Week 2: Covid-19 Lockdown Letters
This series of weekly letters is designed to support, distract and share first hand experience from Austria during the time of the Covid-19 lockdown. You can see previous letters here.
Hey friends, how are we going? Two weeks down in Austria and isolation time is slowly unrolling across the world.
What's been interesting for me as an immigrant, with family in the UK and Australia, is gauging how different countries have responded to the crisis.
Let me do a GIANT 'I am not an expert and please check official sources' disclaimer here, but overall, it has felt like Austria responded relatively swiftly and effectively to the impending threat. We've been in lockdown restrictions since the 16th of March.
I may not support a whole swathe of Sebastian Kurz' policies nor do I support his party, BUT in comparison to other places, I feel secure, and that things are being handled well living here.
Our 'Aussies in Vienna' facebook group has a similar discussion on the topic, and for the most part, we felt more confident staying here with the stricter controls, rather than going back to Australia, where responses have been, ah.... mixed.
That said, it also means here in Austria, we are a little bit 'further along' in our lockdown experience than some other countries, so I hope this weekly letters series can help others who may just be starting, or experiencing similar things to us.
Because that's all we can do, eh? Share and connect and hope that it helps us all get along.
What Life is Like in Austria during Lockdown
This was the week it felt like we adjusted to the 'new normal'.
Where planning for meals so you can use up ingredients first, and only go shopping once kicked in.
Where local businesses rapidly pivoted to be able to sell online and deliver their goods to stay afloat.
Zoom call parties broke out, new work-habits were made, and we all started whatsapp-ing a lot more.
Oh and we all learnt about our partners/housemates weiiirddd and annoying work habits. Mostly you guys are suffering just like me - living with someone who is inexplicably SUPER LOUD ON PHONE CALLS.
We are still in a state where the only open places are pharmacies, supermarkets and some bakeries.
What was different this week, is the hysterical element seemed to have eased off - now that people understand that supermarkets will restock, that there will be toilet paper and milk for sale tomorrow, the stockpiling has definitely toned down.
Stefan and I have started trying to go for a walk in the morning to make sure we get some daylight and movement, but ensuring we don't cross over with too many people.
Seen as we're like retirees who wake up at 6ish anyway, it seems like the best way to wakeup without reaching immediately for the phone-scroll-of-doom.
We did need to get to a Doctors last week, as Stefan has had a persistent sinusitis infection since, oh, December? It was inflamed a lot with our flights back to Australia and his flying to Zurich for work, so needed some attention. We found our local Doctors office completely shut, with call-in options only.
Given the likelihood of Dr's offices been overrun with people in the crisis, this wasn't too surprising, but it did make it a bit more of a runaround to get the medication he needed.
Thankfully, we're on excellent terms with our local pharmacy (Stefan's basically a celebrity there, he needs to pickup something almost weekly because of his neurodermitis and weakened immune system) so we were able to get the goods.
So things are semi-normal, I'm just inexpicably baking more and picking up some mad skills on MarioKart as my 'escape'.
What about Work?
So, there's two different narratives flying around social media and the universe right now for how to use this lockdown time.
One is that now is THE TIME to make your launch, do your #bossbabe thing, be fit! Be busy! Write the next Harry Potter! Launch a line of home made baking kits! Create that online course!
Which - I understand that.
My instinct last week was to take some action, to respond to the absolute walloping my career plans and goals for being successfully self-employed got hit with.
I bumped up my urgency and launched my new website: www.carlyhulls.com to help fellow creators and small business owners figure their shit out.
Time management, customer support, scaling teams & businesses - all the juicy shit that I'm a super nerd about and passionate about helping women in their careers to solve.
So it was a satisfying way to deal with my fear and anxiety through what felt like a controllable action.
HOW-THEFUCK-EVER.
It is not mandatory or even expected for everyone to react that way!
This is a crazy weird time, and maybe going out and conquering the world is not your reaction right now.
I may have launched a website, but I also binge read 4 different romcom novels in a week (more on that below) and played way too much MarioKart on the couch when I coulda been #hustlinghard - because I wanted to escape!
It's a strange time for working independantly, and how you choose to react is your choice.
And if one more wannabe-online educator-influencer tells me to 'make the most of my time' and be a 100% Elle Woods productivity queen about this, I will lose it.
Work for me right now, looks like managing my time in line with my priorities (basically the things that get me paid first, chasing unpaid invoices second, and devising new income streams third).
I am also navigating the indepth and tricksy world of Austria's support systems for the unemployed. Since my redundancy in December, I need to register through the Austrian social system for insurance and support until I find my next job.
The timing is super weird though, as you can imagine, not only because you can't go down for an appointment as you normally would. But there has been an insane spike in unemployment because of all the businesses shutting down.
So step by step, with Stefan's help, we're navigating yet again the Austrian bureaucracy - only this time at least, there is a decent online system to help.
