I don’t know about you, but during this time of self-isolation, I feel as if the time in the day goes by so quickly. With this being said, I want to make sure that I am making the most of each hour, even if the time is just being spent at home. I do not mean just being productive with schoolwork or internship work, but also with work on improving myself. Below are activities or ways we can improve on being effective in our work and in using this time to better ourselves.
- Wake Up To-Do List
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Something that has always made me productive on a day at home is to make a list of things that I want to accomplish as soon as I wake up. This practice gets your mind thinking and awake, while also allowing you to plan out your day. I think for me, it is really helpful to experience the satisfaction of seeing those goals you had being crossed off the list (try it out and you’ll understand). You can even add little tasks; for example, “eat a well-balanced breakfast” to make sure that you are hitting the little tasks that we forget to prioritize each day and can sometimes go unnoticed. Another could be writing out a section for family time where you can encourage your family to get together for a board game.
- Write Letters
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This is something that I really want to get into doing myself. I encourage all of us to write letters to family and friends we are missing. Sure we have Zoom and Facetime, but writing a letter is something that is so much more heartfelt. Along with this, you can keep these letters to look back on when this self-quarantine season has finished. Writing letters also do not have to just be addressed to others. Write a letter to your old self, future self, future kid or even future husband. The list goes on and this is the time to do it.
- Have Faith
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We have unlimited time to be with ourselves. Yet during a time of fear and anxiety, we can use this time to reunite with our faith. Whatever your faith may be (if you are religious), you can use this time as an opportunity to be spiritually guided during a time of uncertainty. I am personally connected to my faith, and one of my most favorite verses from the Bible that makes me feel most comforted is, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
- Get Creative
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I have heard lots of my friends tuning into a creative outlet that they would have never had the time to explore if it was not for the given situation. My mom has been making graduation leis with her time. Though many graduations across the globe have been canceled, she continues to make the leis for family and friends as a way to lift their spirits. I have a friend (shoutout Serafina) who got back into knitting and is in the process of knitting a scarf. I have another who has weekly poetry nights over Zoom. Figure out what gets your creativity to bloom.
- Education for You
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Hear me out. I am not talking about necessarily doing more school, but if you wanted to learn more about being a potential social media marketer, I encourage you to educate and learn more about it via YouTube or any other online outlet. Let’s say you always wanted to know how to french braid your hair. Now is the time to learn. There are so many things that we want to learn but never have the time or thought to do it. Use this time as your window.
This COVID-19 era is tough, and it is certainly not a circumstance that any of us were prepared for both physically and emotionally. However, each day we are blessed with 24 hours. Let’s learn to make something of that day. Don’t let the days pass by you.