This post is a departure from the usual “tech tips” theme. If you are looking for a post on my usual theme of educational technology you might want to skip this one. I wanted to mix things up a bit and write on a new topic today. If you are up for a change of pace keep reading, if not I’ll see you in my next edtech related post. So, here goes … I am now working from home and my amount of daily screen time has greatly increased. And it’s because of this increase in my screen time that I feel compelled to share this blog post. I felt out of balance when I first started working from home. Way out of balance. Feeling like I was too connected to work, as my work computer was now always within reach compared to before when I went home for the day and my work computer stayed in my office at school. There was a big shift in my daily schedule and I needed to make adjustments in my life to find a balance in this “new normal”. 

Because of the worldwide impact COVID-19 has had, many of us find ourselves living in a state much different than a short time ago. You might have been recently laid off from work and now suddenly have more time at home than ever before. You might be remotely working from home and find yourself spending the majority of your day on a computer. Either way, chances are your situation has drastically changed, and therefore you might be out of balance.

I am very fortunate in that I am still employed at this time. I am grateful to still have the opportunity to work from home. That being said, it doesn't matter if you feel overwhelmed from working at home or if you are struggling with having too much free time and being trapped in your home during a shelter-in-place. The common theme is that we all need to adjust our sense of balance.

How can you find peace and be the best version of yourself each and every day during a pandemic? How can you find contentment, have the ability to remain focused on tasks, and avoid undue restlessness and frustrations when this new normal is very different from your old normal? ….. You need to find your daily balance.

FIND YOUR DAILY BALANCE

To find peace in times that might not feel peaceful you need to look inside and ask yourself what are the top 3-5 activities that you must include in your daily routine to find balance. Once you identify these 3-5 activities, find a way to integrate them into each and every day. Once you fulfill these daily activities you will feel relaxed and rejuvenated. Your spirits can even be lifted just knowing that you will be doing one of these activities later in the day. Having something to look forward to each day can keep you going even in the hardest of times.  On the other hand, if you do not complete these activities each day, peace might be very elusive. You could find yourself frustrated, irritable, or depressed.

STEP 1 - START YOUR LIST

To start this process, you must first identify the activities that will bring your contentment if completed each and every day. Chances are, you could be floating through these current times in a fog if you haven’t taken the time to think about what it is that you really need to get yourself through each day. Start by making a list. Write down all of the activities that you like to do. Make sure to only list activities that are available to you at this time. For instance, driving to the beach, going to the gym, or visiting a friend’s house is not possible right now. What are activities that are under your control at this point in time. Your list might be long and that’s a great place to start.

STEP 2 - IDENTIFY YOUR TOP NEEDS

Personally, I can think of 50 different things that I would like to do each day, however, you might be restricted by work, responsibilities to family, or just needing to keep your home running. It’s time to prioritize your list and narrow it down to the 3-5 activities that would bring you the most contentment. What activities give you the most bang for the buck? Which activities can you realistically fit into your day? How can you modify activities so that they can fit within your daily schedule? Ask yourself, “Looking at all the activities I listed, which 3-5 daily activities can I not live without?” Also ask, “Which of these activities do I have to include in my daily routine to keep my sanity?”

STEP 3 - PUT YOUR PLAN IN PLACE

Now that you have your top 3-5 activities identified it's time to make a plan. Are you the type of person that needs to create a structured schedule for yourself so you know that at 7:30am each day you will do ‘Activity A’? Or, are you the type of person who needs flexibility so that you can go with the flow and do your activities at different times as needed? Don’t beat yourself up if you get to the end of the day and you realize that you missed a couple of your daily activities. That just means that you might need a more structured schedule. After all, you have identified these needs as essential to your daily life, make sure to honor this commitment to yourself.

HERE’S MY PLAN

This is what works for me right now. Some things have changed prior to how my plan looks right now and I’m sure some things will change again over time. Your list might look very different in mind. No one else can tell you what’s most important to you. Take pride in knowing yourself and what you need to find balance. These are my top 5 activities that I need to include as part of each day:


  • EXERCISE - I love running, however, I fight the urge to run everyday. Instead, I try to find some way to exercise at some point during the day. Maybe my body is not feeling up for another run, so I could do a walk, or any kind of physical exercise. One thing I do know is that I need to find a way to move my body each and every day.
  • BE PRODUCTIVE - It doesn’t matter if it’s a work project or a project at home, but it is important for me to have a sense of accomplishment each day. I might need to complete writing a blog post, finish that portion of the spreadsheet, or do a really good job of vacuuming the house. Simply finishing the task is not enough, I need to make sure I do my best at whatever the task is. Take pride in your work. Anything worth doing is worth doing right.
  • TIME WITH MY WIFE - I need some alone time with my wife. We don’t have time for us to spend hours alone together everyday with both of us working from home and four kids in the house, but we do find time to take a short walk together every day. Just us.
  • TIME WITH MY KIDS - Making time to be with my kids is a must. It doesn’t have to be hours, but I do need to make sure I interact with my kids at some point in the day. It can be playing a card game, watching a movie, or going for a walk. I can sleep well at night knowing that I spent some quality time with kids during the day.
  • TIME TO MYSELF - This can often be paired up with my first activity (exercise). At some point in the day, I need to have at least 30 minutes to myself. Maybe it’s a run or maybe it’s meditating. All I know is that I can get irritable quickly if I don’t create a small chunk of time for myself each day.

At the end of the day, if I can check all of these things off my list, then I feel good. I feel relaxed, and I’m ready to start it all over again the next day. However, some days I feel irritable, small things frustrate me, and I get short with my kids or wife. If I reflect on the days when I am not my best, chances are I missed doing one or more activities from my list.

So, make your list, narrow it down, create a plan, hold yourself accountable, and find your daily balance.

Add a comment below and let me know if you would like to see more off topic posts like this, or if you would like me to stick to writing about all things educational technology.