another week, another blog, and another day in quarantine. at this point i have already lost count of how many days it has been since i have been home from work, but one thing i do know is that i have not lost my productivity! you might be wondering how have i managed to stay productive amid the craziness of our new norm, and especially if you are also out of work for the time being. seeing our days typically are scheduled around our work routine it is easy for our out of work schedule to become somewhat discombobulated as well. that is why i wanted to share some things that have been helping me stay productive throughout the days.

stick to a routine. it doesn’t have to be overly strict, but you should choose to have some sort of structure throughout your day. for me i like to wake up, make my bed, workout, shower up, eat some breakfast, and write what i want to accomplish for the day. from there my day will vary a bit depending on the activities and projects i will partake in, but i get so much more done when, from the moment of waking up i am already being productive. sticking to a routine also helps make sure you are getting the proper amount of sleep your body needs. when your body is well rested you have more energy to be and stay productive. not to mention sticking to a routine will help make transitioning back to work when the time comes so much easier because you have already been holding yourself accountable to a routine.
wake up early. this way you have more time in the day to get things done. it is as simple as that.
plan your day. this can either be an everyday thing or a weekly thing, but if you are anything like me physically writing out what you need to get done is so helpful. i love visuals so having my tasks laid out in front of me simplifies it in a way to tackle them with ease. the visual allows you to see how much progress you are making and notice when you might not being putting in your hardest. if you want to break each day down even a bit farther you can also section your day into three parts; morning, afternoon, and evening. this allows you to plan different activities that you prefer or simply do better at a certain time of the day. usually when i have am working i exercise in the evenings because i am not a morning person (although i really wish i was). without having work though i prefer to get my workouts done in the morning; not only does it help get the blood flowing for the day, but it also gets the workout out of the way so you don’t have to worry about it for the rest of the day!
delete social media. or at least minimize your time on it. it is so easy to get caught up in scrolling through the gram, or watching YouTube video after YouTube video. maybe for you it is watching tiktoks? whatever it may be for you most of the time we are just aimlessly looking, but what if that time could be put to something else? what if it could be used to do more. well it can! having deleted all social media a few days before lent i have been able to get a great deal done (even when i was still working 5 days a week for 8 hours, some times more a day). i love social media cleanses and if you are wanting to be more productive then i highly suggest giving it a go.
exercise. part of treating your body well is exercise. it is so important to get your body active at least a bit each day to stay healthy. some may say without the gym there is just no way they would be able to workout but our bodies are so powerful we do not even need a gym. bodyweight workouts really do not get enough credit, but they work some magic. for me i have recently switched up my workouts which i like to do occasionally. as of now i rotate between; strengthening, cardio, and yoga. by switching it up it keeps workouts feeling fresh. not only to i build strength and endurance, but the yoga helps loosen and lengthen any tight muscles i may have. sidenote while we are on the topic of yoga though, one of my amazing creative friends just launched her yoga website (littlespruceyoga.com). i know i am super excited for her and to try her yoga flows so if you are a regular yogi or just want to try something new i highly recommend giving her website and instagram (@littlespruceyoga) some love. i promise you won’t regret it. okay back to the post - during the week i also give myself two off days. although they are “off days” i still try to involve some sort of walk and/or small ab circuit. exercising helps keep our body fit as well as helps build strong immune systems! look good and feel good? talk about a win, win. workout though does not just mean physically. we also must exercise our brain. not just social media and binge watching, but some more solid information. for me i have been using the app Duolingo every day to practice Spanish and while i sadly am not fluent.. yet (; i have been learning so much. other ways to feed your brain could be reading a book, watching something educational (lately i have been into crime documentaries - i recently watched both the trails of Gabriel Fernandez and Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez on Netflix. both were super interesting and i highly recommend. if you have already watched either please leave a comment telling me what you thought of it. both stories are so crazy!
do the things you always save for later. this one has been huge for me lately. i always have ideas of things i want to do, projects to work on, but sadly they are always the first to get pushed aside for a later date because of time or at least the idea of not having enough time. with this newfound time i thought to myself now i can do all of the things i always set aside for later. so that is exactly what i have been doing and i have been absolutely productive. even with some downtime too, i have been SO productive these past few weeks. so what is it you have thought about wanting to do at some point and never got around to it? have you been wanting to write a book lately? start brainstorming and get to typing. have you been meaning to clean out your closet and donate to a local thrift store? if you haven’t worn it in 3 months chances are you probably won’t, donate it. or maybe you have been dying to try some new recipes? get to cooking. if time was stopping you then what is stopping you now? drop the excuses and get to work. this is your time to shine and even if they are only baby steps remember they are still steps in the right direction (refer back to my earlier blog; 2020 vision, all in, and four for four where i discuss goals and how to stick to them). i also like to look at it this way. why wait? the time we have on this earth is not guaranteed so if there are things you want to do you should simply do them. this life is yours. you schedule your day. you make time for what you want. so live life to your fullest. not anyone elses, to your fullest.

i hope these tips help you as much as they have helped me. remember, this time that we are living in, the time where everything seems so uncertain and at times frightening does not have to be a time of fear, doubt, and confusion. it should not be a time that we just sit back, waiting for it to pass. we must continue to embrace the time we are in. embrace the newfound family time that work and sports schedules often interrupt. embrace the extra time to do the things you set aside. maybe you use this time to explore new hobbies. maybe it is learning to embrace the peace; learning to slow down and relax from your normal busy and often hectic, full speed lifestyle. this time does not have to break us. we can still find some beauty, still find some joy in it. in this time we are learning and relearning a lot. its about learning how to work with one another. it’s about learning to be selfless and respectful of others. it’s a time to relearn all the things that we often take for granted and forget about in our typical day to day lives; such as our health, our family, our friends, even our freedom. god is with us though; just as he is with us in the good he is with us in our struggles. god is good, all the time. all the time, god is good.

any other helpful tips to stay productive? leave them down below. the more information the better….. !