Getting Things Done during this Quarantine Season
Reading Time : 9 minutes
Day 8/30.
Disclaimer : I feel like all my posts need one, and especially this one. I understand that these are difficult times and my intention is not to be insensitive towards anyone who needs to take the time “off” to deal with this period. It is for anyone who wants to deal with it positively and come out of it with something (could be anything, better health, more creativity, more positivity). It is, always, a choice. And there’s no shame on being on either side of the bridge. YOU DO YOU!
Today is Day 65 of stay-at-home for me and my family in Seattle. That’s over 2 months of staying indoors, most of which included not having a life outside of the 4 walls of our apartment. We are lucky to be living in a state where the lockdown started very early, and things are slowly starting to open up now. Offices are still closed, and most of the restaurants & cafes are take-out only. State Parks started opening up last weekend, but of course, all social-distancing policies are still in place. If you are in India, or another place where the lockdown is still in full-swing, I hope you are able to see that things will slowly start to get better, if only you persevere now. There is a light at the end of the tunnel - I promise. 😇
I just wanted to start out on a happy, motivating note. Last week I wrote a post about how It’s OK to not be OK during this time, and I ended it by saying:
It is OK to not be OK, but it is not OK to not be OK for too long. What “too long” means is for you to decide and when you decide you’ve reached there, I hope you’re grateful for how far you’ve come.
Today, I want to talk about taking that next step, when you feel like it. Talking from experience, it is so difficult to get out of that “funk”. When the stay-at-home order started in Seattle, I was still interning-full time and had meetings to look forward to and a final presentation to prepare for, so staying motivated and getting work done was not very difficult. That quickly changed sometime in April after my accountability to my manger ended. I am sure a lot of people are in the same spot - those of you who are students and classes are online, or have no classes in the summer, those of you with businesses that are at a standstill because of the social distancing policies. I truly think this is time that I have always talked about not having, to learn new things / do things I have always wanted to do. Initially, it was very difficult and I was also very hard on myself for not utilizing my time ‘wisely’. Over the last few weeks, I have developed a few systems that are working out well in my favor. I am not trying to brag but I think it is necessary for me to give you examples of things I have done in the last few weeks because of which you can trust this post.
I am learning Spanish on Duolingo. I have now learned 434 new words, all of which I try to practice every 2 days at least, if not everyday. My motivation to start now was Money Heist (💩) but I have always wanted to learn a new language and it never happened!
I have finished 2 courses on Coursera, ones I have always wanted to do but just never took the time out for. I have 2 more in the pipeline.
I started this website and am trying to write a post everyday - I have been wanting to do this for at least a year and a half, if not more.
I am working with an amazing group of girls for ThePotpourriProject. If you haven’t checked it out yet, you should!
I am working-out 4-5 times a week. I was not a runner, but I have managed to reach my goal of running a 5k during this quarantine season.
I am not saying that just because I have been doing so many activities, you should too. All of us have different lifestyles and priorities, this is just me right now. I fully acknowledge that I have all the time in the world with no school, no job, no commute - and that’s why I think it is even more commendable that I am able to keep myself motivated and do the above when I don’t “have to”. (pats myself on the back)
Having now gained your attention, I quickly want to jump into how I have been doing all of these things without letting Mr. Procrastination get in the way:
Accept that these are difficult times ⚓️
My solution to any problem in life always starts with accepting that there is a problem. If I keep running away from the problem, I don’t benefit at all because problems have weird ways of creeping up on me. I have accepted that we are living through a pandemic, a lot of people are dying, I am grateful for being safe & healthy. It’s not always easy - sometimes it takes days and days of cycling through anger and agitation to reach the stage of acceptance. So take your time, but don’t shy away from confrontation.
