The current quarantine season is a big struggle for both our productivity and our peace of mind. We’re always overloaded with information, and our routines suddenly have been pulled out from under our feet.
Feeling overwhelmed and don’t know where to start? Here are ten tips to help you manage your time wisely and stay sane during these difficult times.
This week are giving a warm ALOHA to guest blogger Karen Chen from Rosethorns and Honeydew.
Karen is an aspiring author from the rainy BC, Canada, and her purpose is to help her readers achieve success in their academics, self love, and creating a productive lifestyle. She recently just released athree-day free course on productivity, you can find it here.
Ten Time Management Tips – Perfect for Quarantine
Five Productivity Tips To Work at Home
Be Intentional With Your Time
When we spend a lot of time cooped up in a house, the days can begin to merge together and pass quicker and quicker. The way to combat that is to be intentional with how you want to spend each day. Set small goals each morning, and evaluate each task you do with “does this align with my goal?”. If something catches your eye (30-day challenge, online class, etc.) schedule it into your calendar.
Switch It Around
Things can get boring really quick if we have a repetitive routine day in, day out. Do something you haven’t done before – even if it’s as small as trying a new recipe for dinner. Instead of looking at this situation as a setback, develop a fresh start mindset, and use this time to form new, great habits.
I pick up tons of routine ideas from listening to podcast interviews on Spotify. Some of my favourites include The Lavendaire Lifestyle and Millenial Life School, in which both podcasts interview successful people for their story and habits.
Set a Work Time and Rest Time
If you find yourself working all throughout the day but not really having an idea of what you’ve accomplished, try setting a distinct work time and rest time. When it comes to work time, try to replicate your office or school hours, which will help restore the order and routine to your day.
When it’s time to rest, promise yourself to do nothing work related, and try to take a rest from screen-time. Time Management Tips helps in creating this balance, which will help you get a better grasp of what you’ve accomplished, while keeping you on task.
Split Up Your Week
You can also try creating a weekly routine, and dedicate each day to a certain aspect of your life. For example, Mondays are for writing, while Sundays are for spending time with the family. Creating a focus for each day will help your brain solidify the routine, and also keep your work and personal life balanced.
Find What Triggers Your Motivation
A motivation trigger is something you know will get you into the mindset to work. It can be as small as putting on upbeat music, or as big as brainstorming ideas for a new project launch.
I encourage you to identify your motivation triggers, and keep a list handy in case you’re ever stuck in a rut. Here are my motivation triggers if you need some ideas:
- Talking to similar minded people and finding out what projects they’re working on
- Putting myself outside of my comfort zone
- Making connections with people, and finding out their challenges and stories
- Listening to podcasts and TED Talks
You can learn more about finding and keeping motivation here
I have also crafted this worksheet to help you find your motivation triggers.
Five Tips for Mental Health during Quarantine
Mindset Tip
Don’t beat yourself up for not being productive. It’s a difficult time of change, and everyone is still figuring out their day-to-day routines. This is a great time to learn about and practice self compassion, to support and love yourself as you adjust and be your own best friend.
Next time you feel yourself getting frustrated, just take a breath and say, “It’s okay to not have everything figured out right now. You’re on the right path and I believe in you.”
Don’t Ignore Your Mental Health
If you’re feeling anxious, I want to tell you that your feelings are valid. You are allowed to feel those feelings in depth instead of suppressing them. Find out techniques that work for you to reduce these feelings of anxiety/sadness. Some common techniques include taking a short walk, journaling out your thoughts, or talking it out with someone. Here is a breathing technique that always puts me at ease and slows down my thoughts:
- Breathe in for 4 seconds
- Hold for 7 seconds
- Breathe out for 8 seconds
- Repeat for 6-8 cycles
This has helped me on numerous occasions, from falling asleep to calming down before an interview.
You can also check out our journal prompts for mental health here.
Use Technology to Reach Out
Ah, technology, our biggest resource yet deadliest time-consuming energy. If you find yourself mindlessly scrolling or refreshing, it’s time to put it away. Focus on the positives of technology, such as having a zoom call with your distant family members, or taking a yoga or exercise class (many fitness YouTubers and trainers are releasing tons of videos for free right now because of the quarantine situation).
Some fitness YouTube channels I would recommend are Blogilates (custom, various at home workouts) and Cambria Joy (motivational videos, healthy eating and workouts).
Focus on the Positives
It’s very easy to get caught up in the current news and horrifying statistics of death. I encourage you to take a step back, and also be thankful for the positive things this pandemic has brought upon you. The environment has been getting so much clearer, and take this time to bond with your friends and family that you don’t have the time for normally.
Shift Your Mindset about Time
You’ve suddenly got all this extra time… now what? I encourage you to use this abundance of time to explore what you’ve always wanted to, and start a passion project.
Personally, I’ve been learning a lot about marketing, and have released my own course of productivity, and am now experimenting with one-on-one productivity coaching. There are amazing resources online – from YouTube, to podcasts, to websites like SkillShare and Coursera.
Learning something new is a great tip for quarantine, because the truth is we just have more time now. When else will you ever have an time like this to learn something new?
Time Management Tips to help with Quarantine
I hope these time management tips have inspired you to create a more productive lifestyle and also helped bring peace of mind. Remember to take time for yourself and practice self care, as your mental wellbeing is your first priority. Stay safe!
You can find Karen Chen Here, drop by and give her some Aloha!
Read her Blog: Rosethorns and Honey Dew
Follow along on her Instagram: karenc.xo
Watch Karen on Youtube: YouTube
Thanks to Karen for writing this post that you could share it and I could read it! Time management over the last few weeks is something I haven’t been great at. The days began to merge as one, and I was losing track of time due to being furloughed and doing the same things each day. My current “routine” is to sit before bed each night and list 3 tasks I need to do the next day and 3 I would like to do. As long as the first 3 are done then it’s a successful day!
Hi Katie! I think that is a great way to goal set while also staying productive without overwhelming yourself! Thanks for sharing. XO-Summer
Thanks so much for this opportunity, Summer! It was amazing working with you, you’re the sweetest. Hopefully this post can help some readers out x
Mahalo, Karen! It was wonderful to have you guest post this week. Everything you wrote was very much needed in this crazy time. I think my favorite take away was identifying your motivational triggers. It’s fun to get in touch with what really lights you up! Xo-Summer