With measures taken to combat COVID-19 including social distancing, millions of people have had their daily lives radically changed. Work has been radically transformed as people are either temporarily displaced, or embracing remote working options. Coinciding with spring's arrival (in the Northern Hemisphere), this provides an unprecedented opportunity to evaluate our recently upended routines.
As a result of this self-imposed quarantine, this year spring cleaning is taking on a whole new meaning. We are finding out what elements of our lives have changed (a huge number of things changed). And most importantly, how these changes are impacting the rest of our life.
My regular routine, which I had thought was carefully constructed has been radically altered. The local gym has closed doors, meaning I need to find different methods for working out. While I previously had no difficulty making it to the gym every day, by moving that workout space into the kitchen, it becomes increasingly difficult to separate what is fitness time from food time, and even work time. Work has also taken on a new meaning - regular office hours are harder to enforce when my devices are within arms reach 24/7. The chaotic aftermath of losing my regular routine has left many openings in my schedule. Left to their own devices, those openings threaten to disrupt the progress that I’ve made.
These experiences are not mine alone. With no commute time people have reported sleeping in longer, and staying signed into their work well past their previous “punch-out time”. These changes aren’t necessarily a good thing. While many of us could benefit from an extra few minutes of shut-eye, hitting the snooze button repeatedly for an hour is not the answer. Working later hours, being plugged in all the time also has negative repercussions. With no clear boundaries over work and home life, they bleed into each other. This means we’re always “on”, and never take the time to power down and recharge. As a result, despite putting in longer hours, for many people their overall productive output has decreased.
For spring cleaning this year, we need to evaluate what our routines were, and determine what has changed in the past few weeks. Where are the areas that are no longer being served by your previous routine? Were there areas in your previous routine that weren’t driving success in your life?
Take a look at the pillars of your life. How are your routines serving your greater success?
Physically - is your health where it should be? What are you doing to stay active, to stay healthy? When, for how long, and how often do you workout? As many changes have impacted our lives, are you staying accountable for your own physical wellbeing? If you are finding it challenging, there are countless free and paid apps that can help you with ideas for fitness. I have found myself engaging in daily yoga practices guided on Youtube, in addition to strength training apps to keep me fit and healthy during these times.
Mentally / Spiritually - what practices are you doing to reflect? How do you unwind? What are you working for? What are you grateful for? Proper mental practices are even more important, as isolation can be a tough burden to bear. Gratitude, exploring what you are thankful for, and counting the many blessings that you do have can help you retain your sanity through these tough times.
Financially - are your financial systems in check? Are you investing regularly? Are you monitoring your spending? Changes in our routines don’t change the underlying principles of personal finance. Are you sticking with your plans?
Career - what are you doing in your career? Does that excite you? What are you doing to improve yourself and your skill set? While work for most people has been changed right now, what are you doing to ensure you are better equipped for success as the world settles down?
Relationships - how are you staying connected? Who do you miss talking to and seeing? Let those friends, family members, and colleagues know that you’re thinking about them. There are numerous ways to keep engaged, through video conferencing and online games, being social has changed in the manner of delivery, but still remains as important as ever for our social species.
Romance - are you spending more time than normal with your spouse? How is that affecting your relationship? Many of us are now at home full time with our families. Are these changes good? Or are you having difficulty bridging your different worlds of work and home life? Setting clear boundaries, and making sure you stick to them will help keep things stable.
As you are spring cleaning this year, think about the things that you miss in your old routine. What was going well, and needs to be continued? And conversely, what wasn’t driving your success? We all pick up seemingly innocent habits along the way that we really don’t need. Identify these, and ensure that your new routine helps you more than your old routines did.
Success is the accumulation of a million tiny wins. By making sure your routines are earning those points each and every day, success will be inevitable.