We are now rounding towards the beginning of our 8th week of quarantine. That is eight weeks of staying inside wearing nothing but sweatpants. Eight weeks of online classes and Zoom meetings. And eight weeks of staring at my computer, trying to stay productive.
What I have found to be the hardest part of quarantine is the constant feeling that I am not doing enough. No matter how much work I get done or how many boxes I check off my list, I feel as if I should be doing more. On the other hand, I end each day looking at my to-do list, shocked with how much I managed to get done. But is it worth it if I feel so drained at the end of the day? Luckily, I have found a few tricks that work for me to make sure I am staying productive while maintaining a healthy mental state. 1. Write your to-do list the night before. I have found that writing everything I want to do almost ensures that I get it done. Writing your to-do list down frees your mind from the attention-sucking task of trying to remember. I highly recommend making your list the night before. If you’re anything like me, you have so much more ambition and drive the day prior. This will allow you to wake up the next day, plan in mind, ready to attack the day! 2. Wake up at the same time every day. I know, I know - you should be able to sleep in as late as you want. You’re going to work in the living room, or better yet, working from your bed! Personally, I have found that waking up at the same every day is incredibly important for my own productivity. By maintaining a healthy sleep schedule during stressful and unknowing times, you are more likely to be prepared for when life is back to normal. 3. Take lunch to yourself. It’s super tempting to keep working through lunch. You’re at home, so why shouldn’t you be working 24/7? I’ve found that taking a half an hour to step away from my computer and eat lunch has really helped me stay on task. I have been less inclined to reach for my phone and scroll through social media during my “working hours” knowing that I am going to be getting a break midday. 4. Turn off your cell phone for a few hours… …unless you are expecting an important phone call or text. I hate to admit it, but I am whole-heartedly addicted to my phone. I can scroll for hours on Instagram and Twitter. Simply by shutting my phone off for a few hours, I have increased my productivity immensely! Sometimes I even put my phone in a different room to decrease the desire of reaching for my phone. 5. Stop beating yourself up. Maybe instead of writing two pages of your thesis, you only wrote one. Remember - it’s ok! Stop feeling like you “should” be working harder and that you “should” have made more progress. Remember, you do not need to be your best self every single day. Acknowledge your small victories and be proud of what you accomplished.
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Jessica PackardI will blog here about my life as a PhD student, research, and other science events. Archives
May 2020
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