In my last post, I listed a few suggestions on what to do (or
not do) to be productive during your quarantined downtime. I promised to list
some actual activities, but I wanted to list two more suggestions to help
organize your day.
Make a To-Do List! I found that when my wife and kids were at work/school, I
would make a to-do list of large and small tasks to tackle through the day.
This provided a great reference and goal for my day. Now that they’re all home
during this virus, I have neglected to make lists and find my days floundering
in indecision and laziness. I need some structure and a list provides that for
me.
Make Your Goals Attainable. This is a standard life lesson, but it applies to maintaining
your motivation. You might be the type t tackle a project head-on, but I’d
rather establish smaller goals so that I feel a sense of accomplishment. You
MUST be a bit aggressive…”Getting out of bed” should not be your primary goal
of the day.
Now let’s move on to some suggested activities:
Document Your Experience! We are living during an historical and incredible
time. Record how the events are affecting your life and how you feel each day.
Remember all that you can because one day, your children or grandchildren will
ask about the big virus outbreak of 2020. If you still buy newspapers, keep
some around. Yes…they still print newspapers.
Clean the House. Yes, I know you’re disinfecting every part of your
house right now (if you can find cleaning products in the store), but you might
as well do your spring cleaning. In previous years, you probably
did your spring cleaning during a hectic weekend. Take a little more time now
and be more relaxed when doing it.
Tackle a Back Burner Project. I took the wallpaper off my kitchen walls 3 years
ago. I painted five walls in a lighter shade of gray than I wanted, so I
completed the rest of the kitchen in the darker shade. A couple of weeks ago,
three years later, I finally painted three of the original five walls the
darker shade. I was glad to finally have that project off my list. Why didn’t I
complete the final two walls?
Read on…
Make a How-To Tape for Others. I decided to record an instructional video for fun
on “How To Paint an Inside Wall.” I plan to go over details on how to prepare
and then how to paint the walls. If it turns out to look halfway decent, I
might post it on YouTube for the heck of it. If it becomes somewhat popular, I
might create a similar video on another topic. If nothing else,
it’ll be a video my kids might want to refer to later in life.
Organize Those Photos. We all have a pile of photos somewhere that we planned to
organize “someday.” It’s now that day! You don’t have to be a scrapbook expert,
but at least you can sort them in some kind of order. Keep the better ones for
hanging. You don’t even need to frame them, just clothes pin them up like my
daughter does along her headboard.
As for digital photos, you probably have photos stored in memory
sticks, SD cards, flash drives, cameras, and all sorts of other places. Now is
the time to track them all down and try to upload onto the cloud, such as
Google Photos. Whether printed or digital, sorting through photos can be an
enjoyable and emotional experience, especially if shared with family.
Work on Your Resume. Okay, this one is easy for me because I’m actively looking for
a job. But I also learned that it’s important to keep your resume updated even
when you’re not seeking employment. Along with this, make sure you have similar
updates in your LinkedIn account. Post a comment on LinkedIn and let people
know you’re active in your field. This can help you in your current business or
a future endeavor.
Get Outside! Being cooped up inside can be stressful and create anxiety or
depression. Getting a breath of fresh air during a walk or bike ride is
therapeutic as well as good exercise. Sure, there might be some restrictions on
where you can go under quarantine conditions, but even a little digging in the
flower bed or walking around the house is better than sitting on your couch all
day long. Your butt will thank you for the rest.
Contact Friends/Family. With social media today, it’s easier than ever to
reach out to old friends or even to make new friends. Search out high school or
college friends on Facebook. If you can find an address, write or type an
actual letter while enclosing a photo you may have found while sorting. If you
have a little one in your extended family, send a card with a dollar bill. All
of these things will make someone smile!
Celebrate the Weekend! I know in my last post I reminded you that your free
time during the week is not the weekend. But the weekend IS the weekend. If you
have all of your usual weekend projects out of the way, you can finally crack
open that beer and enjoy the weekend without a looming to-do list.
I hope these suggestions help you to make your free time during
unemployment or virus-induced isolation a bit more enjoyable and productive. Even if you're not working from home or a busy stay-at-home parent, it’s important to have some purpose to stay motivated during the week so that
you don’t feel that your day was wasted as you head to bed. Make a reason to
celebrate and enjoy your weekend!
Make the best of your time, and it’ll make you the best you can
be!
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