Make a list of things you really want to do 📝
Such a shocker. 🤒 Of course I will talk about making a list - I love lists! I hope you see the pattern - they are the solution to everything! I am not a fan of making lists on my phone or laptop. I usually take out a notebook and a pen, and like making physical lists. The process of putting pen to paper, and writing the thoughts down, makes the process more real and gives me more mental peace. The more I keep things in my mind, the more they get jumbled up and reduce clarity with time. When I was ready to start making the most of my time at home, I sat down and listed out all of the things above. It was very vague and looked something like:
Learn a new language
Do coursera
Read 5 books
Make website? blog? instagram?
This is just a guide that will help through the rest of the process.
Make a plan for what you are going to do tomorrow 🔜
Tomorrow, being key. This is more like setting an agenda for the next day. The reason I like doing it the previous night is that I go to bed knowing what my plan is for the next day. It serves 2 purposes, first, it helps me wake up on time without snoozing 17 times. Second, it prevents me from wasting time in the morning, being lazy and shying away from making a plan - plain old case of procrastination. This is also when I go into details, sometimes micro-planning my day hourly for eg.
7 am wake up
7 - 8 am freshen up, shower
8 - 9 am coffee + spanish
9 - 10 am …
and so on.
I don’t always follow the plan to the T, but having it keeps me accountable and prevents me from saying “omg I don’t know what to do” - because I do. 😜 It is when I have to put in the mental effort of deciding what to do that I turn towards Netflix - easy and always reliable.
Wake up at the same time ever day 🌄
The reason this is important is because how you wake up sets a tone for the rest of your day - your mood when you wake up, your thoughts when you wake up etc. Having a set time to wake up, and making your bed as soon as you do, helps you get into a “routine” first thing in the morning. This hopefully starts a domino-effect which progresses through out the day making you happy and productive!
Wear pants! 👖
Literally. Not shorts, not pajamas. It might not work for everyone but it works for me. I get into the work “mindset” as soon as I slide into a pair of jeans. Some days I also throw in a little bit of make-up just to feel put-together. It is impossible to not feel lazy at least once in your pajamas during the day because they’re so comfortable to lie down in on the couch and watch TV or even better, take a 5-hour nap. Jeans are uncomfortable and we, as humans, have too much inertia. Just the feeling of watching TV uncomfortably can keep us from doing it. The inertia will prevent us from changing into pajamas. Win-win.
Have a designated working area 🖥
I cannot stress how important this is. Working from bed is comfortable and easy and the lazier option to choose, but please avoid it. It is so important to distinguish between where you work and where you “chill”. This is not just to get into the “work mindset” in the morning, but also get out of it and be able to relax in the evening. There is nothing worse than not being able to sleep in the night because you’re still working on your laptop way past midnight. I have personally stopped doing that and it has not only helped with my productivity, but also with sleeping better at night.
Have someone to be accountable to 👭
It can be your mother, your partner, or if you are like me, you can tell what you want to do to the whole world on Instagram and then you’ll find it so much more difficult to walk away! 😂 It is just how humans work - you will be much more likely to skip doing hard work if you are the only one who knows it needs to be done. Accepting defeat in front of someone else is difficult, and you might as well do the work. The reason I started this 30-day challenge was this as well - now I am accountable to ~2000 people on instagram all of whom are not necessarily interested in my website, but now I need to put one article out. Everyday. Study groups are great if you are working on a course, activity trackers with “streaks” are amazing motivators to get more exercise in!
Give yourself a pat on the back
Life is all about the small-wins, especially during this time. It is difficult and we all need the small boosts of motivation. Reward yourself every now and then with whatever feels good to you - whether it is a pizza or an hour of TV (our choices are limited, I know). Hopefully, with all the other steps, you will know where to draw the line and not get tempted to watch TV beyond that one hour of reward time. 🤪
As always, these are things that work for me and I can only hope that some of them work for you too. All of us are different and finding what works best for you is key. I also understand some things may not be possible for everyone to follow, for eg, if your current living situation does not allow having separate sleeping and working spots! But I know you’re capable of adaptation, and you’re going to do great!
Until tomorrow - stay safe and be healthy!
