How to plan for long breaks effectively

Long term planning is often undervalued by our indefinite short term world.

Peter Thiel

During this ‘Rona time, we have been given the gift of time. We are all facing this time, which is unusual and nothing of the sort we have experienced before. Through no fault of our own, we are now finding ourselves working for home, having shorter working days, and even being stood down. Whatever your situation is, use this time as an opportunity to get clarity and plan your big goals.

Here are some strategies to use this time effectively:

1. Set goals – Hopefully you’ve done this exercise in the beginning of the year. To learn more on how to set goals – check out my blog post. Scratch out the stuff you can’t do – such as outdoor activities, travelling. Work on the other stuff.
2. Declutter – This has been my favorite thing. More details about declutter in this blog post.
3. Plan your finances – This time has been the best time to save money. Our gym subscriptions, eating outside, travel are out of the window at the moment. Save some cash while you are able to. Plan your finances better for when life goes back to ‘normal’.
4. Do something for you – In the hustle bustle of the week, we forget to stop and enjoy a hot chocolate while it is raining outside.Take this time to spend on ‘self care’. This can be anything that brings you joy. 100% guilt free. Just remind yourself that it is okay and is very much necessary.
5. Plan your days – As many countries go into lockdown, days blend into each other, one netflix show after another. To avoid the guilt of being a sloth, wake up each morning and plan your day. Write three things you would want to accomplish that day and get to them.
6. Exercise – I have been trying to be diligent with exercise since the gyms have closed now. It has been a challenge but is absolutely essential for my mental health. Plan for a run, walk, or home workout.
7. Stay connected – Being an introvert, minimum social interaction comes easy to me. But it is important to stay connected to other people and we have to make the extra effort at this time.

Every cloud has a silver lining. This is a temporary setback to our daily routines. It is probably the kick on the back side we needed to review our priorities.