Career, children and Corona
Single parent, two school-age children, full-time job – and in the middle of Corona! To anticipate, what you are about to read will leave you motivated and inspired through the day. Because Doris Schönhacker is a cheerful person who takes life as it comes.
As director of the two Satellite Offices in Hamburg, she has her hands full, is a single parent, has two schoolchildren and a red-haired cat named Fiete. That sounds like long days and many, many tasks. We wanted to know how she gets through the pandemic.
How do you cope with the pandemic?
I think it’s all a matter of organization. I started relatively early to set up rules at home as well, to establish a fixed routine. When to wake up, when to have breakfast and what are the queries of the day. This is important for the children not to get lost. Being a single parent for eight years, I started organizing myself early. If I work, who will take care of my children? My kids know that there is always someone there for them. There is always a solution somehow, sometimes of course I have to call on external help, see who supports here and there, then it goes wonderfully.
What is your basic attitude?
I have always been one to make the best of a situation. I have a healthy confidence in myself and know what I want – and how to get there. And humor must not be missing! Not taking yourself so seriously, being able to laugh at yourself, being able to let things go. It’s especially challenging now with Corona, of course, but I love spending time with my kids – and they love spending time in the Satellite Office now, too! I have always worked a lot and with pleasure. Maybe my attitude and performance has something to do with the fact that I used to do competitive swimming. In the end, even before the pandemic, I always had to see how I could reconcile everything.
How does your work environment react?
I notice that we get a lot of encouragement from our customers because of our performance and quality – and that makes me proud! The basic tenor at the sites is that somehow it has to go on – and it does! Now, of course, with time it becomes a bit tedious – but we still manage to support with good humor, flexibility and quality. The team has grown together even more in the last year, especially because of the pandemic – and customers notice that.
What is the pandemic doing to you personally?
It is important that I refuel my energies. I do that through sports and through golf. For me, that’s the best way to switch off. This three-quarters of an hour jog in the morning is very important for me – I enjoy the morning peace and atmosphere in the forest and the shower afterwards is the first highlight of the day for me! This has a lot to do with self-care. Especially during this time, I want to be available for my children, my team and the customers at Satellite Office – and that’s how it works for me!
Is there anything you are missing?
I am a positive person who focuses on the things that are doable. But to go to a nice restaurant for dinner, I would like to do that again. Fortunately I have a beautiful garden, live by the forest, which is good for my stage of life and for my wallet! I’m not an online shopper, I just have my drink on my terrace in the evening now.
Your ultimate tips to deal with the crisis:
Every crisis brings something positive, everything in life is bipolar, everything negative has something positive!
- – It’s a question of attitude, not looking at what doesn’t work, but always seeing what I can actively do to make it better or more beautiful.
- – A certain amount of humor is also important; you should try not to take things too seriously.
- – The pandemic in particular teaches us how important health is. With the pandemic, we are focusing on the essentials, which is also good. The issue of personal responsibility is crucial.
- – No one can make you happy unless you yourself contribute something to be happy.
- – Confidence in yourself, confidence that things will get better.
- – Allowing yourself to indulge takes on a different meaning. The experience of the moment, the enjoyment of the special has again a different appreciation than before.
- – Treat yourself to a great office, you are worth it! So you say to yourself, I’ll just afford this beautiful office now 😉
