This time of self isolation is very different for everyone. Some people enjoy being alone and having time to be productive and destress. Others miss being social and spending time with friends. I would consider myself to be somewhere in between. I feel like I get very caught up in everything going on in my life that I never had the time to just sit and think. Quarantine has given me a LOT of time and honestly it has been very refreshing to just be alone and catch up on everything I’ve missed due to school, sports, hobbies, etc. Of course I miss being able to hang out with my friends and see all of my classmates everyday, however I’ve begun to do so many new things will all of this free time. I mean I had the chance to start my own blog and I love it. Now I am here to cure your boredom and talk about how to handle quarantine.

1. Think about and write down all of the things you have wanted to accomplish

This was the key to being productive for me. I brainstormed all the things I could spend my time doing instead of binging Netflix all day. I started with the big things like: Clean out my closet, learn how to bake a triple tier cake, and start a blog/YouTube channel. These were things that would be a process and not things I would be able to accomplish on the spot. I then thought about the smaller things like: learn how to French braid, start reading a book, and deep clean my room. These were things I could accomplish in a few hours or less. Once you have put together a list like this you feel more productive and it will make accomplishing these things that much easier.

2. Once you get bored, come here. Here’s a few ideas:

A few days into quarantine you accomplish most of the things on your list (or just disregard cleaning your closet like me. and want to do something more interesting). So here is where I come in, I have a few ideas that should keep you busy for a few more days. Some of these things will be fun for more than a day and can be long term, it just depends if you enjoy it. You have to discover new hobbies that appeal to you, and then you will finally cure your boredom haha.

• Create new playlists on Spotify, Apple Music, etc.
• Bake something besides the classic chocolate chip cookies; bake a key lime pie, cinnamon muffins for breakfast, any other unique dessert recipes online
• Pick up something brand new (learn a new language, a new hobby, etc.)
• Rearrange your room or add new decorations
• Zoom or Group FaceTime your friends and family if you haven’t already!!

I’m trying to use this time of social distancing to try things I’ve never had the time to do. I’m using duolingo to start learning Italian, I started reading the book “The Longest Ride” and I’ve been doing A LOT of baking.

3. Create a routine/schedule for yourself

Putting together a schedule at the beginning of the week was so helpful for me because I used to do that for school. I would write down what quizzes/tests I had for that week and what extracurriculars I knew were coming up. Even though we can’t leave the house, we still have stuff to do, so write it down! For example in my planner, I wrote down at what time and what day I had zoom calls for my classes and I spread out some of the things I wanted to accomplish this week. Second, creating a routine is also super efficient because we were so used to waking up at the same time everyday, going to school, practices, and extracurriculars every day. To keep up this habit, set your alarm every day, do something that gets you moving, and keep this routine going. Once you have a routine, it won’t be as hard to get out of bed every morning and complete these tasks you have for yourself.

4. Let yourself take breaks from online school or work!

Even though your goal is to be productive, it is so important to balance your schedule and add in things that give you break. For example after my zoom call or a few online assignments are finished, I let myself watch some Netflix and eat a snack before taking on another assignment. Don’t stress yourself out but also don’t get back in bed for too long and loose focus on the goal. Balance is key!

As much is this is all so chaotic and new for everyone, enjoy your break, stay home, and let this be a reminder that we all need to slow down and catch up with ourselves.