A lot of things happened since the pandemic started. A lot of people were living in fear and anxiety while others learned how to be optimistic and positive during this tough time. We all have our own fair share of concerns and worries, we have all the ‘what ifs’ and ‘why nots’. Some of us have the tendency to be paralyzed into thinking that we can’t move forward because of this present time – but we also see a lot of people becoming a beacon of hope and enlightenment to others during this pandemic.

I know a lot of us are bored already, tired of scrolling up on our social media accounts and see the latest trends, and got tired and sick of seeing the same content of different versions all the time. We can be sad, arrogant, grumbling or don’t care of what’s happening around, but if we choose that path we know that we will never get ourselves productive and proud. So here are the things I want to share to you about how and what I did during my quarantine days.

1. I wake up in the morning and pray.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “Give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Rejoice and start your day with gratitude, change your mindset from grumbling and complaining to thanking God for simply waking up healthy and alive every morning (or whatever time you wake up).

2. Get up and make your bed.

Just because we don’t think no one is looking over our mess we can just freely leave behind our bed covers and pillows messing up. Being responsible begins when you make your bed. That’s one of the to-do lists that you feel accomplished with every waking moment of your life. So get up and finish making your bed!

3. Prepare a healthy breakfast and get some shower.

This is the reason why a lot of us don’t feel good or productive since we don’t have the urge to prepare and dress up for the day. Most of the time we will just spend hours staying up, but that doesn’t exempt us from making a shower and feeling fresh in the morning like we used to, way back school is still on and work is still on normal mode. Even if you don’t have to dress up, the feels of being fresh in the morning makes you want to do things and maintain the energy of feeling positive and productive the whole day.

Then the next step…it’s up to you to decide what you’re going to do next, what matters is that you practice how to start your day great and everything will follow through the moment you have the energy to make it great!

However, these are the things you can go through as a daily worker.

4. Face your daily task, not your social media accounts.

Another way to motivate yourself to start doing things is by setting some time off-screen, making yourself free from heavy engagements in social media, putting off your notifications, and if you really don’t want to be disturbed you can put on the ‘airplane mode’ even if you’re not riding a plane. In this way you can be less distracted from focusing on those things you really wanted to do and accomplish. You can also set a good amount of time and permit yourself checking your social media accounts but when the time is up you need to train yourself from not indulging into it more. Learn how to discipline yourself in avoiding and minimizing these distractions as much as possible.

5. Apply office/study hours on your daily schedules.

Working from home is far more difficult than being in the office, because when you’re at home you tend to forget how to compartmentalize your tasks. Sometimes we often mistook our transactions because we are not in the physical establishment. Doing it at home makes us feel less pressured and less motivated to do it excellently. Another way to avoid this dangerous over-familiarity is by setting our task on an office-hour basis.

You set your time waking up in the morning and making sure that you are physically and mentally prepared to do the tasks for the day. Once 8:00AM ticks off the clock start doing your tasks and apply break time also like 10:00-10:30am snack time and lunch break. Go back to your task after some lunch—remember to never skip eating because your brain won’t work well If you haven’t eaten well— and once the time hits 5:00 o’clock in the afternoon, then you can rest and log off on your office/daily task. That’s the  only time you allow yourself doing other stuff that’s unrelated to your work (just like doing the laundry, tending your plants, feeding your pets, buying groceries, doing exercise, cooking for dinner, etc.)

6. Create your office space.

Finding a nice corner in your house to become your office/study area can be a big help. See to it that the area is clean, workable, has enough lighting and ventilation, one that isn’t exposed to loud noises, cozy and comfortable to stay with. Place only the things that are needed on that ‘work space’ of yours. Don’t try to put all of your stuff in your office table. It hurts your head and your eyes seeing all those clutter messing around.

Let me warn you to avoid opening your television, watching Neflix, or calling a friend over the phone during these productive hours of your day because you will be distracted from finishing your work. Train your mind to focus on the things you need to finish and enjoy what you’re doing. If any acoustic or instrumental background music can help you get active or taking some cup of coffee can make you mentally driven, then you’re free to do it as long as you are on the right track of your to-do lists.

After a day of hard work give yourself a treat by doing things that will lighten up your mood or to relieve your stress like eating ice cream, watching an hour worth of movie on Netflix, or taking some short naps. In order for you to enjoy these recreation time, make sure that you were able to finish your things-to-do for the day. If you weren’t able to complete it, give yourself some time and be gracious about it because tomorrow is another day to become more productive!

I hope that helps you to have the most productive days this time. Have a fruitful day ahead!