grim lacklustre. Obscured breaths through the
masks let puffs of humid air on to the bespectacled eyes. Roads with the hustle and bustle lay empty. Police
checks and verifications, socially distant shopping and socially obliged people- the world has changed a lot in the
last 4 months.

Coronavirus or COVID-19 has affected at least half of the global population of 7.7 billion. While over 2 million
were infected, the rest were fighting against it or struggling because of it. The scale of struggle varies between
being holed up in your mansion with a well-stocked pantry to not knowing where your next penny/meal is going to
come from.

In the US, almost 20 million people are out of work. Taking the world as a whole, this number will be multi folds.
In this time of uncertainty, what you can do is obey the laws of the land, stay at home and work as required.
While being at home, you have considerably more time with you to utilize.

Work from home has suddenly become the norm everywhere. Even for the best performing employee, you work
approx. 40% of the time at best between you leaving home and returning from work, you spend your time on 2x
commute, unnecessary chitchats, necessary pleasantries, high teas, cuppa joes, corporate lunches and whatnot,

not considering the time you take to get ready, rest after work and the likes.

Work hard and utilize the balance time- in reading a book, learning a new skill (cooking, painting), working out or
something else which you thought you wanted to but didn’t have the time to.

In this time, ensure that you stay home, socially distant yet distantly socializing. Ensure you stay safe, not going
out unnecessarily and most importantly, staying connected to your office, your family and friends
and of course to what's what in the world.

Stay home, stay safe, stay connected.

Anand K V