I sent out an email last week to my subscribers asking them to share how they’ve been staying sane during the lockdown. The responses were truly amazing:
“My daily routine before was crazy. It’s taken me until lockdown to realize that I was caught up in a rat race”
“I’ve also spent a lot more time with my mother which itself has been very rewarding. We haven’t always been close and this gave me an opportunity to change that”
“Getting to long-overdue photobooks: we did this for our wedding memories and I have just put together almost 20 years worth of digital photos. Been great taking a trip down memory lane”
“I became closer to my kids and made me realize how much I missed out when I was at work during the day. I now appreciate spending more time with them. Don’t get me wrong, they drive me insane, but I love them dearly”
From finding new talents in the kitchen to spending quality time with loved ones to brushing up on the Danish language using Duolingo, there have been some inspiring stories of appreciating things that were taken for granted for so long.
It made me reflect even more on what is important and what we need to do to take care of these areas in our lives knowing that Covid-19 is not going anywhere anytime soon.
Some sobering stats have been released worldwide related to the economic impact which this pandemic has had. The US and UK are set for their worst recessions in hundreds of years with unemployment levels hitting new records. Here in SA, the stats are looking even bleaker than before with the National Treasury expecting 7 million South Africans becoming unemployed if the economy remains closed for large parts of the year.
It’s scary. The storm is here. But somehow a lot of people are not preparing for what seems to be inevitable – the roughest ride of our lives.
I think we all need some real talk right about now. Someone to tell it like it is, that gives some advice that we can all use. Now.
I can think of none better than Gary Vee.
If you’re not familiar with Gary Vaynerchuk, check this video out and you’ll know in the first 3 minutes who he is. A self-made entrepreneur who believes in the hustle, hard work and definitely tells it like it is.
So when Gary Vee tells you how to make money during lockdown, you listen:
It’s as simple as that: SELL YOUR STUFF
And it’s not just him saying this. Chinese consumers have started offloading possessions instead of returning to shopping habits that drove the world’s second-largest economy.
So why am I writing about this?
We are all at risk during this pandemic. From the emails I received it’s clear that a lot of us have had a chance to reconnect with what’s really important. Yes, we are very privileged to be able to talk about this, especially while so many have been facing poverty and unemployment. With a vaccine expected only in 2021, there is a very high likelihood that things are going to get a lot worse not just for us, but also our extended families, friends and communities.
As Gary Vee says in the video, “I want the government to help me, I’m in big trouble, I’m scared – meanwhile, I have a fucking triathlon bike in my fucking house that buys me another fucking month!”
You probably have things that you can get rid of right now that will create some runway in your finances and help you cover expenses for one or two more months. If you’re one of the lucky ones that have a few months of savings that you can live off, well done. I can tell you the overwhelming majority of South Africans don’t have that luxury.
If you don’t need the extra cash then sell some stuff and give money to charity. There are a lot of hungry people out there that could use your help.
Just this week my good friend Al Luke sold off his artwork to raise money for people who are in dire need. Be like Al. We can all do more to help each other.
Cut unnecessary spend, subscriptions and lifestyle spending. No, you don’t need 9 different pairs of sneakers.
Sell your stuff and get rid of everything that you aren’t using.
If you’re not sure where to start, I’m here to help you with 4 easy steps:
- Use the smartphone in your hand to take photos of the stuff in your house;
- List it online on Facebook Market Place or Gumtree;
- Make sure you obey social distancing protocol and stay safe when interacting with potential buyers; and
- Use the money you made to make charitable donations or add some more to your savings
It’s pretty simple. I did it this week using Facebook Marketplace. Don’t believe me, here’s my ad selling a guitar that I really loved, but wasn’t using as much. It took about 5min to do, maybe 20min responding to comments and questions and, within a couple of hours, the guitar was sold. Part of the funds made went to charity and part to savings.
Getting rid of stuff isn’t easy. The psychology of it can really get to you. One episode of Tidying Up with Marie Kondo will help you right along 🙂 But I can assure you that once you make the decision to let go of one thing, it becomes so much easier to let go of more.
I’m planning on doing helpful posts like this one over the coming weeks to share some tips on how to put yourself in the best possible position during the pandemic. If you have any tips, feel free to share.
Also, send this post to someone who you think will need to hear this.
JOIN MY NEWSLETTER AND GET UPDATES STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX
Leave a Reply