Let’s talk about our morning routines. How do you typically start your day? I know mine can get a little hectic, or start on a late foot sometimes. On occasion I’ll pick my phone up and flood my brain with social media, even though all the articles warn against this habit. I’m consistently seeking new sources of caffeine even though Coke is definitely still my go to. And if we are being completely honest, I’m terrible at starting my day with intention and water.
So these tips we will cover today are for me as much as they are for you. Habits are so important during this time, and it’s about time we started to focus on the good ones.
Tip 1: Start With Your Daily 4.
These consist of –
Write/journal your morning gratitude practice.
Write your top three tasks for the day.
Write how you will move your body around noon.
Write what you will do today to nourish your soul.
These start you off with a footing of gratitude and thankfulness. Starting your day in this mindset allows for more intentionality throughout your day. And will hopefully keep you out of the funk that social distancing can easily trigger.
Moving into a list of your top three tasks will allow you to clearly see what is on your docket for the day, and what will move the needle the most on your current projects. Be intentional when writing your top three tasks.
Writing how you will move your body, will force your brain into thinking about the task, and the execution of. Making this a daily ritual allows for added oxygen to the brain after lunch, allowing for further deep work and productivity in the early afternoon.
Additionally, writing how you will nourish your soul allows you to not forget the most important part of our being. Nourishing the soul is just as important, if not more important, than exercise and mindset. Make sure to stick to this part of your day. Make it a non-negotiable for yourself during this time.
Tip 2: Kindly Set Boundaries
This is the time where clear boundaries surrounding work hours are necessary. Lack of these boundaries can leave you feeling stressed, and in turn lead to less productivity.
With everyone else at home, take the time to have a conversation with your partner and explain that work hours are like sanctuary. When the office or bedroom door is closed, that is time to be uninterrupted, and time that you then will spend fully immersed in staying on task and completing projects.
If you have children, this is the time to explain to them the importance of those few hours a day. You may even want to create an incentive, if they can follow the rules of respecting your work time, they get to choose the movie and snack for the evening, or you’ll have park time in the morning, make this incentive unique to your own child and age appropriate. For the littles, ask your partner to stagger their work time so that you both are spending equal amounts of time between work and family if possible. Though work does need to get done during this time, remember to take a step back and see the small blessing during quarantine, you get to be around those that love you. And there is nothing more important than soaking in those moments with your little ones.
If you happen to be like me, and not have children yet. Know that it’s still fully appropriate to talk to your significant other, or family members to ask them to respect the boundary of non-interruption during a certain time of day. Mornings and early afternoons are typically our most productive times, so consider setting aside these as power hours for accomplishing work in bulk.
Tip 3: Unplug From Social Media & Technology
As of 2016, Americans were already spending 48 full 24-hour-days on social media per year. This means that 48 days a year were, on average in 2016, already being spent looking at filtered photos and edited lives of those around us, or those we had come to idolize. These postings tend to cover or leave out flaws and normal imperfections, leaving the viewer feeling self conscious and anxious.
These statistics have only grown worse over the past four years, leading to the highest rates of depression and feelings of isolation in our day to day lives society has yet to see. Instead of bringing us closer and connecting us more, social media has become a breeding ground for competition.
Besides being a time waster, it distracts us from our day’s purpose, and replaces it with its own narrative. By having set times to turn off technology we can avoid our day being hijacked, and stay productive on the tasks that matter most.
Social media and technology also give us the excuse to feel and seem busy, yet take away from our productivity.
I suggest that you start with limiting your current average social screen time to one hour a day. This truly is more than enough time to intentionally check in on those in your life, and prevent you from continuously scrolling. Divide the hour between the social applications you currently use, and set a timer for the hour to keep you on track.
I also suggest batching your technology tasks during work hours, and keeping your computer use to a minimum during this time of social distancing. This will keep you more inclined to stay on target with your goals and not get distracted by the almighty search bar.
So that’s it, my top three tips for you AND ME to implement this week. Three practical tips on how to stay productive during social distancing. If you would like to join the conversation further, or just chat about life, feel free to follow and drop a note or slide into our DMs over on Instagram @intentionaleditorial. Stay well my friend.
