How to be More Productive in Quarantine
We are very close to the 1 year mark of quarantine. We’ve been living in our homes, social distancing, wearing masks, and living different lives then we previously did for about a year now. Of course, it depends on the person, whether they think of this as a blessing or a nightmare. Besides our online classes on Zoom, we are unsure how we’re supposed to spend all the free time we have right now. Most people have lost all motivation to do anything, due to being stuck in the same condition for months now. Many claim that every day feels like the same repeating cycle. Due to the lack of motivation and boredom, we often turn to our phones and social media because it seems like the easiest thing we can do. This is bad for our mental health and our happiness, and can create large amounts of stress. We can be disassociated from the real world and our interactions with people, and we get further away from doing the things that we actually love. So the question arises, why is being productive beneficial for us, and how can we be more productive during a pandemic?
Why Being Productive is Beneficial for us:
To answer this, we have to look at what productivity is. Everyone’s definition of productivity is different. Some people consider their days as productive if they do their missing work, read some books, while others consider productivity as mowing their lawn or cleaning their house. Productivity is using a given time effectively by finishing your goals and plans. This is beneficial for us because by not procrastinating and actually finishing the things we need to, we will free up the unorganized time we have during the day. By being productive you will have more free time, and you’ll learn how to manage your time efficiently.
Engaging with activities keeps your mind distracted and active. You are distracted from the unimportant stuff you’re probably thinking about, or other things that give you stress. You don’t have time to think about negative thoughts. By motivating and pushing yourself, you are practicing some of the most important skills in life. Finding new things to do will lead you to finding things you actually enjoy doing. Overall, your mood will improve and you will not have the time to be affected by matters that are unimportant.
How Can We Be More Productive During the Pandemic?
The first and foremost step is to set aside your goals, the things you need, and want to do. Buying a planner is a great way to start. If you don’t have one, just sit down, and find a piece of paper. Start writing all the things you have to do, whether it’s a project or a homework assignment. Having everything in front of you will make it easier for you to see how much you actually need to do, rather than stressing about all of it in your head and making it bigger than it seems. Also, write some things that you want to do for leisure, it can be reading for 20 minutes or practicing guitar, whatever you want to do. Make sure it’s things you enjoy doing and make you happy. If you want to do them whenever you want to, you sure can! Creating a schedule is better if you want to accomplish everything systematically, and in a more organized way.
This doesn’t have to be something complicated, and it doesn’t need many steps. All you need to do is commit to your goals, and by doing little tasks everyday, you will realize that being productive isn’t actually hard, and that there are better things to do than surfing social media for hours. I also would like to say that I know it’s very hard to change certain aspects of your life, to try new habits or to quit your unhealthy ones. No one can completely change their life overnight--it’s impossible. The pandemic has affected us all the same way, everyone is experiencing what you’re experiencing. However, you are in control of your life, not anyone else, and nothing will happen unless you decide to let it happen. Treat tomorrow as a new beginning, as the beginning of a journey to become the best version of yourself.
Sources:
https://www.elitedaily.com/wellness/blood-sweat-tears-happiness/1259555
https://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifehack/the-10-reasons-why-you-want-to-be-more-productive.html