Before I get into this post, just know that whatever you're choosing to do is fine. I've seen people on Twitter shaming others for 'wasting their time' by watching Netflix or gaming all day, as well as tweets criticising those who want to spend the time working on their goals and personal development.
I don't think we should judge how anyone else is spending their time. There is no 'right' way to react to a global pandemic. Everyone is just doing what they need to do to get by in an unfamiliar situation. You do you, boo.
Personally, I've been doing a mixture of both. I'm enjoying the more relaxed pace of life and not having to rush around anywhere for the time being, but I'm also keeping myself busy around the house as well as working on myself and my goals.
Most days I feel like I've got the balance just right and on other days I feel like I'm not doing enough (I'm definitely someone who likes to keep busy - I think that having something to work on makes me feel like I have a purpose and a reason to get up in the morning).
A few things I've been doing/have achieved during UK lockdown:
- Completed a blogging course
- Cleaned the house, multiple times (the damn thing keeps getting dirty again)
- Spent far too much time on social media (nothing new there, then)
- Done some home workouts
- Been for a walk or a run almost every day
- Spoken to my family and friends more than usual
- Practised my German on Duolingo (I've been learning it for a few years, it's not something I started during lockdown but I have been continuing with it).
What I haven't been doing:
- Reading books (I've found I haven't been able to concentrate for more than a few minutes)
- Writing blog posts (I've had a bit of writing to do, but have pretty much neglected the blog)
- Beating myself up for going to bed late, getting up late, watching 'too much' TV or not being able to get much reading or writing done. Now is not the time to be hating on yourself.
[Related post: How to Handle Social Distancing: Advice from an Introvert]
Here's what a typical day has looked like for me lately (I'm currently on furlough and my husband is a key worker so I'm usually on my own for most of the day):
On a 'normal' day (pre-lockdown) I would get up between 7 and 8 o'clock in the morning. I'm still setting my alarm for 8AM every day but generally going back to sleep until 9 (and occasionally 10, which does bother me a bit).
Once I'm awake, whatever time that may be, I'll drag myself out of bed and straight to the kitchen for a cup of coffee. It takes me a while to get going in the mornings but caffeine definitely helps to speed up the process.
Then I'll sit with my coffee and check social media. I don't really scroll much first thing, otherwise I get stuck down a rabbit hole and spend hours staring at my phone. I generally just check my notifications and reply to anyone who's interacted with me during the night.
After a while I'll make some breakfast and eat it while watching an episode or two of something on Netflix (currently rewatching The Big Bang Theory). Then I'll wash up and give the kitchen a bit of a clean.
Now I try to do something 'productive' for a few hours. This could include a home workout, phoning a family member, making some pins or doing a bit of writing or a few modules of my course. It really depends on how I'm feeling; nothing is set in stone and I'm trying to do things because I want to, not because I feel like I have to.
When it comes to lunchtime at around 1 or 2 PM, I'll either make something from scratch (since I have the time) or, if I've eaten breakfast late, I count that as 'brunch' and just skip lunch and maybe have a snack a little later.
In the afternoon I like to sit in the sun (if there is any) and take it easy, probably spend quite a bit of time on Twitter, Instagram and/or Pinterest. I might also continue with any work I started in the morning. I'm currently writing this post in the afternoon.
I save my daily walk (which is sometimes a run) until mid afternoon/early evening, usually just before dinner. This is for a couple of reasons: firstly, my husband gets home around 4 o'clock and often comes with me. Also there are generally fewer people about at that time of day.
We either go to the park next to our house or walk the few extra minutes down to the seafront, which I prefer because it does wonders for my mental health to be by the sea. More often than not we go to the park, though, simply because it's closer.
For dinner one of us will cook (we never cook together). I've really enjoyed having the time to prepare healthy meals from scratch and sit at the table with my husband to eat them - this doesn't often happen when we're both working. We eat quite late, usually between 7 and 8PM.
Then we sit down for the evening and watch some TV. I also usually spend some more time scrolling social media and interacting with people. If I'm going to do any Duolingo I'll normally do it now - I just prefer doing it in the evening for some reason.
I try to get to bed around midnight, although that doesn't always happen.
What does a typical day in lockdown/quarantine look like for you? Let me know in the comments.
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