How to have a productive confinement: 10 tips

Guidelines and tips for making the most of your time during home confinement.

With the current coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic situation, we have been confined to our homes for several days now (and many more to go). How can we make the most of our time in confinement?

In this article we will look at some key key ideas on how to have a productive confinementthat will help you to combat the feeling of boredom, anxiety, fatigue or loneliness that may appear, and that will make you make the most of your days (or almost).

How to have a productive confinement and take advantage of the time at home?

The first thing to keep in mind and that will help you how to have a productive confinement is that you should do things that will bring you closer to a situation of normality and routine.even if you are cooped up at home.

It is not about filling your days with things and "not stopping", but rather about structuring your days and incorporating elements that allow you to make the most of your time and enjoy yourself, as much as possible, in the context of this complex situation that we have to live.

Here are 10 key ideas on how to have a productive confinement:

1. Create your own space

The first of the key ideas is to create a space to work, or to carry out the activities that you have proposed.

This This is essential to maintain a certain sense of routine and to concentrate better in case you have to telework. in case you have to telework (work online, from home). Ideally, it should be a quiet space, in a room, away from noise and where you feel comfortable.

2. Wear street clothes

The second key idea we give you is the following: take off your pajamas! If in your case you can't even go out to work, and regardless of whether you have to telework or not, the ideal is to take a shower and get dressed in work or street clothes.

Being all day in pajamas will only make you feel that the hours pass slower, and that the day does not end.and that the day never ends. In addition, dressing in street clothes can help activate you, both physically and mentally, and give you a sense of routine and normalcy.

3. Create a schedule

Remember, we are talking about how to have a productive confinement in case you have to stay at home confined (unable to go out to work), regardless of whether you have to telework or not.

For this it is also important to create a schedule of work or pending tasks, and even activities or hobbies that you can and want to do. The schedule will allow you to structure your day, organize the hours better and make the best use of them.It will also reduce the likelihood that you will be bored or distressed by being cooped up at home all day.

4. Set yourself some goals

Set yourself small goals that you want to achieve during these days of confinement, either work goals, pending things that you have always wanted to do but never had time for, household chores (cleaning, tidying up, etc.), quality time with your family...

They can be goals you set for yourself daily, for example, and write them down in a small list and write them down in a small list and cross them off as you achieve them.. This list can give you a certain sense of self-realization, as well as offering you small goals to achieve, which will increase your motivation and take you away from the routine (it is understood, the "negative" routine).

5. If you telework, take breaks

Even if you are at home and can't go out, taking breaks in case you telecommute will also help you in the task of how to have a productive confinement. So, when you create your schedule, also introduce spaces for small breaks to rest..

In the breaks you can take the opportunity to eat something, to look at your cell phone, etc. All these actions are aimed at giving you the greatest possible sense of routine, similar to the one you had when you could go out in the street. Thus, they are essential tools for structuring your day, are essential tools to structure your day/day..

6. Practice physical exercise

It's a lot of hours cooped up at home, we know... so you should try to keep your body minimally active. The reasons? First, so that your body does not atrophy (nor your mind!), second, to relieve tensions and third to to decentralize, at least for a while, your attention from the current critical moment we are living..

You can do routines at home with or without material (on the internet you have a variety of tutorials to choose from, and to work one area or another of the body). In addition, sport releases endorphins that can improve your mood, in addition to increasing your energy.

7. Eat healthy

Another key idea on how to have a productive confinement, which will help you to have good energy levels and maintain healthy habits, is simply to eat well, eat healthy (and eat in a structured way, without "snacking" in moments of boredom).

You can take advantage, now that you have time, to cook healthy things and even experiment in the kitchen.. You don't need to invest a lot of time in it, besides, there are many easy and simple recipes that are still healthy (you will find a thousand recipes on the Internet).

Avoiding excessive sweets and ultra-processed food will help you sleep better and stay more active.

8. Do something that motivates you

Think about it, always complaining that you don't have time to do what you really like... and now you do! Take the opportunity to rescue from your memory those things you used to want to do (the ones you can do at home), and do them.

Here you will find a list with examples of activities that you can do at home and that will help you to combat the feeling of boredom or uneasiness that can appear at certain times of the day. that may appear at certain times of the day:

• Draw: experiment with different types of materials, if you have them.
• Train yourself: there are multiple courses, trainings, conferences... online (many of them free).
• Make crafts: many of them can even be made with recycled material.
• Read: surely you have a list of pending books that you can now read.
• Watch series/movies: you have different platforms such as HBO, Netflix, Movistar+...
• Cooking: maybe it's time to experiment in the kitchen.
• Carpentry: surely you have some "repair" to do at home.
• Tidying up/cleaning: it will allow you to disconnect while doing something positive at home.
• Mediating: a good strategy to combat anxiety, which will give you calm.

9. Be careful with overinformation

Avoid being aware at all times of the news, social networks, etc., as there is a lot of misinformation in many aspects, fake news, information overload .... All this will not help you and will increase your feeling of nervousness or anxiety..

If you want to stay informed about the coronavirus and quarantine, consult official sources, such as the WHO (World Health Organization).

10. If you have children, organize their schedules

We know that living with small children (or teenagers) for so many days is not an easy task, besides, living alone is not the same as living with roommates, etc.

If you have children, also create a schedule and a routine for them.. Introduce small activities in their daily life that they may like and avoid that they are constantly exposed/connected to television and internet (although there may be moments of everything ... the day has many hours).

Bibliographic references:

• Steel, P. (2010). The Procrastination Equation: How to Stop Putting Things Off and Start Getting Stuff Done. Canada: Random House Canada.