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For most of us, life looks a lot different right now. Some have kids at home full-time, others are working from home, and some people are now full-time online students. We don’t have to worry as much about getting to the gym, commuting, or keeping a strict sleep schedule. Because we’ve all lost our routines and daily structure, the days can either feel never-ending or like they’re flying by. However, we know that all this “free-time” won’t last forever, so we shouldn’t lose our structure completely.

So let’s talk about how to do that.

Flexible Structure

  1. Create a tentative schedule. When doing this, keep in mind how long you like to sleep, how long it’ll take for you to complete work or school assignments, mealtime, and leisure time.
    • For example:
      • 8 AM: wake up
      • 8:30 AM: have breakfast
      • 9 AM: workout
      • 10AM: shower
      • 10:30 AM: start work for the day
      • 12PM: have lunch
      • 12:30 PM: free time (could be reading, listening to a podcast, going on a walk, etc.)
      • 2 PM: continue work
      • 5 PM: shut down and relax
      • 6 PM: have dinner
    • Make your schedule work for you, and if you have kids at home now, to make sure they’re doing their schoolwork and have something to entertain them during their breaks.
  2. Really try to stick to your normal sleep schedule. Maybe you can stay up and wake up an hour later than usual, but you don’t want to lose your schedule completely. Nothing is worse than becoming accustomed to staying up till 2 AM and sleeping in till 10 AM and unexpectantly having to switch back.
  3. Keep exercising. Even without having a full gym at your disposal, there are so many other ways to stay moving. Go on walks or ride your bike. You can follow at home workout videos on YouTube, where most require little to none equipment.
  4. Stay connected. We’re lucky to live in a world consumed by technology. Using facetime, zoom, or regular texting can keep you connected to friends and family and make you feel a little less alone.

Even though we have to create a “new normal”, it doesn’t have to be too different from our typical routine.

Written by GUADS Staff member Toni