In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is easy to slip into a period of extended inactivity while you are quarantined. This might be exacerbated by being out of work or home from school during this uncertain time. It’s difficult to figure out what your next move should be, but you can keep yourself occupied.

Here are ways you can stay productive while you’re in quarantine:

1. Get additional training. Even if you’re not working, there’s no reason why you can’t continue your education and add something new to your credentials. With more time on your hands, you can fully focus on a certification programme or two. It’s one way to gain a competitive edge in your field and stay current as well. For flexible and convenient training programmes, check out the accredited courses offered by Priority Management.
2. Learn a new language.You can allocate your extra time towards learning a new language. It doesn’t matter if you’re increasing your fluency or learning the basics, you can still reap the cognitive benefits of doing so. Moreover, you gain a deeper understanding of a different culture and open yourself up to new personal and professional relationships. Speaking another language is always an advantage.
3. Read more books. When was the last time you sat down and read a book for pleasure? If you couldn’t answer that question, then it’s probably been too long. Try reading books that cover subject matter or tell stories that are interesting to you. Read books about investing and marketing if you’ve always wanted to learn more about those topics. Pick up a work of fiction about crime, romance, horror or fantasy and get lost in the pages.You don’t even need to buy actual books to do this, you can download electronic copies of the books you want to read. That way, you always have them readily available on your mobile devices.
4. Do more of your hobbies. Dedicating more time to doing your hobbies while in self-isolation can help keep you creative (and sane). While it is important to devote time to developing yourself professionally, you also need to make room for what you actually enjoy doing as well. Time spent in quarantine can be best utilised for rebalancing your life. This includes having more time for your hobbies.If you are guilty of focusing too much on work, you can use this period to help train yourself to make time for your leisurely pursuits. Whether it’s crafting, gaming, sewing, carpentry or woodwork that you love doing during your free time, you have more time to enjoy your hobbies while you’re self-isolating.
5. Offer your services for freelance work. Do you know how to do simple bookkeeping tasks? Can you do secretarial work? Are you competent in video editing, copywriting, graphic design, voice acting, and other similar trades? You can use this time in self-isolation to take on freelance work to keep you occupied and make a bit of money. You can create an account on sites like Fiverr, Reddit and many more.
6. Improve your resume. While you’re self-isolating, you’ll have much more time to think, so why not re-evaluate your current job and career? After all, you have more time to reflect on your career progress and answer these important questions honestly: Are you truly happy with what you’re doing for a living? Do you see yourself staying at your current job and getting promoted?If not, it might be time to take out your work resume and give it a much-needed overhaul. Update it with your current work experience and go one step further by creating a template for your cover letter to include with your resume. Sometimes, being in quarantine is the best reason for you to seek new employment.
7. Stick to a routine. One of the best ways to stay productive is to create a routine and stick to it. While your day-to-day tasks now can be quite different from how they were before, you should still follow a rough schedule on a regular basis. Things like exercise, grooming, eating three meals a day and more will do wonders to keep you sane and dynamic even while you’re quarantined. Remember that you still have control over your habits and schedule, even if you’re in the middle of a situation that is out of your hands. It’s best to optimise that.
8. Reach out to your loved ones. Putting effort into your interpersonal relationships is a productive use of time as well. After all, your loved ones will be there for you even if you feel like your world has come crashing down. Make the extra time worthwhile by keeping in touch with your friends and family, especially when you’re self-isolating away from them. A simple ‘how are you?’ will mean much more during this time, and your efforts will be much appreciated.

Once you’ve started talking, then you can exchange stories, have conversations of varying depth, and make post-quarantine plans. This is one of the best times to nurture the relationships that you think are worth keeping. It is through the bond that we share with these people that will help keep us grounded and help us survive self-isolation, especially on the really bad days.

Remember not to be so self-critical or hard on yourself during this time. It is perfectly fine if your productivity level is different from how it used to be. The important thing to remember is that you should strive for consistency—not perfection—when it comes to staying productive.