How to Stay Productive under Quarantine??
Updated: Aug 13, 2020
Paramita Sen
Assistant Professor
Department of Commerce and Management
Jyoti Nivas College Autonomous, Bangalore
Being stuck at home does not automatically grant you free time, energy, focus, and motivation. For many, time is being taken up by new tasks, such as disinfecting surfaces multiple times a day, spending longer hours caring for children, cooking each and every meal, and washing an excess amount of dishes. Not to mention, dealing with the corona-virus (COVID-19) pandemic alone can be draining. It’s okay to feel robbed of your energy and focus at times.
On 16th March 2020, We had scheduled our Students Day celebration in College which is also celebrated as ethnic day. But unfortunately we had to cancel the event for the safety of the student community which definitely had dampen the spirit and enthusiasm of our students.
Initially we had cancelled all our classes only for the students but later management decided to give off to the faculty as well. It was a tensed situation, because exams were scheduled from 15th April and portions were yet to be completed. But we thought for the well being of the society it is better to maintain social distancing. Therefore, we were asked to take online classes.
It is not so easy to take online classes. It is consuming quite a lot of time. But Class room teaching is always exciting and enjoying.
I am pursuing my PhD, and our course work is going on, so for that also I am attending webinars, I have also enrolled for online research writing course. Assignments are given to us by the professors and we need to submit that. So overall, it is taking quite a lot of time.
My ten yrs old son is also at home. Schools are encouraging the students to take part in different online competitions, I am also trying to involve him in drawing, mock Olympiad test and reading some books. He prefers reading fictional s. We also play some board games together.
Coming to spending my own personal time, for me cooking is a great stress buster. Being a working lady I don't get much time to cook so now i am utilizing this opportunity to cook variety of dishes. I am reading some research articles as a part of my work and also indulging myself in personal grooming apart from doing other household chores.
So basically I am packed up.
I would like to tell the students that please utilize this time productively. Study for your exams, enroll for some short term courses. Please help your parents in household chores. Cooking is a life skill, irrespective of you are a boy or a girl, you must learn to cook the basic items. You cannot survive on Maggie so It is better to learn cooking something which is healthy. You can clean ur wardrobe, study table, shoe rack etc. Read some articles on current affairs. Sing, paint, sketch, dance, do whatever excites you.
Students life is a race, you may never get such off time again. Spend quality time with ur family.
I would suggest the working professionals that this is the best time to connect with our friends and relatives. Call them and talk to them. Generally due to work pressure, we don't get time to call our extended family members, I think it is the best time to recreate the bond. You can involve your children into healthy discussion like to be considerate towards the less deprived, or about nature and environment or about money saving, personal hygiene, human relationship, developing positive attitude etc. You can pursue your hobby like gardening or singing or anything which gives you happiness.
How can people overcome these challenges?
The simplest way to overcome these challenges is to ensure that there are shared expectations and clear communication. Employees should ensure they have a clear understanding of their deliverable and deadlines. Parents should communicate with both teachers and employers to work out a flexible schedule to meet both deadlines and we should all shift our mindset to be able to embrace the change and identify the opportunities these transitions present. More practical solutions include: Creating a home office and a flexible schedule Prioritizing deliverable s Work on the most important tasks first Creating meal plans Ask for help
Whatever has to happen will happen... Let's pray for the best...but such free time we will never get...make the most out of it.
Stay safe..Stay healthy..Stay Alive.
