We are wrapping the week with some light that can be spread in this wild time. 

But there is a disclaimer.

We understand your inbox (and your head) is likely filled with corona-centered stories, headlines, and advice to heed. So please take this episode for what it is. We don’t need this pandemic to be the entire B2B SaaS narrative, but it is undoubtedly a part of it. So we’re taking today to bring you what we've found helpful in our SaaS world amid the madness.

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Gratitude: a love note to remote

This pandemic has been surreal. And, for me, the luxury of continuing to crank out my daily professional tasks has also been surreal. 

You may be pissed off over productivity waverings or you miss the smell of canned tuna in the office at lunchtime, but all jokes aside: There are millions of hardworking individuals that do not have the opportunity to do this. So I try to remain of constant awareness that I’m one of the really lucky ones. You should be, too. 

I’ve also been monitoring my inbox for WFH tips and remote sanity exercises, so I can share them with my crew (namely, you all). And we can be on the same remote-loving, gratitude train. 

I personally have a pretty strict routine each day (although I have been wearing the same grey sweatsuit since this whole thing started, just to challenge myself, ya know?)—which essentially involves a face washing routine, a walk for my dog, and a steady pillow setup at my bed. But it’s important to me. 

It may sound ridiculous, but I’ve been a morning work-from-homer for quite some time now, even before the remote mandate was set in place, and I can attest: small action items really work here. 

I dug up some of my favorites from Product Hunt’s latest “weird WFH tips” list on unconventional remote work habits. 

• • In the thread, Ryan Hoover, a commenter who says he works from home daily, recommends investing in a nice sound system. He’s been rocking the Devialet Phantom for a few years. [Not an #ad]

  • Here’s one I do every day myself: Make a must-do task list for the day. Once you come up with it, hand it off to your manager and ask them to hold you accountable. Shoutout to Danette for keeping me honest.

  • Consider your setup—like a solid desk chair or grabbing your monitor from your office. Sounds too simple to be effective, but setup is crucial to making this thing work. 

  • Speaking of setup… Make sure you leave it sometimes. Stretch in some capacity. (And time it.) This is another super simple one, but I am guilty of abusing my joints by getting deep into scripting or long-form projects and not standing for hours at a time. The pure truth: You can get more done by taking more breaks. (I’m reminding you so I can convince myself.) Pick a time and get. your. butt. up. 

  • Practice gratitude. As I said, try to keep the mindset of appreciation that this ability is an absolute privilege during these times. Comfort—of keeping up, a steady income, team support, and a grey sweatsuit—is an undeniable advantage for us all.

A pandemic podcast

We’ve spotted a podcast that’s dedicated entirely to information on the pandemic. 

Full disclosure: We know you may be completely sick of hearing about this in your day-to-day... and that’s understandable. For those in that camp, skip to the next story. (We promise, it’ll help.) 

For those looking for a spot with cohesive information and credible sourcing, we’re looking to CNN’s podcast called Coronavirus: Fact vs. Fiction. 

It’s a pod with CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. He’s combining headlines (and making sense of them for us), plus bringing in experts to weigh in. The episodes range in length from about five to 15 minutes, so they’re digestible, yet full of the compelling info. you’ll want for safety, health, and ultimately clarity. 

One of the latest we’re digging? Yesterday’s episode entitled “Lessons from China.” Spoiler alert: Things are improving. 

This pandemic is so ever-changing, I’m unsure I’ve ever witnessed a news story as quickly moving as it. So sources like this CNN podcast are the hubs we need.

Forge on, friends

We wrap this episode with a list of additional resources you can heed as a leader yourself, as well as sharing with your respective teams. Many of these have come through to me via Slack or social media, and I encourage you to do the same if you find them useful and appropriate.

It's information overload out there right now, so it feels like a score when you find something solid. We hope you use your own outlets to spread the good stuff.  

1. 1. Taking things seriously: I found a piece in the New Yorker on convincing your “boomer” parents to take the coronavirus seriously. Has anyone else experienced a lack of admittance to the state we're in, from an age group that’s at the highest risk? If so, that New Yorker post could be a good share. 

   2. Practices on social distancing: What is it? How do we best implement it? Are we taking it seriously enough? We found a piece with answers to your most common Qs about the best practices for “stemming the tide of the coronavirus pandemic.”

   3. Small business emergency subscription assistance. Zoho, a leader in business software apps, launches a Small Business Emergency Subscription Assistance Program (ESAP) to help Zoho customers worldwide weather this global crisis. 

Ultimately, we need to avoid letting fear become a pandemic in and of itself. There is no one correct way to move forward, but I think people need to practice more compassion. So I end with this note from a respected writer I follow: “Overreacting about people who are overreacting is just another form of overreacting.”

At this point, everyone on Earth is affected by this in some capacity, but in completely separate ways—that, in most cases, some of us may not ever be able to relate to. There is so much stimuli floating around, advising us to do one thing and feel another. But it’s ultimately up to us to decide how we move forward. 

And hopefully, that’s with compassion, wits, and more hand-washing.

There you have it, your March 20 special edition news. We will catch you back here Monday.

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