During the first weeks of COVID, many of us found ourselves working from home or participating in quarantine either way. And, during the first four or five days, it is safe to say that many enjoyed it. People may have stayed in their pajamas, woke up without an alarm, and when they wanted, and ate when they were hungry. But before that first week was over, everyone discovered that living this way is more tiring and draining than their normal life routine and schedule.
No matter how tedious your job is, it can be made healthier and more fulfilling by separating the tasks you have out and performing them as a part of a routine each day. For most, this comes as no surprise. But that does not make accepting and working towards a routine and schedule on your own any easier. However, knowing the ways a routine lifts the heavyweight off your heart can motivate you to follow through.
It is important nowadays to keep oneself moving in a habitual way, get from one task to another day-after-day.
Reducing Stress and Extending Your Life
Humans naturally live off of a circadian rhythm, a 24-hour cycle. We live and grow up on a planet that rotates and changes in this same repetitive pattern. Our body’s automatic systems and our subconscious do its best to sync up with the day and night cycle. It needs regular rest to maintain itself and recharge its batteries. In our natural habitat, that time was at night. Nowadays, many of us fight this natural cycle. That puts undue stress on us, which is quite unhealthy. We now have the freedom to create our own schedule. Working from home, we can choose to sleep and wake up when our body asks us to.
During the pandemic, they recommended to not go to the gym. These are the most dangerous places for a spread with the heavy breathing in close quarters and touching weights handles. Now, you can go for a run in the mornings and do an at-workout. This will wake you up and leave you showered and energized for your day.
Everyone who has tried to eat healthy knows that preparing meals at home is the way to go. You can take advantage of this time when eating out is not recommended. It is not feasible to cook every time you go to eat, three times a day, juggling work and everything else. Instead, the way to go is meal prep where you make your food ready-to-eat at the same time every week.
Most of all, though, a schedule makes an effective use of time and increased productivity in your work. Even if you have a busy day ahead of you, you can make it manageable by breaking it down and reduce stress by not having to worry about which task to go to next. It keeps down choice fatigue and streamlines your work. As you can see, there are many ways how having a schedule/routine can be beneficial to your day.