Friday, April 17, 2020

Discussion: Quarantine 2020


This Week’s Topic:
QUARANTINE 2020

Let's face it, the quarantine of 2020 gets a lot of attention these days. I am loving all the fun memes, check-ins, and lists of how to beat the boredom. But, I also feel guilty.

When I was first given leave from my job, they told me it would be two weeks. Therefore, I initially treated it as a little vacation, and more or less passed the days the same way I would any given Saturday or Sunday. Now that it seems like we may be hunkered down for a bit longer, I wish I had used the time better.

Things I Could Have Done

  • Exercise - Normally, I am gone for 12+ hours a day, and I am tired, when I get home. I will admit, I have not been keeping up any sort of exercise regime. But now, I have full days at home, and I really could have used the time to get a bit more physical. 
  • Reorganize - When we moved in a few years ago, it was fresh start. I got to sort out a lot of the clutter, that had accumulated over the 18 years I spent in my last home. Alas, my own life is governed by chaos theory, and has become more disordered. I had lots of time. I could have cleaned out some of these drawers, but I didn't 
  • Blog Ahead - Every weekend, I blog for the upcoming week. With my wide open calendar, I should have lots of posts drafted, and ready to go. I think you know the answer to this - I don't. 
  • Learn a Skill - I used to have more hard skills, before I wasted over a decade of my life teaching in a public school. There are free online classes, or even paid classes, I could have signed up for. I would have been able to add something new to the resume, but I didn't make that commitment, because I thought this was going to be a short, temporary situation. 
  • Interact More - Whoo hoo! Free time! I can spend more time on social media, being social. That's what you think! I maybe spent just as much time or less in reality, though, I was good about blog hopping. 
What I Did Do
  • Read - I know a lot of people are saying they are too distracted to read, but I have found, that it is still my number one escape. I did think I would read more, but I tend to waste time, when I have no structure. 
  • Newspaper Puzzles - I used to do the puzzle every day, but once I took my current job, I just didn't have the time. This is one activity I have welcomed back with open arms. 
  • Animal Crossing - This has probably been my biggest time suck. I forgot how obsessed I get, when I am playing this game, but it's all coming back to me. I am enjoying myself immensely, and it's become a bonding activity for me and my daughter, as we quarantine 700 miles apart. 


I am sort of ashamed, that I have not been more productive, but am grateful, that I can be home to help my parents.

Now it's your turn!

Has your quarantine been productive? 
Let us know in the comments!

62 comments:

  1. I don't think it's a time for feeling guilty. Life is extra hard at the moment, just do what makes you feel happy. Who ever decided a pandemic was a time for being extra productive?! Like you I'm finding my books to be a great comfort, which is fab as before this I was stuck in the biggest reading slump.

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    1. I never have a lot of free time, so I will always want to use it better, but I am really just connecting with my inner sloth. I am glad you were able to find your way out of your reading slump. That's great that reading made a comeback just in time to help you get through this

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  2. Not as productive as I'd like! I need help to get the house sorted out and de-cluttered but with the dump and charity shops all being closed, I can't get the stuff out of the house! Also my dad isn't getting up until lunchtime each day so he's not helping me with tasks so I can't get everything done! Maybe next week...

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    1. I am keeping my same sleep schedule, because I struggle so much with sleep. I don't think I could ever sleep to midday, and I don't think I ever have. I could image decluttering would be tough, if you have nowhere to put the stuff. We still have trash pickup, and I don't have any big items to get rid of, but I still haven't cracked any of my drawers open to clean.

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  3. I think your time was well spent. :) I've seen a lot of pressure being put out there on learning a hobby, writing a book, getting fit, etc, but we are in a global crisis. Anxiety is high and focus is really lacking. I think we all just need to worry about staying safe - both physically and mentally - and if adding new things accomplishes that, great! But if not, it's not the right time for new ventures.

