This time in many of our lives is like nothing we’ve ever experienced before. I wasn’t going to write a post relating to the outbreak as I’m not an expert, I don’t work in the medical field and I feel as though the guidelines set out by the NHS and our government are the ones we should be following.
Right not we’re in the midst of a lockdown here in the UK. Something most of us have never been through in our existence. There’s no rule book to tell us all how to cope, no guides on how to stay motivated and not consumed by all the bad news there is in the world.
How I’m staying motivated
In truth, there are days where I really don’t feel motivated to do anything! And that’s OK, we are all only human. But, in light of the fact we’re allowed out for one form of exercise a day, we’ve been taking the opportunity to have an hours walk a day.
We’re blessed as we live in a remote little village in the countryside where we rarely see a soul. But, we’re still taking the precautions we need to – staying at least 2m away from anyone we pass, not touching our faces and washing our hands as soon as we get home.
Getting fresh air if you can is so important during the lockdown, and in general. Please be mindful if you’re heading out, and remember, only do so if absolutely necessary.
What about during the working day?
We’re very blessed we can both still work for the moment. I work in marketing as a writer and also have social media clients, and James works in IT training. So currently, we can still do bits and pieces.
While we’re working, we’re both still taking the regular tea and coffee breaks we would do in the office. I think this is super important or you’d end up glued to your screen for longer than normal!
We’re also taking our full lunch hour, either out in the garden if the weather is good, or in the living room. For the most part of the day we avoid the living room, so we have somewhere to “escape to” during our breaks. If you don’t have the luxury of having a home office, set up in your dining or kitchen space.
How about the weekends?
The weekends are going to be the hardest time for everyone. The time where we would all usually head out to see our friends, family, do shopping, head out for brunch, and generally just not be at home.
But, that’s not possible now. We’re trying our best to avoid heading out at the weekends altogether. If we need food or supplies we’ll venture into the nearest small town on an evening or during our lunch break, but not on the weekends. It’s too busy and there are too many risks involved.
As some of you may or may not know, we’ve officially sold our home! We’re super excited and cannot wait to move into our new one (hopefully). So, for the moment, we’re busy finishing off renovations and making sure the place is spot on ready for the new owners.
Yes, we can’t move yet, but the weekends give us a good opportunity to fill all our free time with painting, DIY and generally fixing up the place. We’re also going to make a start on packing our non-essential bits and pieces up so that we’re ready to go when the time arises.
Obviously I know that not everyone is moving home at the moment or re-decorating, but one thing I have done is make a list of bits and pieces that I can do should I get furloughed from my job.
One is to take an online course. Udemy has tones available at the moment that are either free or cost a very small amount. Or, why not take up a new hobby like drawing or painting? Another thing we’re doing on a weekend is spending time watching all the TV shows or movies we’ve not had the chance to!
With so much more time to do the things we’ve been meaning to do, we’re using the time we have now to the max. You never know, you may even see the launch of another podcast coming soon 😉
