Covid-19: Ways to Keep a Routine During Isolation

During these times of perhaps forgetting what day it is, wanting to climb the walls through boredom or just ignoring that itch to want to go and see someone that is not directly sitting in your house. How do you combat boredom? How do you stick to a routine that doesn’t involve going out?

For those of you with children…

I have to admit I am slightly disadvantaged; I have one child and keeping her entertained is not always easy and at the moment due to her currently approaching teenage hormones, she is quite happy to stay indoors and not move out of the house as long as she has the machine of ignorance: her mobile phone. I am pretty strict with phone time and have to admit the last 6 days that if I viewed her TikTok time I might have heart failure.

Maisie’s homeschooling is working pretty well and thanks to my partner she has a set routine and we are finding that part pretty easy. I also have her set up with Zoom so she can still have her Kent test tuition with her tutor but at a safe distance through a screen which is rather novel as she gets more screen time.

Approaching the weekends is going to be a slight struggle. Maisie doesn’t want to go out into the garden so we are hoping by some sort of miracle that we can get some plants delivered and get her out for some vital Vitamin D and getting slightly dirty in the process and making up a flower bed in the garden.

Maisie’s current routine:

9-9:30 Joe Wicks exercise class or just dance
9:30-10:30 creative writing
11-12 mock test papers
1-3:30 – a mixture of art classes streamed online, home economics, or reading

Weekends are free for all so she will be abusing Youtube, TicTok or Beetlejuice.

My routine

As a general rule I am pretty used to working from home. I have been self employed for a long time so I know the drill. At the moment I work out on the road Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays; I alternate weekends so I have two half Sundays and two Saturdays off a month. The other days I work from home and manage my Crohn’sFighting accounts and do my blog post-write-ups for Pelican.

The hours I work don’t really make for an active social life and things have to be put into a diary and plans are usually made.

I typically aim for a Friday off so those days usually involve my social interactions. My Fridays are now going to be filled with R&R, puzzles and reading.

The only person allowed to go food shopping at the moment is Ben; he is being rather protective at the moment and it’s not worth me even attempting to stop off for food because he will give me one stern telling off. He is about to brave Aldi today so we can continue with our week by week ready steady cook competitions. Turns out my noodle fetish the last few years has paid off as I have a kitchen store cupboard full of them…

Things you can do

At the moment all heroes wear capes by staying home. There are most likely countless DIY jobs that the gentlemen can do because they currently have time to do them.

Gardening if your garden is closed off; that long-awaited weed pulling can commence along with making flower beds.

At the moment Sky have uploaded all current cinema films available to purchase and at £15.99 that’s cheaper than most cinema tickets.

Think of all those Netflix binges you haven’t been able to do prior, they are now there for you to binge away.

Joe wicks is live streaming workouts for children’s PE Monday through to Friday.

Chris Hemsworth is offering 6 weeks of free workout videos so both the male and females with a crush on this lovely man, can get fit or drool at the TV, the choice is yours.

I go out for one walk a day, usually on my own as I live in a pretty remote area that has a fair amount of woodland and open fields. I also have a current alcohol shortage so today’s walk involves me stopping off at my friend’s driveway to procure a bottle that he is leaving on his driveway for me to collect at a safe social distancing measure. My friend is a legend, can rely on him for stockpiles of vodka to get me out of a bind.

For you struggling with homework for the children there is a pretty extensive list of free trials at the moment. Ben set up skillshare which is a free online application for two months. You can print off worksheets, stream art classes etc, there are basically tonnes of things to keep on top of your child’s school education as I know Maisie has already completed the emergency school pack sent home.

Make use of your pyjamas. I currently haven’t got to the stage of day time Pj’s vs Nighttime Pj’s but there’s still time.

For those of you with any further suggestions please feel free to comment so we can add them to the list.

As always,

Many thanks for reading

Stay safe

Louise X

Click here for more tips and guidance on dealing with mental health during the Covid-19 outbreak