setting new (quarantine) routines

I’ve used the first few days of quarantine to deep-clean, to organize, to change our internet plan, and to do all the little projects that have been on my forever to-do list.

It was on day three of quarantine while cleaning out the contents of the freezer (and clearing all the old Christmas cookies and hidden donuts into my mouth) that I realized I could be doing so much more.

There are certain habits I’ve wanted to break, and others I’ve wanted to create, for some time, but haven’t for one reason or another. The root of those reasons, however, usually boils down to the same thing: life.

Life has changed majorly for many people since this quarantine took hold, myself included. I’m usually up by 5 a.m. and out the door by 5:20. I’m usually around people all day, talking the entire time. I’m usually exhausted when I get home in the afternoon, and what I had hoped would be a productive few hours before dinner turns into a nap and The Office.

But now, I sleep until 6 a.m. (win!). I don’t see people. I don’t speak. I’m not tired in the afternoon (sometimes I still nap). As a closeted introvert, I’m not upset.

Now I’m starting to see this time at home for the opportunity it is — a quarantine detox. Forcing me to spend more time with myself, and less time with others (and let’s face it — any desire to eat better usually gets derailed when someone says “let’s go to Suzy Q”).

Now I can focus on some of those habits that I want to create/break:

• Run in the mornings (I like the idea of it, we’ll see if I actually like doing it).
• Practice Italian everyday (I committed to Duolingo by purchasing the ad-free version).
• Do more yoga (online for now, thanks to Soul Speak and Pure and my Sarah who made her first yoga video).
• Bring more focus to veggies on my plate (don’t just eat peanut butter toast).
• Eat more protein (don’t just eat peanut butter toast).
• Eat less sugar (don’t just eat old Christmas cookies and donuts — but definitely still sometimes)
• Drink more water (and don’t be too lazy to fill my water bottle once it’s empty).

If I wanted to (which, in theory, I do), right now I could go for a run, come home and practice yoga, and then make some sort of omelette with loads of veggies. I’d have time for all of it.

And hopefully, when I’m back to 5 a.m. wake up calls and 1 p.m. nap times, I will have a solid hold on some new habits that I can carry on.

This is what *my* quarantine routine will (hopefully) look like and by no means do I think it’s what yours should look like (unless these are things you want).

What could you do with this time off? Without distraction? Without social calls? Without having to run off to work?