Corona Era Productivity
This post is not meant for everyone. If your life style is always busy and on-the-go where you‘ re enjoying being able to stay at home, then you don’t need to worry about being productive. However, if you are someone who is still in need to work at home and desires to be productive or someone who doesn’t really have a job at the moment, but is wishing to get stuff done and stay organized and productive, then this post is for you. Lastly, if you are a mom with young children like me, then I will have a tip or two for you too as well!
Tip 1: Make the bed right after you wake up!
Over the years, I have learned that making my bed in the morning has a big impact in my ability to stay organized and productive on any given day. So now I always make my bed the moment I get up. That small act really sets the tone for the day! Also, every time I walk into my bedroom, seeing my neatly-made bed reinforces me to stay organized with everything else I plan to do that day.
Tip 2: Eat something healthy and nutritious for breakfast
This tip sounds very old-school and non-innovative I know. But, sometimes the oldest sayings hold the most truth and wisdom. Thanks to this special STAY-AT-HOME time we are living in, I get to make very healthy and nutritious smoothies for breakfast each day for my family.
My typical smoothies consist of the below ingredients:
Base fruit: Always have an apple and a fresh or frozen banana (Apples for sweetness, bananas for creating smooth consistencies)
Add you choice of two other ingredients. It could be vegetables or fruits. My favorite combos are:
Blueberry and Strawberry
Blueberry and carrot
Blueberry and spinach
Cantaloupe and honeydewAdd one table spoon of flex seeds (Comes with many health benefits, the biggest being high in fiber)
Add one table spoon of almond meal (Plant-based protein, could be any other type of nut meal)
A small table spoon of coco nibs (Optional, only add if you like to add a little bit of crunchiness)
Almond milk
I usually add all the fruits at once, blend them, then add ingredients from steps 3 to 6, and then blend again. From the beginning of the process to the end only takes about 5 minutes.
Tip 3: change out of your pajamas Into Your day-time outfit
Staying in pajamas often times results in laziness and slowness of getting things done. For that reason, I always make an effort to change to my day-time outfit right after my morning skincare routine. I generally like to put on light makeup just so I look and feel more refreshed and up-lifted , but I know this could be asking for too much, especially for those of you who don’t even do make up during none-corona time.
Tip 4: Keep your work space clean and organized
It is the same reason why we should keep our work space clean and organized as why we should make our bed in the morning. A clean desk and work environment boosts productivity and morale. It is especially important during this time of crisis to keep a clean, organized, and calming working environment. And if you need caffeine to keep you going when working, don’t forget to get yourself a cup of coffee before you settle down to work. Yes, the above picture depicts my coffee addiction pretty well!
Tip 5: Do something you have always wanted to do
I have always maintained a very busy life style. I don’t know if it is the busy life style that makes me successful (while, successful in other people’s eye for the most part) or if it is the result of who I am as a person, but one thing I have always wanted to do was to read more. When I notice some book that I could really benefit from, I buy it right away and then keep it in a pile of books-to-read and hope I will get to it soon.
The truth is, in the last six month, I have only read half of one of the seven books I have purchased and wanted to read. However, I am so grateful and happy now that I finally get to read them! So what I do is lock myself in my bedroom (so the boys can’t come in and disturb me), turn on my essential oil diffuser with my favorite doTERRA On-Guard essential oil to keep my immune system boosted while I am reading, and then indulge myself in a couple hours of reading time. I found this activity to be the most powerful, meditative, and rewarding thing to do.
Tip 6: Take a walk everyday
Staying-home does not mean you don’t get to go out at all. It is super important that you go out for a walk for at least 30 minutes every day especially if you have two energetic kiddos like me. What we do is my boys usually bring their scooters with them to ride around in the neighborhood. This gets me to walk super fast while I try to catch up with them. It really is killing two birds with one stone! It helps me clear my mind, get a bit of much needed cardio and fresh air and it helps Brayden and Ronen let out some of their energy and gets them hungry again for dinner time.
Tip 7: Create a schedule for your kids
Even though my boys’ private school has been offering remote teaching every day, which I am extremely grateful for, it still doesn’t fill the whole day. So my husband and I created a schedule for them and we have found that having a structured schedule really helps them develop a sense of ownership and be in control of their lives. It appears to be much easier to get them to do stuff compared to without a schedule. They often times start doing things without us even asking! It really helps that my older boy Brayden is a really good reader. He sometimes helps reading out the activity for his younger brother Ronen.
That concludes my 7 TIPS for you all today!! I hope you find them helpful and if you do, remember ACT on them is the only way that this could benefit you!
Let’s all stay strong and we WILL get through this together!!
