Staying Creative During the Quarantine
2020 has been a crazy year. I don't have to tell you that, we all are living in it. From business closures to many being pushed online we have lost a ton of in-person stimulation. For you extroverts this means you are having a hard time staying emotionally energized. Both Kenzie and I have been trying our hardest each and every day to stay on top of things so we don't get burned out from just being at home.
Perhaps this is a blessing in disguise, only time will tell. But we surely have some tips and pointers to help you get through these unique times.
Section one:
Get a routine. Most of us were used to waking up, getting ready and hopping in transportation to work. But now, with pajamas and comfy clothes, is there even a reason to get ready? We believe so. Sitting in bed taking work calls and literally crawling out of bed to crack open the laptop only worked for so long. This is where the routine comes in. Every morning I get out of bed, do a bit of light lifting or other exercise to get my blood pumping and then I hop in the shower to get ready for my day. Big bonus here, keeping the stink away and feeling refreshed. Want to feel even more refreshed? Hop in a hot shower and slowly turn the temp down, this will kick your body into waking up even more. I get dressed like I was meeting a friend out for dinner, no sweats during office hours. Then I hop downstairs and either grab a cup of coffee that someone has brewed in our house, or brew one myself while I take the dog on a brisk walk, again to get the blood pumping. After all of this I truly can say I'm ready for whatever work throws at me. My energy and productivity levels increased after starting this routine, not to mention my creativity is sparked right away in the morning, which helps with just about everything.
Section two:
Find little projects you can complete. This one might be more personal to me, but hey, why leave it out? I always take the most pride when I can get something completed, so as I hang around the house all day I write down things I can get done in a short amount of time. Say less than 30 minutes. During a work break, or after I log off I immediately try and finish one of those tasks. I find it just sets the day off with a sense of accomplishment. It keeps the laziness at bay and even improves my outlook looking back at how I spent my time. Organize your kitchen drawers section by section~~,~~ organize the craft beer tossed in the mini fridge, vacuum or dust a room~~,~~ . Literally anything you can think of can be a quick task to gain that critical sense of accomplishment. Give this a try for a week and reflect back to see how productive you were.
Section three:
(Try) and step away from work. Don't stay logged in all day. Get your desired time in the office, for me I try for 9 hours and then shut that laptop and only log back in if you are needed. The cathartic moment of me shutting my laptop for the day really helps me separate out the day. Then I put that laptop away and plug in the charger. Putting it away finalizes that separation even more. If your schedule allows it, take a lunch break walk or a 2pm meditation moment. Your most productive time isn't after 9 hours burning your eyes out looking at a screen, its in tiny spurts that can only be stimulated by taking time away and then coming back.
Section four:
Start a new hobby // or rekindle an old one. Think low cost here, that way you won't impact yourself financially. Kenzie and I decided on reading and cooking together. Dusting off those old cookbooks and getting inspiration to make delicious meals. We made a point to go outside of our normal dishes and try new and fun recipes. This benefited us both because the reading took time away from the day, we learned about new cooking techniques and regions of the world, and we both found that accomplishing a delicious new meal, or discovering what we don't like ultimately helps us in the future. Super cool! The trick here is to step away from the computer or screen. Netflix is still a staple in our house, but getting hours away from the screens has helped our sleep and gave us "down time" just to talk and really catch up when there was no agenda to talk about. Communication helps us support each other while nourishing both our bodies and our marriage.
In real summary, just try new stuff. Purchased or not. Getting that dynamic sense of living while being at home 99% of the time has really lifted the gloom the quarantine has placed on our lives. I mean heck, trying new stuff lead to us finally getting Airplane Mode Society off the ground and running in the right direction.
In summary, the above things have helped us greatly and we hope they can improve your daily life at home. Change up that routine, you'll surprise yourself.
Trying something new? Post a comment below to let us know what you are working on or what you have accomplished!