As we all know, all of our worlds have been turned upside down by the Covid-19 virus. We went from enjoying ourselves at the mall and working out at the gym to sitting at home on lockdown, worrying out of our minds about this virus. All parents became teachers to our school-age children, all the schools are closed for the rest of the school year. Many nonessential and essential working families have their daily routines during the week, but when Covid-19 hit every person, routines stopped. I know mine did. My days went from 8-hour workdays, working out after I get off, going home to finish out my daily duties, now working half days because business is slow, and now my husband and I are the teachers to our 4 kids.
What a difference a few weeks of not doing my regular routine makes. I've become so lazy with my workouts, and counting what I eat, scheduling things with the blog. Let's be real, it is a damn struggle. So what I decided to do was make a new normal. Nothing will ever be the same, everything has changed from the way we greet each other, and how we shop and deal with the public. We've all watched the news, and it's pretty difficult to watch, and the fact of the matter things may never be the same in many aspects.
I figured why I have some extra time I would focus on things that I've put off, because of my regular days didn't allow as much time for me to keep moving forward. I wanted to take this time to accomplish many things my normal life didn't let me do. I did not want my goals to go by the wayside. It only makes sense to adjust to the new, possibly temporary workings of our society and use it for my advantage to get things done.
Here are four things I've done that you can do to get a new routine and get some motivation during this time.
Let's make the most of it.
Waking up early
Waking up early is a hard task when you're not working like you're used to. One thing is for-sure getting up in the morning as if you were regularly working, will give you time to get focus and get tasks done sooner than later. I know some of us aren't working, so you're staying up eating Cheetos and watching The Tiger King on Netflix. Well, honestly, how many weeks do you think you can roll with this method? Huh? LOL. Go to bed and get your rest for an early rise. Take the hours of self-time to focus (before the kids wake up). Believe me, you would be happy that you used that time to get things you procrastinate on out of the way. While you're drinking your coffee, write down what you want to get done for that day. I organized my week on Sundays. I figure out what needs to be done that week. I'm not perfect, I'm a hell of a procrastinator. I would love to get my meals prepped for the week and have all my workouts organized, but for me, I have other things that need to be done. So, yes, tasks don't always get followed through, but for the most part, I make sure I try to get my early morning routine down. Waking up early also gives you more energy during the day. But baby, let me tell you! 9 pm hits and I'm ready to hit the hay. Schedule and Setting alarms
Oh, how scheduling time limits and setting alarms help me. Like I mentioned above, I do procrastinate, so the only way to keep me on track is to put things in my schedule and set alarms for each item. I use the app Trello to keep me organized in tasks. I have ADD, so I learned to do things a bit differently when managing my time. What I love about Trello is that as I complete tasks and move it into my done tab, It's visual, and it makes me feel good. This motivates me to keep going and completing my assignments. The further I get completing my tasks, the happier I feel. It makes me feel like I really did put my time to use.
Adjusting to the new things
Adjusting to the new day to day tasks is not easy, what I've learned is to analyze everything around me. Sometimes, you just have to choose what better route to get done in the way you need it. If you wake up and feel like not doing a damn thing, then its time to put some good music on and shake that mood off. Your attitude will rule your day if you let it. So recognize it and adjust it by listening to the motivational YouTube comps. I love those things. Something about a person yelling at me, telling me to get off my butt and get your work done puts a spark in me. Yet there are days I need a softer version of that to get that motivation moving. Just the inspirational words of hard-working people that push hard to get things done in their life makes me feel like I can take on the world after hearing those speeches. Don't Panic
Don't panic, keep calm. Sometimes when things are uncertain, we tend to freak one or two ways, over-drive or under-drive. Don't stress your self out, this also will keep your motivation down in the dumps. Check this, going into over-drive and doing too much at one time will send you confusion and frustration. Nothing will get done, but headaches and pushing things away for another day will lead to procrastination. Now, under-drive is what we have been talking about this whole blog. Not doing enough or having so much you want to do but just can't get your brain out of lazy- town can also send you into panic later down the line. Now you have put it off for so long, and things are getting back to some type of ordinary living you're rushing to get stuff done (the clock is ticking). If you use the above information mentioned, you can schedule time just the way you like and need it. Place some time for meditation or self-care and don't watch the news and media all day. Keeping your mind full of everything that is going on all the time will really cause you to be unmotivated, and it's depressing. Yes, we must know what's going on, but too much of anything will affect things you want to get done. Stay focus on your new task and master them. Make your responsibilities movable. Seeing the results from this will keep you motivated and give you a sense of pride.
This is a time that has hit many of us very hard. People have loss their lives as they know it. Many things can't be replaced with trying to keep yourself motivated. If you are feeling the pressure from this awful time. Please take the time to talk to someone about how you're feeling. Try not to think about the past or future. Please just focus on the now. If you don't have anyone to talk to, our community is here to help you through. This blog post is about coping and moving forward. We are all trying to get through this with a positive mind as much as possible. If you have anything you have been doing that has kept you moving forward or just want to share. Please feel free. I would love to hear from our members on what they are doing.