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What Is The New Normal? A Definition…

Lots of folks are using the term "The New Normal" amid the coronavirus pandemic, and our various efforts to mitigate the health crisis. But what exactly is The New Normal?

For me, it involves a seven-step checklist that I run through three times per day. In the morning. Mid-day. And before bed. The new normal is:

1. Control the variables you can control. As in: Get isolated and stay home. To protect the ones you love and the greater community around you.

2. Follow the leaders who understand what happened in China and now in Italy (and elsewhere), and what that means for the U.S. trend line. Also, follow the medical experts who are making decisions based in facts or informed conclusions based on data. Examples include:

  • NY Governor Andrew Cuomo (whom I did not vote for, but applaud for his current leadership).
  • Dr. Deborah Leah Birx, one of the most important voices advising the Executive Branch and President Trump on the pandemic.

3. Make the absolute best educated decisions you can based on facts and data from reliable sources.

4. Recalibrate your decisions based on the latest data from trusted sources -- not necessarily the latest headlines.

5. Live and act in the present and anticipate the future based on current data trends -- to protect your future, and the future of everyone around you.

6. Limit your consumption of broadcast news or online news about coronavirus to 30 minutes per day. Turn off the TV. Turn off the screen. Go for a walk.

7. Don't Forget -- Together, we control our collective destiny: If we take the proper steps, as the latest data from China suggests, we can get this under control by working together.

I'm sure the list will grow. For now, that's my new normal. Sure, I have to manage my day job through all that. But I'm blessed to hunker down with an amazing wife and three kids. They are the core of my Old Normal and my New Normal. And whatever comes next.

Stay home. Stay safe.

PS: To all of you who are working for the rest of us to keep healthcare and supply chains working: Thank you.

-jp

Joe Panettieri

Joe Panettieri is co-founder & editorial director of MSSP Alert and ChannelE2E, the two leading news & analysis sites for managed service providers in the cybersecurity market.