Hello!

I’ve been meaning to write something here for a long time, but as for many of us, this life in a pandemic that started out feeling as though it was filled with endless amounts of free time, has rapidly filled those spaces with new stressors, obligations, and other endeavors.

It seems like I’ve been talking a lot about time with my patients lately. Time, in terms of “How long will this last?” But even more often, I’m hearing concerns about individuals feeling as though they have all the time in the world, yet they’re struggling to accomplish the same types of things they did before the pandemic began.

This appears to be affecting not only those of us who are working from home but also those who are engaging in remote learning, especially college students. A lot of people are completely astonished to find that although they have nowhere to physically be, no commute, and no co-workers to drop in and give them new things to do, they’re having trouble meeting deadlines and generally staying on top of their workload.

At this point, many have identified the importance of structure. Having set times for meetings, classes, and other appointments used to help keep us on track. We couldn’t avoid or put off doing things when we were expected to show up or face immediate consequences. Now, a lot of us find we easily give in to doing all those things we also need to do and prefer over the more mentally taxing activities (hello procrasticleaning!). With a large amount of ambiguous flexible time, we’re vulnerable to doing all these things that allow us to feel productive but that are also easier to initiate than the work we should be doing.

The other thing I’ve noticed, especially amongst college students, is considering the day to have 24 “useable” hours. With all this time available for getting work done, watching 2-seasons of the latest Netflix original, videogaming, or just sleeping in until noon doesn’t seem like a big deal. You’ve got all night to get on task right? Maybe not.

The problems I’ve observed in holding to the 24-usable hours perspective include the development of significant sleep difficulties. I have a lot to say about sleep hygiene, but I should probably leave that for another post.

 Another problem is failing to consider when you’re at your “peak” in terms of alertness and ability to tackle complex tasks. Research suggests that most of us are more capable of processing high-level information and produce better quality work in the morning. While this isn’t everyone, it’s important to know when your peak hours are so to avoid wasting them on tasks that don’t require as much brain power.

Finally, considering the whole day to be available for work or academic endeavors makes it increasingly easier to continue to put things off. “It’s OK if I don’t get to it today, I have ALL day tomorrow…” and repeat 7 days a week.

So what can we do to help ourselves during “these unprecedented times” that keep going, and going, and going?

First, get that structure back. This isn’t fun at first, but even if you don’t have an early meeting, and even if you don’t have to spend time doing your hair and makeup any more, get yourself up and going at the same time (or about the same time) every day. Establish a designated work space, and develop a routine. The more you do it, the less you’ll have to think about it, and the less likely you’ll be to deviate from it.

Second, and I know this sounds counterintuitive, but limit your work time. Set “business hours” and stick to them. Take into consideration what time you feel like you’re capable of being most productive as well as what other obligations you have. After establishing what time you’re going to wake up and get started, decide what time to call it quits and devote the rest of the day to yourself, your family, your home, etc. Remember when you were in the office and you were both eager to get out of there by 4:30, but also didn’t want to (or couldn’t) leave things dangling until tomorrow? Try to adopt this same mentality, and you may be pleasantly surprised by how much you are able to accomplish- all while maintaining time for the things you really want to do.

Lastly, don’t forget to schedule breaks. How you do this depends on your personal preferences and style, so feel free to test out a couple different strategies. Maybe you decide on a time to take a break no matter what you may be in the middle of doing. Just set a timer for that time, and when it goes off, don’t hesitate to  drop everything, and kick back or grab a snack.

Alternatively, look over your to do list for the day and decide after completion of which task or tasks you will reward yourself with a break. To make optimize your breaks, decide on a length of time that will allow you to recharge to some extent but that is not so long that reinitiating work is a challenge. Setting a timer may be helpful for 10-30 minutes may be helpful for this. On the other hand, you may find it more helpful to decide on a break activity and return to work after it is completed (e.g., have lunch, take a walk around the block, sort some laundry, etc.).

it’s uncertain how long “these times” will last, but I think these are effective strategies you can take with you to allow you to be more adaptable and resilient as you face the next thing that can disrupt your ability to be productive.