Six Quarantine Takeaways

This post originally appeared in the Monday morning newsletter on 6/29/20.

As I write this, I’m on an airplane that just left Orlando. From the masks to the empty middle seats to the closed restaurants, it’s a stark contrast to what traveling looked like this time last year, or even four months ago.

And in some ways, I too feel like a different person than who I was this time last year… or even four months ago. 

I know things are far from “over” and we are not “getting back to normal,” but with phased reopenings progressing, restrictions loosening and e-learning completed for the school year, it does feel like we are in a different situation than the previous 100 days.  

Today, I won’t try to relate my situation to yours or tell you what’s been hard for me personally during this time. Because we all have different circumstances that make for different experiences. But what I am excited to share with you today is an exercise I just did on this plane ride to help organize my thoughts. Because while there have been hard and sad things during these last 100 days, there have also been important discoveries and interesting growth opportunities. 

So below I share six “lessons” I hope to take away from my recent experiences. And my hope is that after reading, you might want to make a list too. 

My six lessons range greatly in importance and nothing is absolutely groundbreaking. The below list is just the result of a fun activity that challenged me to find some meaning from the past couple months. 

So, without further ado, here are 6 lessons I hope to take with me from the past 100 days: 

1. Connecting with someone I love every day makes me happy: Whether it was a quick text, phone call on a walk or video chat, I always experienced a boost in my mood after taking the time to connect with a friend or family member. To ensure I kept up with this, I incorporated it into my morning routine and took time each morning to think about a friend or family member to reach out to. It was an awesome way to start the day! 
2. Mini breaks are energizing: For me, working without the transition of a commute time made it tough to know when to start and stop. In the first couple weeks of quarantine, I just kept working until I ultimately found my quality of work and overall productivity decreasing as a result. So, I started taking “mini breaks.” Researchers have found that the most productive people are the ones who take frequent breaks. Specifically, the ideal work rhythm was 52 minutes of work followed by a break. When I had a big task on my list, I would set my timer for 50 minutes (or however long I could manage) and work until the timer went off. When time was up, I walked away from my work (even if I was in the middle of something), closed my eyes and moved around for 10 seconds or so. As a result, I really saw a difference in my energy throughout the day and amount of work I was able to produce. 
3. My beliefs are stronger when challenged: I’ve been lucky enough to read some really great books during this time, hear new perspectives and have time to think and sit with my thoughts. One of my biggest takeaways is that there is power in approaching a situation with an open mind and power in focusing on our second thought. I’m committed to continually seeking out new perspectives and checking in on my beliefs. I’ve learned when I challenge my beliefs, they only get stronger…no matter if the belief changes or stays the same.
4. Reading is fun, challenging and relaxing: When I put together this update on my 20 in 2020 List, I realized I’ve read 17 books since the beginning of quarantine. Staying safe at home and my personal circumstances definitely helped, but the large number made me reflect on how reading was something I did when I was ready to learn in the morning, winding down at night or for “fun” on the weekends. 
5. Monitoring the media I consume: This lesson came after I spent the beginning of quarantine consuming way too much news and not feeling so great after. Of course it is important to be informed, but I had to decrease the amount of news I was consuming to protect some of my energy. And the same goes for social media. I really paid attention to how I was feeling while on the app (happy? anxious?) and tried to adjust my screen time and personal feed accordingly. 
6. Lemon water in the morning: This feels silly to include, but it is really something that made a difference! Loved taking time to hydrate and drink water with lemon before I drank my first cup of coffee.

What do you think? Will you make your own list to commemorate the past couple of months? 

Want to receive a note like this to your inbox every Monday at 6 AM EST? Sign up here! If you don’t receive the email, please check your spam or junk folder. 

Have feedback, thoughts or a question you want addressed in an upcoming newsletter? Drop an anonymous note to my mailbox here!