By Kelsea Dizon
If your life is anything like mine—where constantly being busy is the everyday norm—this quarantine has turned your normal routine upside down. After juggling extracurriculars, sports, work, and school, I found that going from always doing something to doing nothing at all was difficult to work with. I know, sounds crazy. Who doesn’t want to do nothing for weeks, especially if your everyday schedule was running around trying to get everything done. Well, for people like me who actually enjoy staying busy, I found that keeping a daily schedule helped maintain my sanity over this coronacation. Some benefits include, but are not limited to:
Consistency! Many studies on healthy life routines label consistency as a great way to build momentum and discipline. When certain activities become consistent daily, such as exercising or reading, the habits become almost second nature.
Routines can aid in mental health; they help us feel in control and incorporate daily activities that are important to you. Not to mention, routines help individuals cope with change (i.e. quarantine), form healthy habits, and reduce stress levels.
Schedules are a good source of motivation. As many of us prepare to take AP exams, we seem to struggle to find the motivation to just get our homework done, either out of procrastination or a simple lack of desire to get assignments done. By developing a study schedule, you are more likely to actually open your textbook instead of having it reside in your backpack like it has been for the last month or so.
Completing tasks leads to self-confidence. Normally crossing off all the tasks you need to complete in a day creates a feeling of elation and satisfaction; you feel productive and happy about staying on schedule.
You may think “scheduling sounds like a lot of work” or “scheduling takes a lot of discipline that I don’t have.” Well, I thought the same thing too, but that preconception could not be farther from the truth. The best way to keep track of your schedule is by simply writing down your goals and tasks in a journal and checking them off once you finish. Since quarantine, I have not separated from my bullet journal and have become obsessed with crossing off all the things I need to do. Getting things done helped me feel a sense of purpose during this prolonged four-day weekend where time feels slow and pointless, and hopefully it can do the same for you.