Getting back on track during community quarantine

Photo by Ivan Samkov on Pexels.com

COVID-19 put the whole world on a pause. Suddenly, all our malls are closed, roads are clear of traffic, no dining outs, and weekend staycations. We were all told to stay indoors and help flatten the curve.

Here in the Philippines, it has been 60 days (as of writing) since the lockdown. A great part of the population had to stop working and rely heavily on the government’s social amelioration program. Some, on the other hand, had to be on an on-call basis while others were (and still are) manning the frontlines. It was a terrible battle against an invisible adversary.

For some of us, working from home has been the go-to but the big question is: how do we actually get back on track especially now that the government declared that some areas are no longer in the Enhanced Community Quarantine status?

I have been lucky enough that I am on an on-call basis at the office and I just had so much backlogs to do for work which kept me occupied most of the time. My life was not much derailed by the lockdown. It was even a blessing in disguise (except the COVID part) as I was able to finish a lot of things on my plate. However, dragging myself out of bed and into productivity was not a walk in the park. There were a lot of days that I felt too lazy. Add to that is the scorching heat which made my asthma worse, thereby, making even the smallest bathroom routines too great of a task to perform.

Let me share with you some of the things (tried & tested, by the way 😅) I did to drag myself back on track this quarantine season.

Create a schedule

The first step I made towards productivity is to update my planner/journal and put a lot of to-dos on my calendar.

I usually wake up at 5:00 AM, have 30 minutes to check the news (very important to be updated!), and scroll through social media. After which, I proceed to working out – breakfast – working from home/blogging. This is basically my routine.

Sticking to it is another story. 😂 Honestly, there was a lot that I failed to write in my calendar and there were plenty of slothful days but seeing my full list and knowing how much I needed to do motivated me to get off the couch and do something. 💪

Diversify your activities

Getting locked in the house leads to monotony. A monotonous day leads to a tedious and boring week.

To avoid getting easily burned out with repetitive and dull tasks, I keep my calendar as varied as a circus. One day I’ll do some work; on the next day, I’ll do some kitchen magic. There are times that I glue myself to Netflix (especially on days that my lungs feel like crushing) or read a book.

I also took some time to practice with Duolingo and was even able to advance to the next league. 🙌🏻🙌🏻 Of course, I revived this blog from its slumber as well. I was just not able to unicycle or eat fire but my activities remained as varied as a circus performance. 😅

Treat yourself

Let’s face it. Living our day-to-day in the house and not going out may feel like a vacay but with the virus lurking at every corner, staying at home is fighting for our lives.

However, getting into this battle does not have to be mind-numbing. Once in a while, or every so often that you tick something off your to-do list, treat yourself.

It can be a yummy burger from a local delivery service like Tricia’s Restaurant, Cafe & Bar or Octane Burger. It can also be a cup of your favorite milktea or maybe a whole bunch of pastries. My go-to treat is as simple as a jar of pringles or a glass of wine (which is running out and fast because of liquor ban 😭). You can head on to my Instagram account to see what I’ve been up to lately 🤸🏼‍♀️

Feeling motivated yet? 😅 What other ways have you been practicing to maintain productivity during quarantine? Share your experience and your thoughts. Comment below or post it on social media with the tag #mirriamdictionary ❤️