Productive downtime during Lock-down
I watched a clip from the dynamic Jay Shetty the other day. He once again offered another example: following a keen interest down the rabbit hole is sure to change your life in ways you can’t yet imagine.
Timeless Strategies for achieving contentment and feelings of purpose. Meant for anyone balancing a personal business on the side of a straight gig or family responsibilities — anyone looking for a complete life, in other words.
Stories meant to help you be more productive and better understand and appreciate the opportunities at hand.
Once again it made me realise – Life is much more than a job. Life is much more than anyone aspect of your experience. Life is much more, period. It’s happiness, health, growth, purpose, and your pursuit of success.
During this lock-down period we are given an opportunity to let go of the old and start fresh. Our minds, bodies, relationships, as well as our homes and offices.
How’s that for self-care?
To declutter both physically and mentally can have a positive effect.
Clearing clutter makes us more creative and productive and less irritable and distracted.
Let’s not forget about our mental clutter, as well, like those destructive and distressing thoughts, feelings and memories that we tend to carry around with us.
Replacing those negative thoughts with positive ones, immediately open us up to see more possibilities for ourselves and equips us to better plan for the future.
Here’s what you can do to make the most of this time on hand during lockdown:
1. Create space for new energy – you are at home, (Clever people say our homes are often extensions of ourselves, a place where old stale negative energy gets trapped). Now might be time to target those spots and make room for something new.
2. Workspace at home – the home office, the space that is usually cluttered as it makes you feel that you are busy. Your desk. Is it a mounting pile of papers that are blocking you? I have good news, embrace your trash bin as a tool… go digital. Make use of Google Drive or Dropbox to file your documents in an online storage service. Use your newly cleared desk to showcase things that calm you, inspire you, and keep you motivated.
3. It will also help if you clear your head. “Quiet the noise” – I call it. We all love our phones. Yes, it is a connection to the “outside” world in this isolation stage we are living in. But the constant buzzing, messages coming in from everyone also in lockdown can add unnecessary chatter to our already crowded thoughts. Uninstall the apps you never really cared for or use. To make it simple, turn off annoying notifications.
4. Open up your laptop/PC/Phone and take control of your inbox. Unsubscribe from those many email lists that you cannot even remember why you have subscribed. Tip: use Unroll.me as a tool for easy and painless unsubscribing and categorising of your subscriptions. This will ensure that the messages you see are the ones that are actually important to you.
5. Routines are important. When it comes to your time and commitments give yourself a fresh start. Working from home you need to maximize your time. What is your morning routine? Make sure that you implement rituals to boost your energy and help you conquer the most important goals you set for the day. Just as important is a nighttime routine. You need ample time to unwind, rest and ensure that you set yourself up for success the following morning.
6. Make time to grow and nurture relationships with your clients and candidates. Prioritise the positive figures and avenues in your life. Take back your time and energy from those relationships that are no longer serving you (personal and business).
Set clear boundaries for your work and grant yourself time for self-growth, introspection and time to get lost in an activity that you love and enjoy.
It might prove difficult in the beginning as we all have some obligations, goals, and habits that we do not realise is outdated. Replace these with new intentions that match who you are now and where you are headed. That is what I call an act of self-care. Creating a space for the people and things that keep you moving forward.
By: Therese Otten