Summer Sorensen

The following is a tale of the upsides of “social distancing” as an introverted entrepreneur.

If you would have told me, even a month ago, that the current state of affairs would be the case in the dealing with the COVID-19/Coronavirus pandemic, I would not have believed you. Would you have believed you?

And yet, here we are. Basically on lock down for at least two weeks. I see the wisdom of all the shutdowns and cancellations. Honestly, I don’t mind it.

I know extroverts and otherwise highly social people that are getting stir crazy right now, and I feel compassion for them. This must be terrible.

For me, as a solopreneur/entrepreneur who also happens to be an introvert, I personally am embracing this “social distancing” with fervor. I’ll briefly share why.

An inside look at the insanity

As a new business owner, who also has a side gig to help pay the bills, regular networking activities, a husband and two cats at home, volunteer work, and active involvement with friends and family, I feel perpetually behind. All the time. I would imagine that is a feeling shared by many, not just business owners. I get it. That is life in the 21st century.

But when I work late into the evenings, all day on Saturday and part of the day on Sunday (which I most often do), and still feel like I barely made a dent in my to-do list of business and housework tasks, it can feel like a hamster running on a wheel. Always moving, but never going anywhere.

I have big dreams and ideas of things I want to do for my business … just never enough time.

The introvert admission

Jump to Thursday, March 12, 2020. That’s when the closure announcements started rolling in like the frothy foam on a breaking ocean wave. As meeting after meeting, event after event got cancelled, my calendar went from fuller than I care for to very empty.

And I love it.

What better time to start chipping away at those big projects that never get started because I know they will take hours of time that I can’t seem to find? Why not use those windows of time that are committed to meetings, and get some reading or cleaning done? Or sleep in?

I have, and I will continue to do so, thank you very much.

As for the missing social interaction … I can’t say I’m missing it. 🙂 I love my friends and family dearly, and I look forward to seeing them again soon. However, for this over-scheduled introvert, a forced break is like a sigh of relief.

Since my business is new, and my client load has room for growth, I’m in a position of not having to worry too much about loss of income. I’d have to have some in order to lose it. 😉 (I do have some, but my side gig is still my primary source for now.)

In conclusion

I’m grateful that I can work online. As long as clients can pay, my work goes on.

It is a treat that social media allows us to stay connected digitally, even when we aren’t meeting in person. If this would have happened 15 years ago, we’d be in a lot worse shape on many fronts.

It is a blessing in disguise to have extra unanticipated free time. I am trying to make the most of it.

I’m sure as this quarantine stretches out, I’ll start to get cabin fever and be ready to hang out with people again. Until then, this social distancing as an introverted entrepreneur is like a dream come true. How are you coping with the quarantine? Are you having cabin fever yet? Getting projects done? Please leave a comment with your thoughts!