Oh and I'm also applying for permanent residency, because hey, why not do all the paperwork all at once right? But that's a longer process, and definitely a separate blog post.
Thankfully, Stefan's job is secure, working with enterprise level companies in software, so we are very very privileged to have that level of security. And, because we've been following the Barefoot Investor process for saving, there's room to breathe financially, until I can generate reliable income from my work.
So if you know anyone keen on mentorship or help in dealing with time management and customers, send them my way. Your support is very much appreciated in these strange times.
Good Reads and Distractions for the Week!
Onward with the good stuff! This week I massively reduced my hours spent online browsing, so the good reads are actually books.
Implementing a 'no phone in the first hour of the day' rule for myself really helped my mental state so - this week we have mostly book and podcast recommendations for you!
I have watched this more times than I care to admit and it gives me joy every damn time. Spot the musical theatre kid eh? But truly nothing uplifts like Les Mis....
The second most important binge of the week - reading romcoms by Mhairi McFarlane.
It started with Who's That Girl about Edie and Elliot, but I ripped through it so quickly, the back catalog of Don't You Forget About Me, If I Never Met You and You Had me at Hello were swiftly downloaded to my Kindle.
Reader, I'll be honest, they got me through the week. Something in the way McFarlane balances the will-they-won't-they storyline with very realistic complexities, hilarious of the moment quips and lead characters that are smart, fiesty and have their own careers and goals beyond 'find a man'.
They are all refreshingly well written, and made for millenial readers, without being too treacly sweet and silly. The perfect level of escapism and optimism for a lockdown in March. Don't You Forget About Me was a favourite, but honestly all will do you well for distraction easy reading.
Journalist Joel Golby is always a good laugh, but this was the topic we all needed to read this week. 'Zip it Kim K, Taylor Swift is the marmite we've all come to love'
And on the light hearted note, to alleviate stress our household has taken to intense round of MarioKart on our phones, using the multiplayer feature.
The trick is, you can invite friends to play against you too and relish the nostalgic, bright colour glow of Marioworld, with pinging victories, complete with earworm soundtrack. Its completely free if you dodge the regular prompts to pay to play - and the best relief for strange days at home syndrome.
Podcasts to listen to while Cleaning/Stress Baking/Creating a crowded vibe at home
Now more than ever I'm enjoying having podcasts on in the background while I oodle around the house to make it feel a little less lonely.
Even with Stefan at home, I need some aural variety, so these are getting me through:
Chat 10 Looks 3 - always a good natter in the background while making dinner podcast. Two Aussie journalists talking about what they watch, read and listen to!
Judith Lucy - Overwhelmed and Dying. The hilarious (very) Aussie comedian is facing a mega amount of life challenges so seeks out experts to talk about handling very different topics, from death, to sex and singledom. Funny poignant and strangely relevant to what's happening in the world right now for gaining some perspective.
Wilosophy by Wil Anderson. Another Aussie comic, who interviews various celebrities, authors, chefs, and fellow comedians to get their philosophical views on life. The conversations are wide ranging and often lead to unexpected insights on both Wil and the guest. Another deep but funny balance that works well.
Hashtag Authentic by Sara Tasker. There are a LOT of podcasts for creative entrepreneurs, some more grating than others, but the only one I swear by is Sara Tasker's. Her gentle yet illuminating advice, varied guests and balanced way of looking at online business is so reassuring. (Oh and heads up - her latest course 15 Minute Magic is back on sale this week - I enrolled in January and its a total game changer for stopping procrastination.)
And thankfully one of my favourite podcasts is making a return next week - the High Low with Pandora Sykes and Dolly Alderton. A fizzy, insightful and uplifting current affairs and pop culture podcast. They've been on hiatus since December so this week two episodes are coming out, which are sure to be choc-a-bloc with laughs and good tips on books and shows.
How You Can Help, Now + Handy Resources
My friends at Female Founders have rounded up some handy resources for entrepreneurs and startups here.
The team at Love Daily Dose have also put together a killer list of ways to support local businesses in Vienna here (in German).
This week I've been loving taking my morning Pilates classes with PopPilates Vienna and have so much FOMO for missing out on an at-home bike at Supercycle, their online classes look the business!
There are also a bunch of online courses becoming available to fill in your days - I'll be doing a full wrap up shortly on the blog but for now, if you are looking for discipline and direction, I'd recommend Sara Tasker's 15 Minute Magic.Its ideal for bite-size chunks of tasks that give you a feeling of momentum and progress - because action beats fear, everytime.
If you prefer not to spend right now, then Skillshare is great for learning quickly on countless topics. This week I'm determined to wrap my head around coding CSS and HTML properly so I can sort my own tech out, finally! You can check their free classes here.
That's it for this week - wherever you are, I hope you and yours are healthy, happy and enjoying the time at home.
You can subscribe below to get notified when the next Lockdown Letter comes out - no pressure mate, do what ya feel!