Coronavirus – How to make the ideal time management for home-quarantine

Image: MTI/Balázs Attila

Our homes are safe environments where returning to after a long and tiring day is always a relief. They recharge us and provide us with every necessary comfort we need, and most importantly: it is our place and nobody else’s. Due to the coronavirus, we must stay at home now to stop the epidemic. Despite all the positive factors mentioned above, we are simply not programmed to remain indoors for months, and this might cause us problems.

Staying at home in the same environment for days, weeks and months might cause you difficulties and before you realise your private place will start to bother you. Chaos seems to be inevitable, and you do not know what to do. The most challenging thing about home-quarantine is that activities which we usually did outside of our homes suddenly “moved in” with us. These include work (home office), studying (distance learning), exercising (for those who usually go to a gym); furthermore, parties and hanging out with your friends begin to be more frequent online because you cannot go out.

How can we prevent our home from becoming our enemy? In this article, I would like to share how to make a well-scheduled and prepared time management alongside with some other strategies.

The first advice is taking awakening seriously. Sometimes it feels good to sleep until noon or further, but on a long term, it is not advisable because it will change your whole biorhythm and will make you stay up late at nights during 2 am or even 3 am. Try to wake up between 8 and 9 am and take it seriously. Get out of the bed, get dressed and have some nice breakfast because it is an essential part of the day to give you energy.

Read also5+1 Hungarian breakfasts to start your day right

After you woke up and had your breakfast, it is advisable to plan your day. Also, it is useful to categorise each task: what is necessary and cannot be postponed, what is essential but can be delayed later, and what is not that important to do right away. On the other hand, do not let your planning become your enemy! Be realistic because although you are at home and everything is provided, you do not have to change the world and overwork yourself. Less is more.

Determine precisely how much time each task needs to see your whole day. It is advisable to start with the more manageable tasks to warm you up and give you enthusiasm for the more difficult ones. Finish every job and take some rest after every half hour.

If you feel like you do not have any tasks, you still have one which is taking care of yourself. Relax, take deep breaths, do yoga, some exercise or just spend some time outside in the garden or take a walk to safe distance avoiding other people. Taking care of yourself is as important as taking care of others. If you spend your quarantine with your family or roommate, have some time for them too to talk, play some board games, watch television together or just simply relax. Connect with other people too, through social media and have long and pleasant conversations, preferably not about the coronavirus.

Talking about online platforms, it is a huge benefit to have smartphones, laptops, Internet and millions of websites to keep us entertained and connected but time management also should include some hours or even a whole day when you turn off every screen around you. Believe me, it helps you in recharging yourself. At the end of the day, think about what you did, how it was, and what needs to be changed for the next day. Take conclusions every day and use those to make the next one better.

Last but not least, do not forget that you are not the only one who has problems with staying at home but maybe your best friend also. Be patient with others, listen to them, give advice and be helpful and kind.