10 Ways to get your routine back into the swing of things
1) Sleep
Make sure you take quarantine time to recharge your batteries and sleeeeep! Most of us need 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night. If you’re still feeling tired, use a sleep cycle tracker – it’ll monitor all your sleep hiccups and wake you up at the end of your sleep cycles.
2) Make self-care a priority (facial routine, shower, personal hygiene)
Try that 10-step Korean skincare routine you never had time to do! Or, maybe it’s finally time to find out what skin type you are to find your perfect cleanser (P.S. Japanese oil cleansers are a BLESSING for oily noses)
3) Keep a diary/ to-do-list
Diaries and to-do-lists are a great way to plan your day – physically writing things down will make you feel guilty if you haven’t done what you needed to do. If you’re one for typing, try Penzu, Memento, or Journey. If you want to stick with pen and paper, try making a bullet journal and let your creative juices flow.
4) Change up your study habits
Studying from home is probably the hardest part of quarantine for us university students – try changing up your study spot and physically migrate to a different part of your home, or study in something other than your PJ’s to trick yourself to be more productive. Or maybe it’s finally time to start organising your notes – if you’re one for typing, try OneNote (free), Evernote (student discounts too!) or Notion (premium is FREE for uni students)!
5) Decorate your room
Maybe it’s finally time to jazz up your room – online shop for some home decor steals, or paint/draw your own artwork to hang up. Video call your friends and decorate together, and judge who’s got the crib you’d rather hang in.
6) Clean your environment
Don’t have the time or money to spice up your room? Why not clean it instead. Studies have shown that a clean environment = better focus. Working in a clean environment helps remove unnecessary distractions and help students and workers be more efficient and focused on the task at hand. Also, it’ll help you stay healthier – both physically and mentally.
7) Goal setting
What do you want to accomplish by the time quarantine is over? How are you going to get there? A great way to not get stuck in a loop during these times and keep moving forward is to set concrete long-term and short-term goals you want to achieve. Get a pen and paper, sit down, and spend some time writing.
8) Exercise to keep fit (even if it’s just walking)
Exercise might have been one the things that we just couldn’t keep up with during quarantine. However, with gyms opening up soon , it may be time for you to finally get that gym pass and start your fitness journey.
9) Social distance outings
Lost your social skills due to being stuck at home for too long? Take some time out of your busy schedule to plan an outing with friends and have fun outside the house. Some great examples we can think of are going to the park, BBQs, cycling and hiking! These are all great examples of things to do outside while following the rules of social distancing.
10) Laugh (Watch a funny movie, read a book, have some fun!)
Finally, don’t forget to laugh and still be able to have a good time when the times are tough. Watch a funny movie/tiktoks, chill out with your mates or just do whatever you feel comfortable. Remember that life is a marathon, not a sprint.
If you’ve reached the end, thanks for reading and welcome back to another trimester of uni!
We wish the best of luck to all of you 🙂
Sophie and Harry (2020 IT Directors)