How To Be Productive During Quarantine

Hello!

As pharmacy students, we are so use to the constant hustle and bustle, something we’ve definitely had to reel our brakes for with everything occurring the past few months. For many of us, who are so fortunate, this lockdown has given us more time than we may be used to. Before letting cabin fever get to you, here’s some opportunities you can take advantage of to be more productive with this time, or simply do something meaningful:

Enroll in a free course: If you’ve always talked about wanting to learn about marketing, music, or even programming, now is your time to shine. Various platforms are offering free online courses where you can acquire certification at the end of the course. You can find a wide range of foundation level courses to enroll in for free on OpenLearn, FutureLearn, Coursera, or even Harvard University.

Learn a New Skill: Utilize that course you’re taking and put it into action, now is the time to pick up that guitar you bought three years ago convinced that becoming a musician was your true destiny. Practicing an instrument, or learning a new hobby or sport, can teach and fine tune some of your underdeveloped skills, making you a fuller, cooler, more well-rounded person. During the outbreak, Scoove is providing free piano lessons.

Meditate: In crazy times like this, there is nothing more important than practicing mindfulness. Taking a few minutes in the day to center yourself and reflect can help center you, and more importantly, help you keep your sanity. Aura and Headspace are two platforms that can assist you on your journey to nirvana.

Get to know your family: With consistent exams and a constant high-volume workload, I’m sure we’re all very accustomed to telling our families we can’t attend certain commitments because we’re so busy with school. Hang out with your family, learn about their hobbies and interests, and maybe pick up a family puzzle.

Catch up on sleep: This one pretty much explains itself. Do it now. While you can!

Educate yourself on the world: I personally feel writing this post without addressing everything going on in the world would be a little tone deaf. The world is seemingly in chaos, from everything to do with a Global Pandemic to the protests regarding the death of George Floyd, and police brutality; now more than ever is a crucial time to educate yourself on healthcare, politics, and how government works. As the upcoming generation, it’s on us to be the positive change. We are some of the brightest in our age group, and I hope you all take this time to reflect on the world around us, and where you hope the world to be 10 years from now.

Give yourself a break. You don’t have to be productive all the time. It’s okay to take this time to simply do nothing. This opportunity for such an extended amount of free time may never arise in our lifetimes again, so do whatever makes you happy. And if that happens to be nothing, do that.