Rebooting for a better world

When our computer seems to hang and is not able to perform, we often reboot the system so it starts anew. We press CTRL+ALT+DEL or we turn it off then on, or we simply let it be for a few minutes and RESTART.

This is, hopefully, exactly how everyone is now looking at the world. We have to change our habits, think about how our family has survived so far and change our ways. Some friends still submit to the fact that COVID-19 – in particular Omicron – has to hit everyone, while some believe it can be avoided. No matter which option you believe in, we do not wish to get it anytime soon or as long as we can avoid it because we do not want the long term effects associated with “long COVID.”

So how do we reboot for a greener, safer world?

• Stop thinking “it’s the way it will be forever.” If we do not change anything, everything will truly be the same and stay the same.

• It’s never too late to change habits. It’s the first month of the year; resolve to change a thing or two.

• Start to change your lifestyle habits. Choose to buy local and from sustainably-sourced retailers. Eat better food whenever you can.

• Make that physical move. Move out of the city and try living away from the usual busy, polluted quarters and seek open spaces.

• Make a mental or mindset change. Think green and sustainable. “Greenify your home” by choosing natural whenever you can.

We are being made to think twice and thrice about our past self. How did we earn our keep? Is it worth keeping our career or must we change and look at other possibilities? What have we been doing that needs a shift? Our old selves must now all be renewed if we wish to see a different new world.

What about our business? Is it still sustainable, given the new developments in consumer behavior? Or must we shift to a digital model?

How to reboot

I tried to adjust by changing our living arrangements. At the onset of Omicron we stayed nearer the farm, away from the city. It is not a surprise that there are more choices for fresh fruits, fresh vegetables and, most of all, FRESH AIR. There is a different kind of quiet as you hear birds chirping and the occasional barking of dogs.

Next is thinking of a business model that does not require city living. Something that you can manage with just a touch of the phone or being on your laptop. I assisted some friends who were in isolation by ordering food three times a day using an app. We were in three different places but we managed to get food and groceries to two different destinations. Not bad at all.

I held Zoom webinars and attended not a few meetings. I am able to have quiet time not just on weekends but everyday. What a blessing!

Further, it allows us time to study our business model. If it is no longer feasible, we must adjust sooner, not later. I am planning some physical moving of stocks and stuff via Messenger app as the staff in each location sends me photos while we chat. I schedule movements of vehicles using the chat feature and actually am able to do things as expected.

Next, I take orders via phone, chat or viber. I check emails for Purchase Orders from B2B customers and deliver the goods. All by what we used to call “remote control” and which is now the norm – doing everything remotely. Working remotely, selling remotely and giving or asking for services through the internet.

Groceries are ordered via an app where a “shopper” even calls you to give choices on weights and colors before proceeding.

I have been paying merchants through my digital wallet. I am able to transfer funds from a bank account or a credit card to my digital wallet. Bank transfers are also easily done via the app rather than lining up in a bank to deposit a check.

The fearful among us will always think of insecurity about bank transactions, fear of making mistakes and compromising their bank accounts, etc. Guys, if you don’t start now, when will you ever start?

Rebooting also means changing the way we hire people. We may soon just need virtual staff, too. There are many who shifted to freelancing rather than go to an office. They freelance virtually and there are many sites where freelance work is available.You can hire writers, virtual assistants and other services usually done by regular employees.

Now, you may think, what is an employee or manager going to do? Well, if my guess is right, many of them have moved to the outskirts, to the suburbs where life is simpler and there is no congestion. Some have moved farther away to a home province. This may be a beneficial dispersal of the population that we so needed for a long time. For people to reboot and find a new place to grow their roots. And for the city to be able to breathe while we also find more room to inhale fresh air and exhale the bad.

Not a few friends found small properties in the nearby provinces to make their home away from condos and crowded apartments. Many dream of moving to farms and even just to simple homes with a backyard to grow vegetables and maybe some chickens. This is the great reboot and if I were you, now is the time to think about doing yourself a favor. You will be far from Omicron and you will be closer to Nature.

Simplify. Assess how much or how little you need. After two years, we should have learned a lesson or two. It will never be the same again. Just treasure the memories of travel and the life we led from years back. It’s time to change all that and, like our laptops, reboot, restart and imagine a better life for all.

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Chit Juan is founder of ECHOstore Sustainable Lifestyle. These days, she spends a lot more time in the farm in Amadeo, Cavite, far from the busy quarters of city living.