Social distancing is giving a lot of people newfound appreciation for the things they had in the “before times.”

People who once relished in cancelling plans so they could spend the evening at home are yearning to see their friends and families outside of a Zoom call. They are realizing all the opportunities they had to help other people, be they neighbours or complete strangers.

So what if we had a way to remember how we feel right now and a prompt to do the things we know will make ourselves and the world better?

That’s the idea behind “My Better Normal,” a collaboration between Montreal digital agency Locomotive and Quebec City production house Nova Films. A video promoting the project focuses on the good things that have emerged from the pandemic, like the motivation to help those outside of one’s own social circle, or the sense of community formed by coming together for the greater good. It also shows people describing the changes they have pledged to make when all of this is over, most of which fall in the categories of helping others, putting more effort into protecting the environment and spending more time with friends and family. That shows the unique opportunity the pandemic has presented: instead of adapting to the “new normal,” we could create a “better normal.”

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The campaign is driving to a website where people can put their resolution into a video or text as part of digital time capsule. Beyond simply pledging to do things differently, the website will keep people honest – in 500 days (Oct. 1, 2021), their resolution will be sent back to their inboxes, reminding them how they feel right now and encouraging them to keep the promise they made to themselves.