10 ways to stay productive at home

Posted by: alisrowe, March 19, 2020

With COVID-19, watching the television, listening to the radio and reading the news can make it seem like the world is coming to a standstill. Even if you are stuck indoors, there are still plenty of things you can do to stay hopeful and productive.

When you are self isolating or social distancing, you will have more time than usual to do things:

1. Cleaning, cooking, gardening and DIY

Many people struggle to get things done normally because life outside the home can get so busy and hectic. If you are stuck at home, now could be a good time to get on with these things!

2. Do home workouts

There are a number of ways to exercise at home, even if you don’t have any equipment. Have a look online for “home workout routines”. You can even use a broomstick in place of a barbell or tins of food in place of dumbbells.

Maybe you have never lifted weights before. This might be a good time to learn how to lift weights with correct technique. Use this time to practice technique using the broomstick or tins of food.

You can of course also do exercises that require no equipment at all, such as planks, lunges and squats.

BBC article: Covid-19 – How to exercise whilst staying at home

3. Learn something new or improve your current craft

Watch and read tutorials online to teach yourself an interesting skill. If there is something that you’ve always thought you ought to be able to do yourself but haven’t got round to learning how to do so, now could be a good time to learn that skill.

4. Create things

Create something new. You and your creations are likely to be what the world needs right now! Make some music, do some art, write a poem. Share your creations with your social network to help others feel inspired and uplifted.

5. Get ahead of your duties

You could use this time to be extra efficient and prepare a lot of things that will need to be done in the future. For example, if you manage a social media page, you could create a lot of future posts and schedule/save them for later. If you manage a blog, you could write more articles to be published at a later time. If you have tasks with far-away deadlines, you could start working on them now.

6. Volunteer to help others

If you have vulnerable relatives or neighbours, do something for them. So long as you are healthy and well yourself (and depending on the latest Government advice), you could get some shopping for someone and leave it on their doorstep. You could make an online shopping order for someone.

There are a lot of local area chat groups to link people up with each other – find out if there is one where you are and get involved.

7. Call people

Make time to phone people to check they are OK and, most importantly, give them some company! A lot of people are currently isolating themselves and, if done for an extended period of time, this could cause someone to feel lonely and depressed. A friendly chat on the phone could really make someone’s day.

Vice versa, talking to other people can help you feel more connected as well. Being in touch with people can help people feel more hopeful and healed.

8. Structure your day

One major benefit of being at work or at school is that there is a structure. Structure is very important in keeping people productive and motivated. Make yourself an hourly schedule so that you always have something to do. If there is a dedicated time or specific plan it means it’s more likely you’ll commit to doing the task.

9. Consider whether there are alternative ways of working

Even if you are unable to go out to work, there may be a way to carry on working. A lot of work can now be done via the internet. If you are not working or commuting you have extra time to think creatively about alternative ways of creating an income.

10. Manage your anxiety

It is normal to be feeling very anxious right now. Acknowledge that you feel this way. Don’t ignore these feelings. It might be a good idea to limit your exposure to the news or to only receive news from certain sources. 

BACP: How to cope if you’re feeling anxious about the COVID-19 outbreak

 

I hope this article helps you and inspires you to do something worthwhile and positive.

 

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2 Responses to “10 ways to stay productive at home”

  1. Camille Turner says:

    Please could I ask if you have any more spaces on the Autism webinar please?

    Thank you so much

    Kind regards

    Camille

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