Productivity During a Pandemic

If you’re like me, COVID-19 has thrown off your entire way of life. Any routine you had before has probably been altered or completely demolished. I have been feeling like month after month there is no point in even trying to get something accomplished. This was particularly hard at the beginning of lock down, but as the year of COVID continues, I find myself getting more and more pessimistic about productivity. In response to my struggle with being a functioning human being, I have decided to help others get through their COVID hump with a field guide to productivity during a pandemic. 

The first thing that has helped me is that routine is essential to feeling productive. Whether you have anything real to accomplish or not, make sure you wake up, shower, and get dressed around the same time everyday! It helps to maintain a sense of purpose. Maybe you spend the rest of your day just reading a book or binging TV, at least you started your day off with purpose! It’ll also help motivate you to keep the day moving forward instead of lounging around in pajamas. 

Along with a routine, I have found that lists are SUPER helpful! Something about checking something off a list makes you feel like you are on top of things! Here’s a tip: add something on your list that you’ve already accomplished. Then you can check it off without doing anything! Lists help to make things feel manageable and digestible. If there’s 5 things on your todo list, then that means you’re just 5 steps away from a fully productive day (even if those steps are just doing the dishes and sweeping your kitchen up!)

The last thing to do is to stay in touch with the people in your life! It can be hard when physical contact isn’t possible, but there are so many ways to keep in touch with friends and family. Maintaining contact and stimulating conversation with loved ones keeps me motivated and feeling connected to the real world. Letting yourself hide in your apartment or home makes it hard to be productive. For me personally, I need to be interacting with other people to get motivated and feel fulfilled, so if you are struggling with productivity, maybe try to reach out to a friend!

Everyone is struggling right now with getting back into a routine and feeling motivated to do anything. I think that we are all in a state of limbo where we are unable to go back to our normal day to day activities, but that doesn’t mean we can’t create a new routine! Start small and go from there. Try these simple steps and see where it takes you!