Maintaining a Routine During Quarantine

The days are blending in. You’re running out of things to do. Your motivation is at an all-time zero. We understand—we’re right there with you. That’s why we think it’s extremely important that you get into a routine—and you stick to it. This can help you bust the quarantine blues and (maybe) even start enjoying it!

Sleep Schedule

We know this one is super-duper hard (we’re still struggling with this!), but we can both agree that this is arguably the most important. It’s critical that you wake up and sleep at or around the same time every single day—regardless of whether it’s the weekend or the weekday (who can really tell anymore?). Doing this keeps your circadian rhythm in check, and can seriously uplift your mood.

To-Do Lists

Make a list of things that you want to accomplish the night before. I use this app (which has a desktop version too): Notion. It helps me keep track of the things I want to do with each day. Keeping a list makes me accountable for the things I had planned to do.  If you want to make a time-wise schedule, I suggest using Google Calendar. Other alternatives are using the Reminders App or a physical planner. Choose whatever works for you the best.

Fitness

One thing almost everyone can agree on is that this quarantine has given them boatloads of time. It’s easy to use this time to lounge around the house and binge-watch Netflix. But an extremely beneficial (to your overall mental, physical, and emotional state of well-being!) way to spend this time is to exercise! It can be something as simple as taking a walk (Shreya enjoys putting on her FitBit and challenging herself to reach new milestones in terms of steps!) with your other quarantine buddies around the neighborhood (of course, wear your masks and practice good social distancing practices with other people who might be outdoors). Or, you can even invest a half-an-hour of your morning in doing some yoga—this can really open up your heart, mind, and soul in order to tackle the rest of your day! If you’re really ambitious, you can even surf for some interesting fitness calendars online and follow those. Do whatever floats your boat, but make sure you schedule it into a time-block on your planner—who knows, you might end up surprising yourself with immense progress by the end of quarantine!

Productivity (other than work!)

Even though most workplaces are continuing activities via a “work-from-home” system and schools have moved into the digital world through online classes, we all still find ourselves with (too much!) spare time. We understand how tempting it is to camp in our living rooms and have movie marathons, we emphasize the importance of seeking productive pursuits, and scheduling a chunk of your day towards trying out a new hobby. Search for a virtual volunteering opportunity and help out underprivileged communities or areas that are extremely impacted by COVID-19. Dust off that instrument, pull out those paintbrushes, buy that book on your Kindle.