10 ways to quarantine productively

1. Create a working environment

Many companies allow you to work remotely so as not to put employees at risk. At the same time, schools are closed, many universities are too, and your relatives require attention. It is not easy to work in such an environment: someone is constantly distracting, children are bored, adults also want to communicate. But even those who have their own room or even an apartment find it difficult to rebuild and not turn their attention to extraneous things. How to be?

• Before starting work, change into the "office". Or at least swap your favorite pajamas for a sweater and jeans. It helps to tune in.
• Define working hours clearly. If you don’t have to be in touch all the time and are not tied to tight deadlines, divide the time as you like, but be sure to stick to the schedule. For example, if you are a "night owl", then sit down to work at 12-13, closer to 16 take a break, and then the second 4-hour block of work. You can also work a couple of hours in the morning, until your family gets up, take a break for breakfast, and then highlight a few hours in the middle of the day on important tasks and end in the evening when everyone is asleep or busy with their deeds.
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• In the morning or at the end of the day, make a list of new tasks. List their priority and the time you need to spend on each of them. Do not load yourself over the conditional 8 hours.
• Try to keep the usual rituals: for example, call colleagues on Skype or Zoom for daily coffee, order a business lunch from your favorite cafe, which has delivery.
• Explain to everyone that you are working, not just sitting at home. Hang a schedule of your breaks on your door and only allow yourself to be distracted during those times.
• Think about what to do with the children (do not punish them for wanting to play with you). In addition to cartoons and online games, there are more useful options - for example, audiobooks.

2. Improve the space around you

There is always something in the house that needs your attention, but you don't have time for it. For example, the plinth has moved away from the wall, droplets of fat remain on the hob, the curtain hangs crookedly. It's time to fix it.

To do more, you can use one of three approaches:

• Make a list of shortcomings. Write each task on a sticker and set how many tasks you will complete per day. Stick the stickers with completed cases in a prominent place.
• Set aside 15 minutes every day to complete a task. Did not have time? Finish next time, and if time remains, start something else.
• If you see a problem - solve it right away: it doesn't take too long to scrub the hob. If you can't do it right now, leave a reminder on your phone.

3. To clean up

Say goodbye to things that are in bad shape. With the fact that you have not taken it in your hands for at least a year and that lies "for a rainy day, for a summer residence, for a subbotnik."

What to do about it? Post your photos on free message boards - let those who need them take things. If these are good clothes that you don't wear, you can give them to friends or even sell them. Old bedding, blankets and blankets will be taken over by animal shelters. Household utensils and furniture - young families or students from dormitories. If things are heavy, oversized, you can write an ad in your own and neighboring entrances: so they will be taken away sooner.

4. Get new knowledge

Dozens of universities and educational platforms have posted educational materials in the public domain. Use this time to improve your skills and engage in self-education. It is already clear that big changes are coming in the labor market. Those who are used to going with the flow and holding on to a warm place may find themselves out of work.

What should be done?

• Browse the websites of online schools and universities targeted at your profession. See which courses are available for free and which have good discounts.
• Visit portal Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications. Collected here are links to relevant services that will help you improve your skills, adapt to life in the digital world or help children with their studies.
• Consider changing your occupation. Perhaps you have long wanted to go into IT, go into marketing, become a freelance writer for an online publication or a scriptwriter for YouTube videos. These professions will be in demand, so now is the time to take a closer look at them and get some basic knowledge.

5. Remember forgotten hobbies

I often want to try something new, but sometimes there is no time, sometimes the mood, sometimes the fuse has dried up. As a result, paints and brushes, a puzzle for 100,500 fragments, knitting needles and knitting, a set for burning and other similar things regularly appear in the closet, but are not used.

Think, which of this would please you now? Quarantine is certainly not worth going to the store for new "drugs for idleness." But you have the opportunity to finally realize a little dream from the past completely free of charge.

6. Upgrade your body

Working from home and staying in your chair all day? It is worthwhile to pause and warm up regularly: at work, at least you walked or moved around the building to the water cooler.

The easiest way is to use an alarm clock or a kitchen timer. Most importantly, do not try to "negotiate" with him or rearrange for another time. For a warm-up, 10–20 squats, a minute plank or a few burpees are enough - you don't even have to change into a tracksuit! Alternate activities to keep yourself from getting bored.

Another option is to start the day with charging. Better yet, include workouts of 25 minutes or more in your schedule. There are a lot of them on YouTube, try a new one every day until you find something that you don't feel like giving up after the first five minutes.

7. Slow down and listen to yourself

In a daily rush, few can afford to retire, escape from urgent matters, think about personal, not professional goals. Maybe you should start keeping a diary? Or make a list of long-term goals and include even what seemed too small to you?

You can start your day with the morning pages. It is a written practice that helps you understand yourself. The bottom line is simple: every day from the very morning you need to write everything that comes to mind for 3-5 minutes. With a pen on paper or in a file on a smartphone - it doesn't matter, the most important thing is not to stop. You will be surprised how useful it is to talk to yourself!

Consider meditation as well. This is a good way to learn to listen to yourself, get rid of bad thoughts, get a boost of energy. It helps to relate differently to the most different events in life. And even the forced isolation in quarantine is perceived as a source of opportunities.

8. Tackle your personal budget

It's time to revise your budget and see if you are always spending money well. Costs should be recorded - on a piece of paper or in attachments. What else will help?

• Arrange days without spending a few times a week. This allows you to more consciously plan your expenses and not be distracted by another coffee to go.
• Set a financial goal and a deadline by which you will reach it. Start a piggy bank for this purpose and replenish it regularly. You can start small: a new smartphone or dream jeans. Track how you are progressing towards your goal and whether you are on time to meet the deadline.
• Get a special card for everyday spending. Put a fixed amount on it once a week, and if you go beyond the limit, try with all your might to get by with the available funds. If at the end of the week there is something left on the card, spend this money on something pleasant and useful, but for yourself personally - you deserve it.

9. Get into good habits

A whole day at home can drag on for a very long time. Good habits can help you structure your routine and live more productively. Even setting aside 15 minutes to do something every day can achieve tremendous success.

You can do yoga for the fingers, basic stretching or self-massage of the neck, develop a drinking regimen, learn to play the harmonica, take a photo that will remind you of the best moment of the day. And you can also do household chores on the go: immediately hang up the washed clothes, wipe the dust, water the flowers in between work.

Often times, pauses in work turn into snacks. Eat cucumbers or radishes instead of sandwiches, replace the fifth cup of coffee with a smoothie, and a cake for tea with an apple.

10. Learn to relax and enjoy

Yes, forced self-isolation is also an opportunity to make life rich, see more, relax and understand that the most important thing in the world is the health of you and your loved ones. And also the comfort and joy of the days spent together.

Staying at home all day can be difficult at first, and changing your routine can be stressful, whatever one may say. But if you learn to laugh at yourself, joke kindly and listen to something funny together, then it is easier to survive.