Create a routine to survive lockdown

Is it just me, or have you noticed how quickly the hours fly by during lockdown? Twelve hours stuck at home is not the same productive 12 hours you knew when you were at university, that’s why it’s important to create a routine to survive lockdown.

Create a Routine to Survive Lockdown

You probably didn’t even notice, but you had a routine that kept you moving throughout the day. That bus you had to catch to get to lectures on time; the lectures themselves and grabbing lunch with your buddies throughout the day. Writing assignments; working your p-t job and 3 hours on Netflix . We achieved so much! Now before we know it we look at the clock and exclaim: “It’s almost 4pm! How did that happen?!”

Create some rules

Rule number 1 – Do not turn on the TV

The ultimate time vampire is the TV. As soon as you turn it on, before you know it 4 hours have passed and you’re still in your pyjamas. STOP right there. Put the remote control down! TV is for the end of the day… not the start.

Rule number 2 – Get in the shower first thing

After the initial holiday feeling of lockdown dissipates, boredom is going to kick in hard and brings with it lethargy and lack of motivation. To fend off these dominating moods, as soon as you get up, jump in the shower, wash your hair, brush your teeth. It might seem obvious, but the act of washing stimulates the blood circulation and wakes you up and let’s face it, bed head is so last year.

Rule number 3 – Exercise

Exercising during lockdown is possible, you just have to be creative about it. A yoga session only requires the space of the mat, or challenge yourself to walk up and down the stairs 10 times. Youtube has over a million personal trainers offering quick burst exercise plans that you can do in confined spaces. Look them up.

Rule number 4 – Come out smarter on the other side

You literally have all the time in the world right now, so put it to good use. Look through your subjects, what were you good at and what was harder? Dedicate a couple of hours a day to those subjects and conquer them.

Rule number 5 – Learn something new

We can all suffer from fatigue when it comes to our subjects, so pick something else to learn while you’re in lockdown. There are tonnes of online tutorials you can use: learn to play the guitar; the piano; learn French; Spanish; Mandarin; do a watercolour class; take up knitting. You get the idea.

Rule number 6 – Read books

Remember those things you used to read as a child? Books are fantastic for escaping the reality of this current climate. But what you get from reading a book is completely different from watching a movie. Did you know that…

Readers have a better range of vocabulary and the ability to speak in longer, more complex sentences.
Readers have great focus and can concentrate for longer periods.
Readers are far more imaginative compared to TV viewers
Readers are smarter and have lower stress levels

Start now

Humans are hardwired to be productive, it is in our DNA to hunt and gather so tap into those built in instincts. In fact, here is a great book to get you started: Homo Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari.

Do yourself a favour and come out smiling on the other side, create a routine to survive lockdown and impress your friends and family with your mature approach to the situation.