How To Stay Productive During a Quarantine - A Guide To Social Distancing
April 18, 2020
CONTRIBUTOR:
Alex Q. & Michelle C.
Right now, countries around the world are under lockdown or in self-quarantine to prevent the spread of Coronavirus. Restaurants, schools, and nightclubs...all shut down. While social distancing seems to be the best option to protect yourself and others, we can’t help to think...what am I supposed to do stuck at home for so many days?
Let’s not panic. Although staying at home and watching Netflix might sound like the vacation you’ve always wanted, boredom and cabin fever can start to kick in after a few days. Turn your boredom into productivity. This is your opportunity to properly set yourself up for success and be prepared, if something like this were to happen again.
Before I jump into the list of things to do while in quarantine, let’s make sure you’re in the correct mindset to be in during a pandemic. We find ourselves in challenging times that are testing our very existence. The shockwave of COVID-19 on the global economy is leaving many of us with a lot of uncertainty and unanswered questions. Questions no one seems to have the answer to. So what do we do? Will the world go back to how it was? Should we accept that this is our new reality and the world as we know it will never be the same? How am I supposed to make a living If I can't work? These and many other questions are racing through everyone's mind as they struggle to accept the reality we are faced with.
The truth is that history tends to repeat itself so if we look back we will understand that every time this has happened there has been change and adversity. Humanity has always bounced back and innovated. Understand that there is no room for fear, panic, hopelessness, or self doubt in your environment. If you have the privilege to be reading this with a roof over your head- you’re within full capacity to change the world and become a source of abundance for yourself and everyone around you. You have life and although things may be difficult right now what we know is there's only one direction we need to head in. Forward.
As you’re social distancing, ask yourself a few questions:
You’ve run out of shows to watch, your work is put on pause, and you’re starting to pace around your house. It’s normal to start to get bored after being stuck in quarantine for a few days. Use this time of self isolation to be productive- read books, study online courses, start a workout program, or learn a new habit.
Remember those times when you said you wish you had the time to sit down and read a book? If you’re bored at home, stock up on books to help pass the time. Not a visual learner? Look into audible, where you can access a bunch of audiobooks instead of reading it yourself. This can be a great way to educate yourself on things like business, entrepreneurship, finances, or something completely new. If you’re starting to miss your friends, get them to read the same book and talk about your favorite takeaways and lessons.
Here are a few books we recommend:
There’s a million online courses in the market today. Whether you want to learn SEO or how to run an agency, do your research on which courses have the best reviews and most value. Taking online courses is a great way to educate yourself on new strategies or ways to implement into your business. Once you start to learn things like copywriting, graphic design, or Google Ads, you’ll see how fast your business can grow.
Self-quarantine is the time for self love! It’s rough times like these, where we need to start focusing on our immune systems and overall health. Besides our physical bodies looking fit, we need to make sure our insides are working properly. If you aren’t eating enough veggies a day, you’re depriving your body of the necessary vitamins and nutrients it needs to recover. Drinking Super Greens is important to keep your body healthy and your immune system at 100%. Sleep is also extremely important. Learn how to balance your sleep and diet here.
What is something you’ve always wanted to learn? It can be a personal goal or something relating to your business. Maybe you’ve always wanted to learn a new language or how to cook at home. Develop these skills into habits, once habits are done in a regular and repeated way, it’ll develop into a routine. Building a routine during pandemics can help keep your mind from overthinking and getting overwhelmed.
Here’s a list of new things you can learn:
Your mindset is being tested at this time. You may be thinking, “I’m going insane in here, my mind is going 100mph!” You aren’t alone. Meditation was looked upon as an unconventional trend pursued by non-traditionalists and experimental folks, but all of that has changed. Today, many entrepreneurs and people with high stress levels across the world are realizing the benefits of meditation and mindfulness. If you’ve tried meditation before and believe it just didn’t work for you...think about it like this.
Meditation is like riding a bicycle or learning any new skill. In order to be good at something, you need to repeat it over and over again. Humans learn things through direct experiences and are creatures of habit, see what I did there? Once you start to feel more comfortable and confident with meditations, it’ll become easier to achieve that relaxing and calm mindset.
Here are some meditations we recommend:
You’ve done a lot of things today, you’ve read your book, got your workout in, and even meditated! Now it’s time to sit back and watch some Netflix. Documentaries are an extremely popular category on streaming platforms lately. They range from a wide variety of topics like ancient history, true crime investigations, or even the wild world of K-pop.
Here are some of our favorite documentaries:
Now that we’ve discussed your mental space, let’s discuss your physical space. Your home...and now office. When your workspace or living space is cluttered, messy, and chaotic, how do you think your mind is? Having a tidy and clean environment is essential to keeping your mental state the same way. Start by making your bed every single morning. It sounds simple, but making your bed will not only bring more peace into your life, but also create another life changing habit.
“From the moment you start tidying, you will be compelled to reset your life. As a result, your life will start to change.” - Marie Kondo in The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up
As you knock out this list and start your new routine, remember that you get out what you put in. If you put 100% of your efforts into any of the actions I named above, you’ll see a dramatic change in your life. But if you give yourself excuses and don’t give it a chance, you’ll be stuck in the same position you are now. At home. Bored. Keep yourself accountable by having an accountability partner or make a to do list everyday.
