It’s official. Time has ceased to exist. It’s four AM, and you’re pacing your kitchen in fuzzy socks and a t-shirt speckled with stains of questionable origin. You open the fridge for the third time in five minutes, just in case the precise carb-loaded snack you crave has mystically appeared. Is it Thursday? Friday? No one knows. There is only daylight and darkness.
Perhaps the COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t rocked your schedule to this degree. But for a great many, sense of daily structure is a thing of the past. For the 3.4 million (so far) who have filed unemployment claims due to coronavirus, life is an uncomfortable, uncertain fog. Under normal circumstances, an abundance of time would hit different – a valuable, sought-after luxury. But we’re smart, so we know that scarcity creates value. At the very least, it creates the illusion of value.
But when it’s dropped into our laps all at once, how can we adjust? I’d have as much success drinking water from a fire hose.
When life takes a sharp curve, it’s wise to pause and reflect to get our bearings. Routines and rhythms are good for us, by design. Nature cycles through seasons, circadian rhythm cycles through sleep and wakefulness, and Anne Hathaway cycles in and out of public favor. So, before we get to ideas for how to spend our bestowed riches, let’s acknowledge that perhaps our new limitations invite a slower pace. Perhaps it’s acceptable to not focus on productivity right now, but instead to turn inward, to notice feelings, to chart observations. I mean, maybe this is your chance to write the next Great American Novel, learn an instrument, or perfect your Béarnaise sauce. But maybe instead it’s your chance do hard heart work and grow in faith, hope, and love.
Nevertheless, structure serves us. During your time in quarantine (or self-isolation), be sure to care for your basic needs. Eat meals at regular intervals. Hydrate throughout the day. Wash your body and your hair and put on clean clothes. And, since you’re a whole being with a variety of aspects, devote some of your time to those too.
I’ve compiled a list of ways to create daily structure in multiple categories. There are three “levels” under each heading. You can classify them however you’d like: degree of commitment, intensity level, energy level, bandwidth. This is to inspire motion toward health and structure, no matter whether you’re running at 100% or feel that you can hardly get out of bed.
Spirit
High: Start a new Bible study. John 6:63 says, “The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” God reveals Himself through His Word. He offers hope and clarity through His Word. Try a self-directed study of the Psalms or an epistle that captures your attention. You could also purchase an e-copy of a published study, like Jen Wilkin’s Better: A Study of Hebrews.
Medium: Journal prayer. Pour your heart out to God. Describe your feelings, your struggles, your grief. Pray for those you love. He listens. He provides peace. Plus, it’s such a blessing to look back over your words later and gape at the magnificent ways God has answered your prayers.
Low: Turn on a chill worship playlist, close your eyes, and turn your heart toward God. Listen to words of beauty, supplication, thanksgiving. Then listen for His voice.
Relationships/Community
High: Volunteer in your community. I guarantee your local food bank is under strain right now. If you’re well and haven’t been exposed to anyone with COVID-19 symptoms, consider stepping up to prepare and distribute packages for clients in need. If you don’t want to risk personal interaction, make food or monetary donations instead. You’ll feel connected to your community, and if you volunteer in-person, you’ll get some precious human interaction.
Medium: FaceTime a friend or family member. Check in with your people and be honest with them about how you’re doing. If you’re feeling ambitious, you could try a remote activity, like playing a board game (each with your own board) or watching a movie together.
Low: Reach out to someone you trust via text or messenger. Sometimes speaking takes a lot of effort. If all you can manage is typing, let someone know. Ask for encouragement. Share memes. Talk about things you love and enjoy.
Career
High: Refresh your resume, LinkedIn profile, and other professional accounts. If you think of quarantine as an opportunity to hit the ground running when normalcy returns, spend some of it crafting your professional image.
Medium: Choose a soft skill to work on. Study up on problem-solving, negotiation, or collaboration. Practice your newfound skills with the people you love, near or far.
Low: Write down three hopes, dreams, or goals. They don’t have to be lofty or even realistic. To think about what you want and give voice to your desires helps you to invest in the future.
Hobbies
High: Create. Play music, write, paint, knit a scarf, or build a desk. Make something that wasn’t in this world before, and enjoy the satisfaction of tangible expression.
Medium: Cultivate. Plant a garden or care for a houseplant. Work on learning a new language (I recommend Duolingo). Redeem the lost art of hand-written letters and send some snail mail to a faraway friend.
Low: Consume. Find the lovely things that are already out there. Read a favorite book, listen to nostalgic tunes, research a fascinating subject, or watch a feel-good movie.
Physical
High: Start a home exercise program. Beachbody offers a 14-day free trial including the popular P90x, 21-Day Fix, and PiYo programs.
Medium: Take a dance break. Either turn on your favorite playlist and rock out with your signature moves, or turn to YouTube and learn a new routine.
Low: Walk around the block for 20 minutes. At least. Get outside, move your legs, and feel the benefits of fresh air. Just maintain 2 meters distance from those around you.
Mental/Intellectual
High: Commit to a Coursera Course. Coursera is an online, open-access learning platform with free courses available from top universities around the world. You can sign up for music classes from Berklee, machine learning from Stanford, or the well-attended Science of Well-Being from Yale University.
Medium: Absorb information. Cue up a few TED Talks or podcasts. Take a break from your fifth Friends rerun on Netflix and watch a documentary like Our Planet instead.
Low: Work on puzzles. If you want to use your hands, pull out the jigsaw puzzle collecting dust in the guest room closet. You could also tackle some newspaper favorites, like Sudoku, crossword, or word search. Many are available online or through mobile apps.
Home Environment
High: Spring cleaning. You’re home and you want to eliminate germs. This is the perfect time to clean your dishwasher filter, wipe down your fan blades, and disinfect your baseboards. Clean environments benefit both physical and mental health.
Medium: Add some beauty to your home. Purchase a couple cheerful houseplants, create a gallery wall, or restyle your work space with cozy blankets and cute accents. Studies show we’re more productive in beautiful spaces (underlying fact: we stress less, experience more pleasure, and enjoy increased brain activity).
Low: Open the windows and designate sanctuary space. Choose the place in your home where you feel most peaceful, and protect it, thereby protecting yourself. Remove any garbage, keep it tidy, and save it for activities that feed you rather than drain you (read: don’t read scary news reports in this space).
Personal Growth
High: Reflect and ask yourself hard questions. What scares you most? What makes you feel most alive? If you were a stranger and met yourself, what would your impression be? Be honest and write down your answers.
Medium: Create a vision board. Pull out a pile of old magazines and cut out images that appeal to you. Arrange them on a piece of loose leaf paper or poster board and glue them in place. Voila! Your aesthetic. Glance at it for inspiration every now and then.
Low: Write a gratitude list. Listen, you don’t need to be grateful for COVID-19. But you can be grateful for other things in the midst of it. For instance, I’m grateful that I have a wealth of toilet paper. I’m grateful that our garden is growing. I’m grateful for my husband’s gentleness. A posture of gratitude increases peace.
No matter how you feel right now, you can build some structure into your quarantine days. And when you do, you’ll find that time – even abundant time – is a valuable gift.
What have you been doing to create structure during self-isolation? Have you tried any of these tips? Let me know in the comments!