Nobody wants to read another story about how COVID-19 is killing everyone’s vibe. If you are anything like me, then you thrive from structuring your life around a routine, but now everything has been disrupted by the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. Transitioning to #WFH life can be tricky, especially if you are accustomed to being more productive on campus or in the office. Despite the circumstances, you WILL succeed and finish the semester strong! Get ready because the best is yet to come – your post-quarantine glow up is coming sooner than you think.
Clean your room – it will help more than you realize.
To the overachievers who have already done this, congratulations you are killing the game! To those of us who have been sitting in the corner watching Tik Toks, now is your time to step it up. I recently went on a deep cleaning binge and put everything else on hold for a few days and let me say, it has made more of a difference than I expected. In addition to feeling productive and enhancing your living space, walking into a clean room every day seriously improves your mood. It’s ok to admit that times are a little scary at the moment, so making your personal space one of tranquility will help put you at ease.
Wake up early even if you don’t plan on leaving the house.
Take it from me, the last person to want to wake up earlier than needed to – getting out of bed at a decent hour in the morning will set you hours ahead and keep you on track for the whole day. Initially, waking up when I knew I could technically be sleeping was rough, but holding myself accountable to start my day early has helped me stay focused on completing my assignments in a timely manner. Despite the Instagram challenges fueled by boredom that we are all tired of seeing, school is still going on so make sure you don’t fall behind!
Never have a “zero-day.”
It is easy to fall into the habit of being unproductive and not getting anything done. That was what my first week of quarantine consisted of and the feeling of not accomplishing my goals was more stressful than getting blasted with homework from professors. It is totally reasonable to give yourself breaks, but make sure you complete at least one task toward achieving your goals every day. No matter how small the effort, knowing that you started something will make you significantly more likely to finish it. By having no “zero days”, you will constantly move in the direction of progress and can continue to keep up with the demands of work and school.
Go easy on yourself.
Give yourself time to adjust to the changes we are experiencing. Even though you may not be able to see it firsthand, know that EVERYONE is facing obstacles. Try not to be too hard on yourself if you feel like you are behind or are having issues with assignments. Put yourself out of your comfort zone and reach out to people in your class. So many people are eager to help in this time of need. Remember that you are likely your own worst critic, so give yourself permission to make mistakes while getting used to this adjustment.