Extra LSR: Staying Productive During Social Distancing.

The coronavirus has us all adjusting to a new normal of social distancing. Here’s how I’m staying productive.

In all of my 30-something years, I’ve never seen anything like this. Sure, there was SARS, H1N1, Ebola, and Zika. They were all scary and deadly– but social distancing? What? None of those previous outbreaks impacted my daily life. Or humanity on a global scale– at least not like COVID-19 (aka coronavirus) has.

Shop my desk essentials here:

I’ve been working from home for weeks now. (See the original tour of my home office here.) So has Dave. We don’t hit our favorite bars and restaurants for a mid-week pick-me-up or a date night. We don’t go to the movies. Dave’s had most of his spring races canceled. A comedy show (Iliza!) my best friend and I were supposed to see has been postponed until September. My entire organization has moved to telecommuting– and not very smoothly.

Everyone is doing their best during this trying time, but it wears on you. All the things we took for granted– happy hours, swinging by Target on the way home from the office, filling out a bracket and watching some March Madness– all of those things have been canceled, postponed, or closed. And then you hear about the numbers, the people who are getting sick and dying, the alarming rate at which the population is becoming infected– it’s a lot. And for those of you trying to do all this and manage your out-of-school children: you deserve all the awards. And the alcohol.

But this, too, will pass. (As long as everyone keeps listening to the World Health Organization, maintaining a social distancing practice, and washing their hands!) And we’ve got to find a way to not only get by but fully adjust until it does. I’ve gathered some of the tasks and practices I’ve been incorporating these last few weeks that encourage me to stay productive during all this corona madness. And now I’m sharing ’em with you!

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Tackle your closet.

We’ve all been there– suddenly your closet feels stuffed with pieces you don’t love or don’t ever wear. Maybe there are some items that don’t fit properly, or maybe your taste has changed. Whatever the reason, the spring season + social distancing combine for the opportune time to edit that wardrobe.

Take all the pieces that are still wearable and donate ’em; someone else will fall in love with it and you’ll be contributing to sustainable fashion.

Speaking of closets… How is your overflow closet? You know, that one closet in the guest room that ends up housing a little bit of anything and everything (and usually to brim)? Take an hour and sift through it. Throw away what is broken or doesn’t work and then donate the rest.

Some of my fave items to keep me organized:

Wash your makeup brushes– or clean something random.

How often do you give your makeup brushes a good scrub? (Be honest.) Washing them keeps the bristles conditioned, which keeps your brushes in good shape while also removing bacteria that can contribute to breakouts.

Take 20 minutes and do some brushing washing. A brush pad like this really helps get the brush super clean. Be sure to use a gentle soap (I use Dawn) and thoroughly squeeze the water out before laying the brushes out to dry. You can also snag one of these to allow your brushes to dry upside down (this keeps water from seeping down into the part of the brush where the bristles are glued in).

Items to help whip those brushes into shape:

If your makeup brushes are already spotless, scan your house for small tasks that you very rarely do. A few ideas:

• Dust the top of your kitchen cabinets.
• Clean out your freezer and wipe down the shelves.
• Go through your makeup stash and toss anything that is expired.
• Scan your camera roll and move anything to your cloud or to an external hard drive before freeing up the space on your phone. Run through your apps and uninstall anything you don’t use or don’t need anymore. Then do the same for your computer!
• Swiffer your baseboards.

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Take some time to pamper yourself without losing steam.

I’m noticing I’m actually working more in this new work-from-home lifestyle because I’m never really unplugged. There’s no daily leaving of the office to signify that the workday is done, so I often find myself working well outside my usual hours. (It doesn’t help that working for a medical membership organization means that we are busy af trying to help our members navigate this health crisis.) This leaves me feeling completely drained (and often with a screentime-induced headache) at the end of the day.

How to combat this and still be productive? Self-care while you work. (I know, it seems like an oxymoron.)

I’ll throw on a hair mask– a usually messy, wet endeavor that requires me to walk around with a topknot of conditioner-soaked hair for at least a half-hour. I take that time to sit down and plow through some emails. I usually end up sitting there for longer than the required 20-30 hair mask minutes (something I rarely do when I try to squeeze a hair mask in during on a weeknight), and then I take a break and rinse it out. Boom! Two jobs done: one that keeps work moving forward, and one that pampers me a bit.

My favorite pampering products:

Here are some other two-birds-with-one-stone ideas:

• Put on a face mask while on a Skype call (with the laptop camera turned off, obviously). Make sure you reserve sheet masks for times when you’re not required to talk, as these make that kinda tough.
• Soak your feet under your desk (or your kitchen table, or your couch– wherever you work from home) for 15 minutes, then dry off and apply a super hydrating foot or body lotion. Slip on some thick socks and go back to work.
• Taking a break from your laptop? Do a quick 10 minutes of yoga (I’m actually digging this app right now– easy to follow and free). You’ll stretch out those muscles that have been hunched over a computer screen and you’ll log a little movement in the middle of your day.
• Use your lunch break to reconnect by shooting a few, “Hey, thinking of you– what’s new?!” texts to your close friends and family. It’s easy to get disconnected in a time when we’re all staying inside, and passively scrolling through Instagram or Twitter isn’t the same as a real convo. Better yet: call or FaceTime someone!

Pick up that book (or podcast, or Netflix series) you’ve been meaning to finish.

In the age of COVID-19, many of our downtime activities have been postponed indefinitely. So if there’s a book you keep starting but haven’t finished, or there’s a podcast you’ve been meaning to check out– do it! I plan on finishing Dana James’ The Archetype Diet and logging more of Lacy Phillips’ Pathway workshops.

Start something new.

Been meaning to start going on a daily jog? Or taking your pup for a walk? Starting a meditation practice? Or a journal? Now. Is. The. Time. The daily life you knew has been completely upended, so use that to your advantage to start some new, good-for-you practices. By doing them regularly now, they’re more likely to become habits that stick once we hit the stop button on social distancing.

How are you using your social distancing time? I want to hear it all! I want to know how you’re coping, what new hobbies or practices you’ve adopted, and what you’re planning to do to maximize (while staying safe!) during this very strange, very scary period in human history. Tell me in the comments!

Stay safe + well, everyone. (And if you’re still reading this: go wash your hands.)

Linking up with Elegantly Dressed and Stylish, The Fashion Canvas, I Do DeClaire, Straight A Style, Rosy Outlook + Seeking Sunshine, Pumps and Push Ups, Living on Cloud Nine, Curly Crafty Mom + Doused in Pink, Elegance & Mommyhood, Nancy’s Fashion Style, A Pocketful of Polka Dots, Shelbee on the Edge, Jersey Girl Texan Heart, and Away from the Blue.