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    1. I don't disagree with the staying safe thing. I have only been going out once a week, but I have always done better, mentally, when I keep myself busy. The old "idle hands" adage definitely applies to me.

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  4. I started out pretty productive and got some cleaning and organizing around the house that desperately needed to be done. Now I'm just kind of back to my normal routine on the weekends and during the week I read a ton, do jigsaw puzzles, go for walks, and try not to watch too much tv! My husband suggested we learn a new language while we're home, but that's not happening. I know when I go back to work, I'm going to regret somewhat not doing more organizing/throwing stuff out, but oh well!

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    1. I like the idea of leaning a new language. I have heard that a lot, but I studied three foreign languages in school. German used to be my best until I had no one to practice with.

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  5. It sounds like you are keeping up with a lot of things so I call that a win. I have a lot more free time than I did before everything started but I am reading less than I usually do, I am behind on blog hopping, and I am still writing all of my posts the night before they go live. I have had some unplanned time to spend with my daughter which I probably enjoy more than she does. I also feel like I am spending a lot more time in the kitchen. I think we all need to give ourselves a break right now since this is not a normal break and there is a lot more worry and danger involved.

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    1. I am pretty much doing the same things I have always done with the exception of my puzzles and gaming. I never had time for that, but I should try and fit it back in, because I really enjoy it. I find the less structure I have, the less I get accomplished. When I was teaching, I never knew where the time during the summer went, because I sure wasn't doing much. I am jealous you get to spend more time with your daughter. I was *this* close to being quarantined with my daughter. She was supposed to fly in on the 12th, but didn't because our show was canceled. I think IL went into quarantine right after that.

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  6. Nope, not productive at all. I have been exercising every day, but other than that, I’ve been reading and watching BookTube. I also feel guilty. It’s been hard to get motivated to do anything.

    Aj @ Read All The Things!

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    1. Soon we will see you on YouTube, doing yoga - Yoga with AJ. Yeah, I can see it. I am not a big fan of watching vids. They have to be like under a min or two for me to watch them, so I never got into BookTube.

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  7. I haven't done almost ANYTHING since this whole thing started.... except help my kid with online school. I have read less, blogged less, been less on social media, organized nothing. I haven't even binged shows. I'm not sure what I've been doing for the past 34 days besides cuddling with my dogs. I can't believe it's been that long?!?!?!

    That stinks that you can't see your daughter-- but very cool that you have Animal Crossing to keep you connected!

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    1. You guys, who are now teachers have a lot more on your plate than I do. I am spinster with an adult child. You are up a lot though. You always seem to reply to my Tweets during my "morning" like 3 - 5 am.

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  8. My husband was put in two weeks leave and it is driving him crazy. He’s not used to being home all day like we are. I’m a homeschool mom, so it’s not much different for me. But now there are no trips to library with my daughter and parks or anything. I can’t go to the store because of my immune system so when I go, it’s mask and gloves. Plus our store is a zoo. Haven’t gotten much reading done, can’t seem to concentrate enough.

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    1. Masks are required in NJ for stores, though it was better yesterday than it was last week. You're not missing anything. At least your daughter's education is not getting disrupted.

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  9. I think it's hard to be productive right now. I think you did a good enough job just staying busy. That hard as it is.

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    1. I am a hermit. I am ok with staying home, and have always been able to keep myself busy. My mother is going nuts, and claims she will breakout if the quarantine goes as long as people are speculating.

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  10. I don't think you should feel guilty, which does nothing but bring you down. It's a time waste, too. There's nothing you can do about the past or how you used your time, you can only go forward and focus on the now and the future. Do some of the things you wished you had done. As for exercise, there's so many online routines you use. Pinterest has a bunch of links or if you sign up with MyFitnessPal as an app or their newsletter they send a lot of free workout routines and advice. I love their app.

