Look, I’m just going to be honest. I’m an introvert and staying at home is typically my thing. So this social distancing requirement isn’t drastically different from normal life. But there are certain things I do regularly that I’ve been refraining from doing. And I don’t usually spend this much at home in one stretch. So even I’m finding myself getting fidgety and with cabin fever. But I’m determined the make the best of it and be as productive as I can be.

Here are the 10 things I plan to accomplish while I’m living in isolation:

1. REST. I’m really terrible at just taking time to do nothing. I feel like if I’m not constantly tackling a project I’m useless. I don’t necessarily leave my house often, but I’m rarely just on the couch being a potato. So I vowed to spend some quality time relaxing and recovering. I’ve gone to bed at my usual time, sometimes earlier. I’ve allowed myself to sleep in a little. I’m spending just a little more time recovering.

2. Continuing education courses. I’m a degree/certification junkie. I’m all about getting any degree or certification I can to advance my mind or my career. At the moment I have two different paths in the work. I have some courses in French and I’m working on a certification for Power BI to help with my current job. So I’ve taken advantage of this time to work on those assignments.

3. Growing the business. I’ve had some pretty strong internal pulls lately telling me to focus on growing my business. I’ve been wanting to push the clothing line. This has been a prime opportunity to get in some work on that and work out some details. I’m hoping to have some big things rolled out in a few weeks!

4. Spend time with Benji! Granted, we have been forced to be in the same location all day every day. So by default, we’re spending more time together. But earlier this week we put our new grill together and it ended with a cardboard sword fight in the front yard. I don’t remember the last time we laughed that hard together. We’ve had some long talks about what we really want in life; talks we haven’t had in a very long time. Typically we don’t have much time together and when we do have it we fill it with chores. This change in routine has allowed us to slow down and really spend quality time together.

5. House cleaning. This one has been big. We’re able to maintain the basic house stuff weekly. Dishes are done regularly. The kitchen counters and table are moderately clean each week. The trash is taken to the curb twice a week. You know, the basics are accomplished. But I finally had some time to purge my closet AND put away the dreaded “chair pile” (it’s actually a pile that hangs out on the ironing board…but same concept). I put together bags of clothes to donate FINALLY! I’ve finally finished setting up my office. I spent the first week of isolation with two computers and an Ipad set up at the kitchen table. I’ve been meaning to finish the office for months and this allowed both the time and motivation to make it happen. And I still have a few house to-do items on the list I’m hoping to cross off the list this week.

6. Get some sun. I spend the workdays on an almost all day skype meeting. My job is a collaborative effort where four of us spend the day working through investigations. So I don’t have the full freedom to do all of my work when I want. BUT, a lot of the time it just requires my headset and computer. So I’ve had many of those conversations in my backyard relaxing in the hammock. Vitamin D is incredibly important to the immune system so I’m really just doing it for my health. 🤷‍♀️

7. Heal my face and hair. Not leaving the house means I don’t have to wear makeup. After a week of only applying moisturizers to my face, I’ve noticed a healthier look and glow to my skin.

8. Heal my hair. I’ve washed my hair a little less frequently and haven’t had a need to apply any chemicals or heat to it. I’ve done a few deep conditions and let it repair itself instead. That’s been a nice change in my hair’s texture.

9. Meditate. Learning to meditate has been on my to-do list for a while. The list of benefits goes on for days. But I’m the queen of finding distractions and pretending I don’t have time to chill out for fifteen minutes. Lowering stress levels is another incredibly important aspect of immune health. So now was as good of a time as ever to learn to slow down, relax, and meditate. Not having to drive to work made it really hard to argue with myself that I couldn’t spare fifteen minutes in the morning to sit with myself and start my day off right. So between my morning cardio and my first cup of coffee, I have been making it a point to sit in silence and really prepare my mind for success.

10. Snuggles with the cats. Again, I’m the queen of distractions so before I leave and when I get home I have a list a mile long of things I need to accomplish. Sadly sitting on the couch and letting Peanutbutter lay on my chest for an hour doesn’t often make it to the list. But now I have those few extra minutes and it’s been a nice little break to have some kitty cuddles. They don’t last long. Marshmallow really couldn’t care less and PB is like his momma, he gets distracted after a bit. But I have come to enjoy the time with them.

The bonus task I have on my personal list is to find a way to keep all of these items in my regular routine now. They have all been so important to my mental health and it would be a shame to go back to old ways once the social distancing period ends. So as the week progresses I’m trying to make it a point to work out how to continue with these things and return to my previous lifestyle. Have any ideas? I’d love to hear what’s been keeping you busy on your “time off”.