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….. !

alrighty, let’s try this again. after having spent about 2 hours plugging away at this week’s blog post my website browser decided that it did not want to save my post. needless to say i was completely upset and flustered by this unfortunate event, but i felt that i could not give up on this post.

this week i plan on keeping the blog short and sweet for you all seeing that the last few have been a bit lengthier then usual. additionally, i am have been exhausted these past few days so i do not wish to spend the night typing away. your girl could use a vacay! then again who wouldn’t want to take a vacation? which is actually in sorts the the topic for today’s post.

funny enough, i had actually planned a vacation for this weekend (so soon!), but things came up and the trip had to be postponed to a better time. was i bummed? very! but it also would have been more stressful to travel and who wants to be stressed during their vacation? not me that is for sure. so i started thinking; what can i do to make it feel as if i am on a vacation? and came up with this lil list of what i hope are helpful ideas.

here are some ways to bring the vacation to you

switch it up: traveling is great because it is a change of pace from our everyday life. if you are like me you might find yourself getting caught up in the 500 billon things you feel need to get done that you forget to make time for getting out and being social. if this is the case i encourage you to make plans with your friends or go to an event that is happening soon. if you are completely the opposite and always out and about, change the pace by slowing down a bit. spend some time at home. relax. be still. read a book, watch a movie. whatever it is take it easy.
try something new: another wonderful thing about vacations is the excitement and thrill of experiencing new things. whether that means tasting new food, seeing new sights, or experiencing new things there is always something provoking about what we have yet to know. to your surprise though there are sure to be plenty of things in your own town or neighboring cities that you have yet to experience. maybe it is that new restaurant you and your significant other have been talking about trying, or maybe there is a hike you and your friends have never explored. even if you really feel there is nothing more in your town for you to possibly do or would ever want to do i challenge you to try something you never thought you would (who knows you might end up liking it) or experience the spots you’ve been to time and time again but experiencing it differently. plan out a scavenger hunt and race your friends to see who finds the most things on the list in a certain amount of time. if they don’t take a picture with the item or thing they lose points. adding a little twist to everyday places can keep the fun of traveling alive without the same cost of a plane ticket!
relax and rejuvenate: self care is so important and often times we let this on slide from our daily routine, but when we travel we often find ourselves focusing on this, or at least to some extent. don’t wait until you take a trip to slow down. we need to take care of our bodies and minds if we want to be our best, most thrilling, vibrant selves. try to find ways to destress (that are healthy) in order to be stress free and calm just as a good vacation should. i personally love some self pamper; a bubble bath with a nice calming smelling candle lite (cozy comfort from Walmart is an ahhh-maz-ing! and super affordable option, just saying), and some peaceful mellow music; also face masks are absolutely lovely and help me feel as if all the nasty and negative things in me are being extracted from my body.
learn: while traveling we often find ourselves learning loads of new things as each place is unique in what is considered to be normal. from food, to clothes, to customs there is so much knowledge awaiting which is so fun and exciting to try. even just the other day at work i learned to make an origami heart from the Kanayama teacher. while it was only a couple fold i felt so much excitement that i wanted to show my new skill off to everyone. from there i even thought about future travels to Japan (which just to note did not only stem from an origami heart lol but who knows it just might). while heading to Japan in order to learn how to do origami is not always doable learning origami is much more possible. there are plenty of books online that guide you through step by step or YouTube videos are another great option in order to practice the craft. other interests could be learning a new language. for quite some time i have wanted to learn sign language, but there so many other languages to learn. maybe you prefer learning French. do it. this is the perfect opportunity to expand your skillset and knowledge.
connecting with yourself more: lastly, when i travel i tend to get more in-tune with myself, not to mention traveling is usually when my creative juices flow the most because travel allows me to slow down in order to think more freely and be more present. this presence further helps me have a greater appreciation for life and overall, it’s a pretty positive atmosphere to be in. this one is a bit harder though to in corporate at times, but i think one of the best ways to do so is to find some space and time each day to check in with yourself and remind yourself to focus on the positive.

when it is all said and done though life is based on perspective. how you choose to see things is up to you. how you respond is up to you. a good time is not set to certain things. anything could be a good time if you choose to make the most of it. so, bring the vacation to you!

6 ways to stay productive while in quarantine

the extraordinary in the ordinary