How to stay productive while managing coronavirus fear, according to a productivity expert

A blessing in disguise that comes from this is we have less to do. Literally. With the closings and cancellations of activities, sporting events, and public venues, it limits the list of things we are able to do with our time.

Take this time to tackle something you can do that is tied to your business or career goal. Use the constraint of social distancing to your benefit. Research shows that adding some sort of limitation can really hone your focus so that you can deeply explore a creative thought. Constraints can direct us to make the best out of what we already have. With constraints, we can dedicate our mental energy to acting more resourcefully.

If you're working from home these next few weeks, try using the time away from the office to work on that project you keep putting aside. Whether it's starting that blog you always said you wanted to or catching up with former clients you haven't connected with in a while, you may just find this interruption to our regularly scheduled programming may work to your advantage.

Our brains are wired to hold on to the negative and quickly forget the positive.

Neuropsychologist Rick Hanson puts it this way: the brain is like velcro for negative experiences, and teflon for positive ones. This "bias" causes the brain to react strongly to bad news, compared to good news. Research shows that we need a ratio of positive to negative interactions of five to one in order to thrive because those negative interactions affect us so much more strongly.

What is Hanson's advice to overcome your negativity bias? Take in the good.

A couple weeks ago, when my husband and I realized the bad news wasn't going away anytime soon, we decided to start each morning by voicing five things we're grateful for. I try to include one or two things that have to do with my career. That way, when I sit down and start working, I'm reminded why I'm doing it. If anything, my work is something that keeps me sane amid the madness.

When things seem daunting in this trying time, ask yourself: What is the good that will come of this? To me, it is the reminder that our actions have an impact on the rest of the world. Sometimes we have to sacrifice things for ourselves for the good of our community. As a world, we are actively thinking about other people right now. At the end of the day, that's a nice thought to keep hold of, especially when fear takes hold.