Staying Motivated During A Pandemic

These past seven months of dealing with everyday life during a global pandemic (Wait…How long?!) have been a challenge for the promotions industry and for all of us, no matter what industry or work-from-home situation someone is in. Everything is different now when considering the choices we make and places we choose to go, and we are still figuring out how to navigate life while making adjustments and keeping our at-risk friends and family safe.

Because we are all having less face-to-face interactions and spending much more time at home, finding motivation and productivity can be difficult at times. It’s only human to feel in a “funk” and find yourself grieving the loss of your job if you were laid off, having to cancel the trip you were looking forward to all year, postponing weddings and graduations, and missing your family, friends, classmates and coworkers prior to COVID-19.

Most of us are all facing challenges during this time. It’s okay to have days where all you want to do is binge watch Netflix and eat snacks, but it’s important to not have all your days be the same and find yourself starting unhealthy habits. Staying productive during this global pandemic will help boost motivation and your overall mental health, which is just as important as your physical health!

These are a few ways to stay motivated during the current COVID-19 pandemic that are beneficial to help your self-growth, finding new passions, and staying healthy.

1. Make a “To Do” List:

Making a “to do” list when you start your day is something really simple, but helps organize your priorities, creates order and accountability, and prevents forgetting any deadlines. When you have the tasks you are making a priority right in front of you, you can visualize the order you want to finish your tasks, and delegate by order of importance.

If you’re in a situation currently where you aren’t working a full-time job, that’s okay and you’re not alone! There are still things you can write down for a daily and long-term to do list. Such as: “call Grandma”, “deep clean the kitchen”, or “practice yoga”.  Creating a physical list creates inspiration and a sense of purpose to get things done. Also, being able to cross things off the list is a great feeling that you have accomplished something, no matter how big or small of a task.

2. Begin an Exercise Routine

Exercising daily has many benefits that can help while dealing with a global pandemic. Some of which include: stress relief, producing endorphins, and improving self-confidence. With many gyms having to restrict how many people can be inside using equipment, or limiting the number of guests in a class, there’s a chance that you might have had to change up your workout routine.

There are countless exercise videos available on YouTube that are free to watch. Anything ranging from HIIT, yoga, pilates, weight training, and more. No matter what level of skill you have for a type of workout, there are videos for all levels of ability. If workout videos aren’t your thing, going for a nature walk with your dog, a run outside, or a nice long hike also will give you that boost of endorphins we all need!

3. Learn a New Skill

Having more free time on our hands is the perfect opportunity to begin a new skill that you’ve always wanted to learn, but haven’t had the time for in the past. Learning a new skill can make you feel accomplished and give you the drive to succeed at something new, and can also be a great resume builder to help stand out!

Some ideas of skills that can be learned from home include:

• Learning a new language – There are free apps available such as Duolingo, Rosetta Stone, and Babbel that give you an online class type experience and help hold you accountable to practice daily!
• Playing an instrument – Setting aside an hour of your day to learn a new instrument can result in catching on quickly and will help get your mind off of any stress during these times. Do you have a keyboard at home that turned into a clothes hamper or is just sitting and collecting dust? It’s the perfect time to wipe the dust off and start playing! Also- it’s proven that playing an instrument helps with memory, motivation, and more.
• New cooking skills – With restaurants at limited capacity, this is the best time to teach yourself some new recipes and cooking techniques. If you’re a beginner, learning the fundamentals of cooking can be a life-changing skill that can only continue to get better with practice! While it is important to be supporting our local restaurants and doing so with safe social distancing or taking the order to go, it’s also important to have basic knowledge of making different types of food for yourself that are healthy and budget friendly.

4. Mastering Organization

When spending more time and/or working at home, having a clean and organized space makes a huge difference in your overall mood. An organized home is proven to reduce stress and improve your overall health. When keeping up with a clean home and getting rid of things that you don’t need to create more space, it will quickly create new habits that will make you fall in love with your apartment/house all over again and you will definitely be wanting to host your next wine night with your friends. When you’re less stressed, you will in turn be more motivated and get more things accomplished in your day without the distraction of a messy and unorganized home. Treat your space like your sanctuary, and continue to learn new skills such as getting rid of the junk drawer for good!

Some resources to gain some organization inspo is the book titled “The Life Changing Art of Tidying Up” by Marie Kondo, and the show “The Home Edit” which is available to stream on Netflix. All of these above activities can help fuel your productivity and help prevent feeling down and unmotivated. Times are tough right now and it’s normal to feel lonely. However, we will all get through these troubling times, and this time spent with less socialization can be turned into a great opportunity to find out what your passions are and do things that you never had the time to do prior to the pandemic. The way that we personally choose to elevate our lives and find self-motivation while cooped up at home will make all the difference for your overall health, success, and happiness!

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