5 tips I’ve picked up along the way… so far
Are you home? Of course you are. Are you one of the lucky ones who is still working, while trying to juggle ‘other people’ during your workday? Probably. ( I say lucky because so many people are not working and not getting paid right now.)
When I first thought about doing this post I was going to tailor it more towards moms, but truthfully, I think anyone can benefit.
First, you know the cliche saying, “You can’t drink from an empty cup?” Its true. I wish I could say I’ve been eating well, meditating, running, and feel like a million bucks. That’d be a lie. But who the hell else is doing all of that? And furthermore, do these people do this when they’re not quarantining? (Also, I don’t think that’s a real word.)
I will say, tip #1 – set an alarm and get your butt out of bed and do something for yourself. I’m no doctor, but even if it’s 10 minutes without someone large or small calling your name, with a tizzy in hand, or a coffee, or simply to stare at the ceiling sans interruption, it’s a great way to start the day. You can run through your to do list of the day, or even write it down. Or brush you damn teeth in peace. Or just enjoy the silence before the storm.
Tip #2 – create a schedule. Delineate between PERSONAL time & WORK time. And stick to it, hard. I mean like you just got the last nail appointment before the apocalypse hit and you knew you’d be stranded for weeks. (True story)
* Yes, sometimes things come up. Those are exceptions to the rule, not the rule *
Normally, when commuting into the office in NYC my day goes a little something like this :
- 5:30 Up / Shower / Get Dressed / Makeup / Journal
- 7:30 Walk to subway / Call a friend / Commute / Read (I really want to say 7:00, but that never happens)
- 8:30 In the office
- 6:00 Leave the office
- 7:00 Home & Family Stuff
- 9:30 / 10:00 Turn into a Pumpkin AKA go to bed
So what about on quarantine?
- 6:30 Up / Tizzy / Talk to RJ / Journal / Read / Talk to Family
- 8:00 / 8:30 Work
- 6:00 Done Working / Family Time / Try & get RJ to bed at a reasonable time
- 9:30 / 10:00 Turn into a Pumpkin AKA go to bed
Why is this so important? Because if you’re intentional with where you will spend your day, you’ll be more productive. That’s not to say you can’t schedule laundry, walks, jumping jacks, lunch, snack time, even nap time. But if you don’t, you’ll end up most likely on back to back calls, not doing actual work, and stressed about family time. Plus, multi-tasking doesn’t work. (I’m always devastated when I realize this time and time again.)
Tip #3 – if you have tiny people, and your situation allows, separate Mom & Business time. The main reason refers to Tip #2. If we try and multi-task in both roles, we will not feel productive in either. That tends to lead to feelings of less than, unproductive, anxiety…etc…etc…etc… This also goes for individual & wife/gf/friend/daughter time.
Tip #4 – plan to get up out of your seat. No seriously. The main reason I’m posting this today is because I’ve barely moved. Its 6:22 pm and I’ve done 3839 steps. I have a shit ton of steps before Pumpkin time. And if I’m in this situation, I know many others are, too. Why did this happen? I didn’t plan it last night in my schedule.
Tip #5 – ask for help if you need it. Out of this shitty situation came my husband becoming a stay-at-home Papa. (He’s French, they don’t do Daddy. They do Papa. An argument I lost around the 1st trimester) Truthfully, he’s been a huge help. Prior to this quarantine I always hesitated to ask for help. Nothing he did, more me feeling inadequate if I couldn’t do it all.
We can’t do it all. There are only 24 hours in a day. And I’ve quickly learned over the last two weeks that getting help is (a) ok and (b) makes you feel so.much.better. Please don’t try and do it all. You’ll run yourself ragged, and at this point you may already be struggling to shower and put on a bra on the daily. Let’s not make matters worse.
I hope these helped a little bit. And if they haven’t helped your productivity, I certainly hope you were at least able to chuckle a little. My dad used to always say,
As long as you keep laughing, it will all be ok.
Stay Safe, Stay Healthy.
xo