As winter comes with a new wave of Covid-19 cases, it’s no surprise that many countries and cities have imposed or considered lockdown restrictions. With our experience last year, we know that being stuck at home for weeks can be torturing and it often takes a toll on our mental health. Since the pandemic, I have been staying at home a lot (even though I still have the job of a flight attendant, I barely had any flying duties). In the beginning, it’s relaxing and chill, but it didn’t take long before I felt bored, confused, and even stressed. It seemed that I was doing nothing meaningful and wasting my life away.

After a month or so, I couldn’t withstand the stale, daunting situation and decided to do something before the pandemic drove me crazy. With an aim to be productive and organized, I started drafting my daily routine, and I promised myself that I would stick to it every day. Since then, the predicament has turned into a valuable learning journey.

Here I’m sharing my routine with you, and you can create your own schedule that fits your goals and preferences. Just remember the main purpose of the planning is for you to stay healthy, stay sane, and possibly achieve something – big or small – when the world recovers.

1. Set an Alarm

When there is no school, no job, and no responsibility forcing us to wake up early in the morning, we tend to fall into the trap of thinking we have all the time in the world and we can get up whenever we like. However, not only does oversleeping make you feel groggy, but it also plants the seed of self-loathing and frustration when we realize we’ve done so little by the end of the day.

To kick off a productive morning, it’s important to set an alarm and make sure you don’t just press snooze and go back to sleep. Some suggestions are putting your phone far away from your bed, setting as many alarms as you need, or picking a horrifying ringtone. To be realistic, you do not have to aim at 5 am like many YouTubers did. Set a time that makes sense to you and allows you to get enough rest (six to eight hours in general). For me, it’s 9:30 am as I am kind of a late sleeper.

2. Motivational Moment

It’s normal to feel a bit lazy and hazy in the morning especially during winter when parting ways with your lovely, cozy duvet is always a struggle. To wake ourselves and boost our motivation, we need an energy dose (in any kind of form). Personally, it’s to watch a video about productivity on YouTube (even though many people say we should stay away from the screen for at least an hour after we wake up). Seeing people being efficient and working towards their goals makes me want to be one of them. I recently enjoy watching videos by Ali Abdaal, who is a successful doctor turned entrepreneur. On his channel, he shares a lot of tips on studying, productivity and online business, as well as book recommendations.

You can choose whatever medium to raise your energy level, from an interesting podcast, a meditation or manifestation session, or even just a coffee, as long as it works for you.

3. Read a Book

All successful and rich people share one crucial habit, which is to read a lot of books. We all know that books are a treasure trove of knowledge and wisdom. Not only do they instill you with tremendous information and broaden your horizons, but they also make you see things from different perspectives and inspire your creativity. It seems that reading a certain number of books is a common yearly resolution, but not many people can really achieve it with their busy schedule.

“True behavior change is identity change,” writes James Clear, author of New York Times Bestseller Atomic Habits. “The goal is not to read a book, the goal is to become a reader.” So, in the coming year, instead of writing down a number as your goal, put down “I have to be a reader” and, most importantly, build yourself a system. To make it easier, you can start with a chapter a day, or ten pages a day, or even one page a day. According to the Two-Minute Rule, “When you start a new habit, it should take less than two minutes to do.” The only thing that cannot be compromised is that you have to do it every single day without interruption.

I target to read one-tenth of a book each morning (thanks to the percentage indicator of my kindle). But usually, I end up reading more than I intend to if the book is interesting. Remember, as long as you open the book or turn on the kindle, you have already done the most difficult part.

4. Work on Your Interest

My most productive time is between 2 pm to 6 pm, during which I would focus on the most important task of the day. It’s either freelance translation work or my hobbies: writing and language learning. My goals are to become a writer and a polyglot. 

The way to make your day fulfilling is to practice something that you can see progress through time. It can be making handicrafts, baking, gardening, playing guitar, or taking online courses through Coursera or Brilliant – anything you are interested in. See it as a self-investment and turn it into a habit. “Time magnifies the margin between success and failure,” says James Clear. “It will multiply whatever you feed it.”

Make the lockdown time a great ally of your new habits.

5. Exercise

Apart from getting in shape, researchers have proved that regular exercise can reduce anxiety and depression. Thanks to the popularity of online fitness channels, you can choose from a wide variety of workout routines that suit your fitness level and objective. If a 30-min cardio exercise seems too much of a challenge, it’s okay to just go for a 15-min stretching class or relaxing yoga session. To begin with, time doesn’t really matter; what’s important is to show up every day. Most of the days, I only squeeze in a ten-min abs workout or a five-min plank exercise. And I’m proud of that!

6.  Prepare dinner

I enjoy cooking very much and I found it therapeutic. From preparing ingredients, seasoning, putting food into pans, and mixing sauces, to plating, the whole dinner-making process brings me joy and satisfaction. Also, I can get an immediate reward – a delicious meal – for my time and effort. At the beginning of the pandemic, we couldn’t dine out so I have gone through many cooking recipes and did a lot of experiments. And now, I’m confident enough to invite friends over for a humble supper.

7.  Journaling & Relax

For the rest of the night, it’s the time to wind down and forget about productivity. Whether it’s binge-watching Netflix, playing video games, listening to music, or just lying on the couch doing nothing, it’s up to you.

Before bed, take some time to check on yourself as in asking yourself how you are feeling. This is something essential to mental health but dismissed by a lot of people. If you feel comfortable, you can talk it out loud. If it’s weird for you, you can just run your thoughts in your head or, even better, write them down in a journal. It’s a good way to express your feelings and organize your thinking.

Conclusion 

Rather than seeing the lockdown or quarantine as imprisonment, take it as a rare opportunity for you to clear your mind, work on your health and create something special.

“Having more control over your time and options is one of the most valuable currencies in the world,” says Morgan Housel, the author of The Psychology of Money.