One of the craziest things that has happened to me during quarantine is that I’ve totally forgotten my to do list. Many mornings I have woken up and thought, I don’t know what to do with myself. At first there were many days where I didn’t feel productive. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m still teaching 7.5 hours a day, but I have flexible hours, so I just don’t have a structured routine yet. I have noticed that feeling like I accomplished something is almost a form of self-care for me. Self-care is so important during this time, so in the last two weeks I’ve worked really hard to do some things and I have felt more productive and in control of my life in a time when things feel very out of control. Here’s a list that may help you feel better too.
- Take time to pray/meditate. With three boys this is something I just don’t have time to do when we are not in lock down. It has been essential for coping with the stress and anxiety of living life in quarantine.
- Exercise everyday. I’ve been making it a regular habit to work out everyday. This has also helped with my mood, and I know that exercise brings down Cortisol levels.
- Clean your fridge. This is another task that just doesn’t get completed enough. I was able to take the time to completely dismantle all the plastic inserts, wash the glass, and throw away items that are out of date.
- Clean your windows. This is definitely a several hour event at my house, pressure washer and all. However, it feels so good to be able to look outside and have a clear view. Personally, this helps me feel in control when things are clean, especially in an out of control world.
- Wash your bedding. While we do wash our bedding every one to two weeks, now is the time to get on a regular schedule. I have actually taken the time to make a cleaning schedule and I love it. It helps me keep track of when I washed the bedding last, but many other household tasks like changing the furnace filter and other maintenance tasks.
- Get rid of clutter. Make sure to check out our blog post series about 35 Days to an Organized Home. This has been the biggest mental boost for me out of this entire ordeal. I’ve had so much peace when I go to bed at night knowing that I’m keeping only the things that bring value to our life. You also need to read our post on How to Become a Minimalist if you don’t want your items to control you. I love listening to the Be More With Less podcast too.
- Clean your make-up brushes. I just did an Instagram story on this a few weeks ago. I love Young Living’s Savvy Minerals brush set, and I adore their natural cleaner. This is one of those things that I only think about when I see them while getting ready in the morning, but you would not believe how much better they feel on my skin when they are clean.
- Deep Clean. Now is the perfect time for you to clean the things you never have time to clean. Take the time to clean things like baseboards, fans, air filters for your furnace, light bulbs, and more. This is the time where I like to empty out drawers, sweep then, wipe them down with a wet cloth and reorganize.
- Be the janitor. Think of yourself as the janitor for your home. Make a list of all the things that need to be replaced on a regular basis like air filters for your furnace, light bulbs, and more. This is also the time to take on some bigger projects, like grouting the tub, pressure washing the siding, painting the deck, and building the fire pit you’ve always wanted. Start now and pretty soon you will start knocking things off your list one by one.
- Stitch that hole. My husband has had this shirt with a hole I have needed to mend for probably six months. I have finally found the time to stitch that shirt and several socks with holes, and even get my son’s suit altered. While I know that in our modern world we don’t mend things as much as we used to, there are usually a few small projects lying around the house and now is the time to get those tasks accomplished.
- Cook from scratch (Bonus Tip). This is one of the things mentioned in our How to Save Money During Co-Vid post. During this time my son has been learning to cook, and I’m so grateful that he’s had this time to learn a new school. He’s actually very good at it, and our whole family has benefitted from his new found passion. I’m so grateful for the time to try new recipes too.
Kiara
I’ve been working on various passion projects of mine!
Vera
I’ve been working on my own business, I’ve registered a company and now I’m launching in November ^_____^