What strange times we are living in. I’ve already been at home for a month now – 2 weeks trying to juggle working from home with home-schooling and then the last two on furlough leave – and with no sign of the lockdown lifting, it could be a while yet.
I am feeling positive about it at the moment, or as positive as one can when everything we all knew as normal is imploding around us. While I’m not getting up and going to work, this is an unparalled opportunity to make the most of some unexpected time off. So, I’m still setting my alarm and making sure I can squeeze everything out of these glorious sunny days.
Make a plan
I’ve always been one for having a plan. Plans might change, but to get anywhere you need to have one, and if you can write it down rather than carry everything in your head, so much the better. I love a list, and ticking things off it is very satisfying. With so many things going on these days, I don’t ever reach the end of the list, but having one keeps life on track. In fact, over years of list-writing, I’ve adapted it so that I now prioritise the three things that I absolutely must get done that day. They might be quite straightforward – make an appointment with the dentist, for example – but they are time-sensitive. It helps stop the ‘overwhelm’ of seeing a huge list with few things crossed off if you know that the really important things are in control and you’re on top of the big stuff
Some plan their day in the morning, as soon as they get up, but I prefer to do it last thing at night. Having a mental download before bed helps to clear my mind knowing I can sleep easy with everything ready for the next day. And I have been sleeping better since I moved to writing my plan at night. A ‘regular’ notebook is fine, or there are so many beautiful diaries and planners available. My favourites are available from Busy B and Boxclever Press.
Seize the day
I still set my alarm, even though I don’t have to work. Every day is a new beginning. Don’t get me wrong, I love a lie-in, but I save them for the weekend. I think back to my maternity leave when an alarm wasn’t necessary (any amount of sleep was precious then!) but I would still get up and get dressed every day. My goal then was to be dressed by midday, which wasn’t always easy but kept me on track and sometimes that was my biggest achievement of the day. It’s the same mentality that’s helping me now.
While there isn’t necessarily anything to be up and dressed for at the moment, my morning routine is important to me. There’s something special about that calm time, very first thing, when no-one else is around; precious time for me, and with the day already planned, I can take the time to go through the rest of my morning routine. Routines are a very personal thing and there is no right or wrong way to do it, so find what works for you.
Exercise
This is another case of finding what works for you. No amount of telling me how good some new-fangled exercise class is going to make me do it unless I ‘feel’ it. For years, I used to flatly refuse to run anywhere and then one day something changed and I went along to parkrun. I completed a half marathon last year.
Spending some time exercising first thing in the morning really does set you up for the day.
I have a cross trainer that I use for cardio and I’m also a big fan of yoga. It needn’t be long but some sort of exercise gives you the boost you need and gets the brain in gear for the day. And then it’s done! No need to worry about finding time to work out later on. These last few weeks, with the weather being so lovely, I’ve been enjoying the wonderful peace outside and doing my yoga in the garden.
Healthy breakfast
By the time I’ve done some exercise, I’m definitely ready for breakfast. A healthy breakfast is another way to kickstart your day, and lockdown or not, it’s not negotiable in this house. So many reports have shown that cognitive performance is improved by having breakfast so it’s something we all do every day, rarely together as everyone is rushing around getting themselves ready, but we all eat. It’s also a good time to catch up on the news, or read another chapter of a can’t-put-down novel.
I think by our nature, we are creatures of habit and we love routine. I’m reasonably flexible with routine and I can throw caution to the wind and even leave my planner at home when we go on holiday, but after a while, even I think it’s useful to get a bit of structure back into the day. There’s nothing wrong with changing plans after all and you’ll feel you’ve achieved more.
The Ro Show 