How to be productive: 10 things you can do with your time

This quarantine period has been alarmingly difficult for all of us. We cannot meet our family and friends. We have limited resources. And everything looks uncertain. What is more heartbreaking is that we can’t even smile at people when we see them, because we have a mask on.

We are in one of the largest psychological experiment ever; an entire human race has slowed down.

I often hear the seniors in my family say:

“I get really depressed thinking about what will happen and how much longer this lockdown period will be. But I feel even sadder that I don’t get to meet my friends and family. I don’t get to go out. My mind is constantly racing. I read the news every 2 hours and I don’t see any hope.”

If you’ve been feeling restless lately, it’s simply because you are cooped up in the house and there is no outlet for your energy. But as I talked in my last article, it’s time to be a thriver and not a victim (if you haven’t read the last article, please read it before reading this one.)

And as they say it’s the battle of the mind first. So make up your mind that you will use this period effortlessly to develop and grow yourself. A lot of things may not be in your control, but you should control what you can. And you can control yourself.

In this article you’ll learn three things.

1.   How to make this period more savvy and productive

2.   Easy and effective activities you can do in this period

3.   What should be your next steps?

Make this period productive

• I’m going to give you a secret formula to achieving whatever you want. The secret formula is ‘writing down your objectives/goals thoughts’.

We underestimate the absolute power of writing. It is a sure-fire way to become productive.

It is backed by research that writing pushes us to achieve our goals and objectives.

Action to take:

• Every morning sit down with a pen and paper
• Write down all the tasks you need to do in a day along with what you would like to pursue.
• Planning will help you achieve a better and productive day.
• Put a time for each task. For example: don’t just write ‘to cook’ in your to-do list. Write – Cook lunch of dal and rice from 11:00 to 11:30 am.
• Write down the skill you would like to pursue or learn. For example: write in your diary, ‘learn to write poetry in the evening between 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm’. This will keep you focused.

9 - Effective activities you can do in this period

You can follow any or all of the below activities. Have a growth mindset and be ready to learn new things.

1. If you like reading, you could start a book club over video calls with your friends. Similarly, if you like singing, you could start a singing hour with your family or friends.
2. Start reading blog articles (Binzy always produces fresh content. Subscribe to Binzy website and read new articles and resources. Similarly you can refer to other blogs of your interest). Make notes of articles in a book or save it in a document online. It can be your go to guide when you need.
3. Take online courses. There are many online courses you can take dependent on your needs
4. Go through YouTube videos to learn new skills. You could pick up one skill every month and take lessons from YouTube
5. Give online tuitions or online consulting. People need knowledge and experience. You have both. Use it to your advantage.
6. Develop soft skills. That is the most important skill in today’s world. Everything will change, but soft skills will always help you win in any situation.
7. Learn to cook through YouTube videos or blog sites. Pick a different cuisine every week. This will help you stay excited and learn new cuisines  
8.  Indulge in some home gardening. There is nothing more fulfilling than dealing with plants. We cannot go outside but we can definitely get the outside in. Decorate your house with plants. Create a garden inside your house. Find a corner in your garden, relax on a chair and sip on some hot ginger tea.
9. Volunteer virtually. You can donate groceries or make food for the less fortunate ones. Sometimes the best way to get out of your head is to help other people. You may have some local groups that are focused on helping the vulnerable. Get in touch with them and figure out how you can help by staying safe.

Your next action steps

1. Write down 3 skills you want to learn and pursue.
2. Research on the skills and find 3 avenues from where you can learn (blog, YouTube, books)
3. Maintain a habit tracker. Every day when you work on your new skill, track and strike through the activity. This will ensure you stay on track and disciplined.

This strange situation maybe the biggest psychological experiment and a human catastrophe. We are clueless and don’t exactly have answers to most of our questions. But, honestly isn’t it on to us how we use this time? It may be scary, dangerous and emotionally draining but you have to take complete control of yourself and work on yourself to make this period life changing and extra ordinary.