How to avoid Complacency during COVID-19

Picture Credit: Order of Man

With COVID-19, everyone is on the go on what to do and how to spend the time. Earlier on time was a constraint. Whenever extra work landed in our laps the first excuse that came out was that there was no time.

Some years ago I had my new year’s goal as adjusting the 25^th hour in my daily routine. Sounds funny, doesn’t it?

But this philosophy somehow gave me the idea that I had that extra hour where I would do something like write or embroider or paint or anything else. I just had that satisfactory feeling that somehow I had that extra hour in a 24 hours schedule and so I have achieved something more.

Now after all these years I have 24 hours where I can do what I like. They are laid out like a nice and tempting buffet with a delicacy that could be eaten every hour and relished. We have an overload of the time. We can choose to work on our hobbies or anything else that we wish to. I had thought I would write continuously and unstoppingly which is one of my goals.

But what happened? COMPLACENCY!

This is a killer when you have time on your hands. It creeps in so slowly you will not realise until days have passed and you did not do anything about it. It will create a cloud over your eyes and not let you see your true worth. It will rain excuses over you and make you sit in a corner with the umbrella of guilt and I-just-cannot-do-anything attitude. It will cripple your mind into thinking that the entire world is relaxing. It will make you eat the idea that this is the long lost vacation that you wanted so you should enjoy it.

Well the choice s entirely yours my friend. I also chose it for the first one week of the Lock down period. My mind came up with excuses that it is alright to sleep for an extra hour, or perfectly fine if you do not exercise or writing needs peace and patience, etc. etc.

But then when I calculated the time of the day and tried to divide it into working hours and other things reality slapped me in my face. I had been less productive than I have ever been in almost a decade.

“You kill Procrastination by taking the first step. There is no Rocket Science in it.”

So I framed a schedule, re-defined my goals, set priorities again and then I finally relaxed.

So here are a few things which educators should follow –

Define a Time Table-

“The price of discipline is always less than the pain of regret.”

One should understand this at the earliest.

It is very important to plan out a day’s schedule on paper. The rules of time management will come in handy here. Plan a schedule hour wise and abide by your plan.

Right from your wake up time to the time you sleep write down the tasks that you wish to perform.

Writing is reinforcement for the brain hence I strongly advise to go in for the written format. If you write it down in your journal or diary, you can make changes, fair it out, stick it somewhere and ensure that you implement.

Many problems get erased with this one solution. You will have a sense of satisfaction and achievement. Everything cannot be gauged on monetary lines. Self satisfaction is highly required. Make it CONTAGIOUS!

Plan out goals for lockdown-

“No great life was ever built on the foundation of excuses. So stop making them”

The normal schedule has the normal goals. Think and rethink until you have some new goals for the lock down period. It will give you the motivation required to pass days and nights.

Your thoughts are your motivation. So utilise them. Plan out new goals like watching a new movie everyday for five days, or you will cook three or four course meals everyday, or reach out to help an elderly person by reading or managing some household work for them, exercising and a healthy diet are all time favourites.

You can choose any goals which are simplistic and achievable without too much of a hussle involved.

Beginning the day with meditation and prayer keeps you a gentle and kind person throughout the day.

Leave your comfort zone-

The comfort zone resides in your mind. Something should be done everyday which you have not done in many years. Moving out of the comfort zone is adventurous. It also boosts adrenalin in your veins hence leaving you mentally happy and satisfied.

Do something Good

Everyone needs goodness right now. You can lend a smile or a helping hand. Everyone needs it. So please think of spreading goodness in every way that you can.

Call and inform people that you are ready to help in any manner possible. Apart from monetary help, people are feeling depressed and are unable to sustain the pandemic only because they are alone.

Call up or video call and provide company, share a joke, read out some good text, cook something delicious for someone who is very happy, etc.

Just make someone or the other see the light at the other end of the tunnel

Stop watching the hourly news-

This ritual has to be stopped. There is a lot of fear and uncertainty spread by the virus and the next thing responsible is the media. So do not watch all the new updates 24 x 7.

Switch it on once a day and gather all the information required. Then spend the day with a feeling of happiness and gratitude that you and everyone is safe.

Catch up on lots of entertainment-

This is one of the times to catch up on the entertainment that you have lost. Watch all the serials or the web series, movies or play online games. One can relax very well with these ways of entertainment.

Final Word-

Just start doing something and everything else will fall into place.  The day is scheduled into hours, a month into days and a year into months so obviously, there is a lot of value attached to a schedule to deliver the necessary output.

Kesar Patel is a National Award winner. She is a blogger who details the life of an educator through the colours of her own experience in the field of education. Follow her at kesarpatel1234@gmail.com.