Virtual parties, socially-distanced dinners and masked gift exchanges – however we choose to celebrate this holiday season, one thing’s for sure: it will always stand out in our memories. And, as with every aspect of life this year, they are bringing out in us an incredible creativity with lifestyle management. Instead of setting places for twelve, families are figuring out what virtual games work best over Zoom. Companies of every size are doing what they can to keep their WFH teams feeling appreciated and motivated – from virtual wine and whiskey tastings to team-building exercises like virtual Escape the Room. And, as they’re finding out, these activities have as many moving parts as any in-person event.
Lifestyles can be challenging to manage even when we’re living it almost exclusively from inside our homes (just ask anyone who’s missed a Zoom meeting or two). Holiday shopping has also become more complicated than ever, from debating whether it’s safe to go to stores to seeing what’s available online and following up on shipped packages, praying they get to loved ones in time.
We don’t typically think of technology when it comes to lifestyle management, but right now it is what’s making it possible to stay connected. And it’s much more than video chat – countless other apps are keeping restaurants and other businesses thriving when they might otherwise have shuttered their doors. Still other solutions are helping us bring holiday plans together. We can use lifestyle management solutions to store tracking numbers and share them with other users to see when gifts are arriving. They also serve as communications hubs for details about holiday parties. This can be as simple as links to Zoom and game downloads, to “guidelines” for in-person events such as the wearing of masks, how we plan to keep guest distanced from one another, or even special dress codes (for example, to wear warm clothes if we’re hosting an outdoor party).
Yes, this has been a year of unprecedented challenge, but one of incredible innovation as well. Technology may not be as romantic as sugar plum fairies, but it is helping us rethink the way we manage our lifestyles. Enabling us to more effectively enjoy the holidays with those we care about. And that is certainly something to be grateful for.
