Although the sun is only just now peeping out through the clouds, hopefully the COVID storm is passing.

While we’re waiting for those final showers to pass overhead, what has the world learned from lockdown and what should we be looking forward to?

Despite the horrors of seeing rising death tolls, empty supermarket shelves, and exhausted medical personnel, there have also been many wholesome things that have come to us through this crisis: more time with family; TikTok dances; baking; craft; puzzles (whoever would have thought that we’d all be doing jigsaws again?)  There has been time for the garden, planting up veggie beds – time to give more thought to our previous lifestyle and future.  Having this downtime has meant many people are questioning their previous work/life balance and are enjoying the flexibility that working from home has given them.

This brave new world for everyone else is one that transcribers live every day.  It’s a lifestyle choice that I personally made back in 2003.  With small children, I wanted to be able to earn money whilst also being available for my family.  I wanted work that was interesting, a business that I could grow.  I wanted to be able to push the “pause” button during the day, so that I could go and spend an hour in the garden, read a book, catch up with a friend for coffee.

If the thought of going back to office politics, commuting and endless boring meetings isn’t filling you with joy, then why not make the change?  Now is the best time to retrain and get new skills.  Even if it’s just something you want to dip your toes in and try out before you take the plunge, or a safety net for the future, you owe it to yourself to give it a go.

The last two months have been the busiest for Sonya and myself since we started Top Team Transcripts back in 2017.  We are both so happy that we have been able to keep our contractors transcribing away throughout the lockdown.

As the restrictions loosen across the world, and we come out from our homes blinking into an uncertain future, one where maybe the work you did before has gone, one to which perhaps you don’t want to return, know that you have other options. All you need to do is take that first step.