The Internet and social media, which make information readily available in a scenario completely at odds with our reality 25 years ago, are meanwhile feeding — rather than quelling — the global state of panic.

Conversely, however, we would not have been able to respond as proactively as we have, had we not have had these tools at our disposal.

We need to be putting in the necessary effort in order to understand how to best cope with the situation at hand. Here is where we are seeing creativity and innovation dominate during this time:

Ways of working

Remote working can be fantastic. There are so many tools and resources that allow for this, so employees can continue functioning as a team.

At Hoorah, most of our work happens in the Cloud through the Google Business suite. This means that everything is accessible, almost like a virtual warehouse to everyone, irrespective of their location.

Could this new way of working mean we finally uncouple desk occupancy from productivity?

Forward-thinking with technology

Business cannot freeze in the face of fear. At the most fundamental level, the ability to adapt and progress is what defines a sustainable, successful business.

Where possible, we need to use the technology at our disposal to weather the storm, so finding new ways to sustain ourselves in these uncertain times and into the future.

We should view the lockdown as an invitation to innovate. We are also problem solvers, and there is plenty of solving that needs doing.

As long as we remain connected, however, we can find ways of working together to find solutions, to build more resilient systems and perhaps even to redefine the fundamentals of how we do business.

Take comfort in the fact that history shows us that business always finds a way. Humans always find a way. Our adaptability and resilience is our great strength.

Opportunities in chaos

The world feels chaotic right now, but the great Chinese strategist and philosopher Sun Tzu reminds us in The Art of War that "in the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity".

What if we use this time to rethink our beliefs, particularly about consumption, conservation and creativity? We don't know what opportunities will come of this, but let's remain open to the possibilities.

Most importantly, we need to find ways to keep working because there's no other choice. We cannot allow panic to prevent us from making progress.

It's true that that 'progress' may be redefined over the coming months but we should embrace that. Humans, more than any other species, change. We make, we innovate and we reinvent ourselves.

Our goal is to change for the better. Let's approach COVID-19 as our generation's opportunity to redefine how we think about our place in the world, particularly in respect of how we do business and the consequent impact on our environment.

For more information, visit www.hoorahdigital.com. You can also follow Hoorah Digital on Facebook, Twitter or on Instagram.