Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, we have been forced to be in lockdown. Most establishments around the globe have closed for an indeterminate period of time and if you happen to see someone outside, it is highly likely that you will find them wearing a mask and keeping a safe distance from you. Contingency measures have been taken: travel restrictions, cancellation of sporting, religious and cultural events and closure of schools and universities. We’ve seen a lot of fake news spreading online, panic buying of hygiene products, discrimination against Chinese people and an increasing number of deaths. These are stressful times for people and communities, so things HAVE GONE OUT OF PROPORTION. Some people underreact; others exaggerate; there are those who take advantage of the crisis to self-promote themselves and those who lose their jobs, money and faith.
But… there is LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL.
Tons of businesses have found alternatives to dodge unnecessary expenses. Many employees have worked remotely, turning their living rooms into home-offices and increasing their productivity. Families have learned to spend more quality time together. Animals have roamed around, trespassing invisible boundaries of cities where humans no longer show their dominance. Oceans and rivers have become a cleaner home to fishes and to multiple aquatic species. People have consumed, wasted and polluted less. And yet, they have managed to get by.
Let’s be honest. Every cloud has a silver lining. Call it God and Devil or yin and yang, one’s life experience can’t be entirely good or bad. Most things consist of a little of both and the world is constantly seeking balance. For instance, what is good if there is no evil? What would you consider to be difficult if everything you did took little mental or physical effort? Opposing forces need to interact to create harmony.
Staying at home is no easy task. Unlike many people I follow on social media, I haven’t done a lot more than I used to do before. With so much free time in hand I find myself PUTTING OFF the house work, the morning exercise and the plans I so much longed to make. What’s happened then?
I wish I had the answer. But if there is one thing I’ve realized after a couple of weeks in confinement it is that I undermine my motivation when I add too many items to my to-do list.
My checklist items usually range from medium to hard, time-demanding ones. As the weeks go by, I keep focused on systematically performing bits of the difficult ones, truly believing that little strokes fell great oaks. Whenever I feel like taking a break, as conventional wisdom dictates, I make my procrastination constructive by doing a less labor-intensive task. It seems right.
However, as my list grows bigger with long-lasting plans, I don’t get to see results so often and end up feeling overwhelmed, struggling with my self-dictatorship voice “Come on, you are not getting anywhere with this attitude!”. This leads me to extreme FRUSTRATION and fear of failure.
After some reading and reasoning, I summed up a few STRATEGIES that have truly helped me these days and I suppose are worth sharing. To start with, I decided to stop opening new checkboxes and start working with the ones I have in front of me. Then, I have followed these tips:
- Get up 1:30-2 hours earlier. This tip won’t do the trick on its own, but it will be crucial to the process of getting things done.
- If you think you won’t keep up with your schedule if you spend 30 minutes cleaning your kitchen floor, you’re mistaken. After sweeping, mopping or dusting, chances are that you will feel much more in control and motivated to sit down and produce. If you’ve seen La Casa de Papel, you probably noticed that the Professor, minutes before his plan collapses, gets down to some workout in order to think more clearly. It’s proven: exercise helps you think better.
- It’s ok to waste time. After all, you need to take a break from work and relax a little. My suggestion is: do it in the evenings. Set a finish hour and be strict to it. Once you’ve called it a day, launch yourself onto the sofa and let your hair down.
- Picture the task done. When you’re dragging yourself to work, find meaning in what you need to do. Rather than seeing yourself writing a 5-page document, picture the report being delivered. Instead of seeing yourself panting during a 5-km walk, imagine how great you will feel after the training.
- Get ready to fail. You will mess around at working hours and turn your priority pyramid upside down. Be prepared to be back on track soon afterwards. Don’t let failure get hold of you, it’s a trap!
- Quoting David Martin on The Angel’s Game: “Inspiration comes when you stick your elbows on the table and your bottom on the chair and start sweating. Choose a theme, an idea, and squeeze your brain until it hurts. That’s called inspiration”.
- Make peace with yourself.
These tips, although not scientifically accurate, have been doing wonders for me. I still haven’t found the best time-management strategy, but I keep prioritizing plans and breaking down big tasks into small ones. Establishing a routine with GOALS and TIMING sets the scene for a much more organized and rewarding experience. Despite ourselves, we are creatures of habit and can’t let go of it.
If you find it difficult to follow preset schedules as well, let me know which strategies work for you! If you are still trying to pull yourself together, leave me a comment on my tips and feel free to add any others to the list. Later! 🙂
5 comments
Hello! ♥
Very practical and useful tips! I’m going to try them out and improve my routine.
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