    I'm not stuck at home since I have to still go into work, but my hours have been reduced and I'm enjoying the extra free time. I haven't had trouble with reading as long as I pick the right book to hold my attention. Glad you're finding a lot of books that work for you, too. :)

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    1. It is about picking the right book. I have set a few aside, because I just couldn't handle it right now. I probably should have done it with my last book, but there was a lot of beauty in the pain with that one. And, I do relish the extra time. I feel quite relaxed. I just think not using some of the time productively is like looking a gift horse in the mouth.

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  11. I say no beating yourself up for what you could've/should've been doing. Too much to feel bad enough about already without adding to it. :) My days are still pretty structured since I'm working from home but there's still plenty of time that I could have made use of. Tackling some deep cleaning, cleaning out and reorganizing closets... hasn't happened yet, though. I'm so impressed you can do the newspaper crosswords. I always find them too difficult.

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    1. When I was teaching, I would do the crossword every day during study hall or library duty. It was a good way to pass the time. All that reading and studying three foreign languages gave me an excellent vocabulary. It helps that the one in our paper isn't impossible too. I am trying to keep some structure. I am showering earlier in the morning again. Not as early as if I was going to work, but close. I need that to keep me in check.

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  12. When we learned we were going to be quarantined, we had just returned from a week off. We had just closed on our house, so we used that time to move. We jam packed 7 days to try to get the house as set up as possible before returning to work. That was pretty silly, especially because we're going on 5 weeks of being home!

    At first I felt kind of guilty about not doing all the things I "should" be doing, but then I looked at all the things I have done. We all are dealing with the stresses of this situation in our own way, and however we deal is just fine. Sure, I could spend more time exercising, but I'll be happy with the quiet time I've been able to spend reading books or watching movies.

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    1. It is pretty lucky that you were all moved in before the world shut down, though. And, a blessing in disguise, that you have all this time to enjoy your new home. I am all about the quiet pursuits, but there is a list of things I feel I never have enough time for. That's why I am wishing I had planned better. I just never expected this to go on for so long, and my state is not on the list of states that could possibly open at the end of the month either.

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    2. We really lucked out that we were all moved in right before this all ballooned into what it is now!

      Our state has announced that phased openings will start on 5/1, but I have a feeling we'll be home a bit longer. I've got a set of 6 cast iron skillets that have needed to be restored since I inherited them, so they are going to get some love this week!

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    3. That's a neat project. I wish I knew you before we threw my Oma's skillet out. Hope you post a picture of your finished work.

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  13. Nope. Not guilt necessary! Everyone's going to spend their time differently right now! Just enjoy this time as much as you can what with all the stress. :)

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    1. My daughter is still working, and taking online dance classes and exercise classes, as well as watching an obscene amount of TV. I have been really impressed with how much she has been doing. It's just my nature to feel like a slacker.

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  14. Ironically, for the first two weeks when I was allegedly on an extended spring break, I got all sorts of stuff done. Now that I've realized I'm not going to be back in the classroom all year, and I need to start figuring out how to teach remotely, my ability to get anything else done is all gone.

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    1. I hope you get inspired. I am really interested to see how all the remote teaching worked out. I know more districts had better technology and more pre-planning. I have always thought it would be a great option for those students, who struggle in the huge schools.

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  15. I've been mostly stressing out here. we been playing a computer game. I wish I could read more but reading has been so blah.
    I want Nintendo so I can play animal crossing :D

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  16. So I was over here all thrilled that I would have time, right? Wrong. Children are time sucks and that all there is to that. I thought I would have time for ALL those things too, but alas. I feel like, if we make it through, and can reflect from the other side, we've done okay.

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    1. Though I wish my daughter was here, I am lucky I don't have the job to educate her (though I do have a masters degree in education, so maybe I could do it 😂), but I have heard from many how challenging it has been, and you have twice as many students. I think, when we come out of this, we will have gained an appreciation for many things.

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  17. It's so easy to look back and see what she "should've" done when we really shouldn't, especially in the midst of a global pandemic! It sounds like you took the last couple weeks to decompress and relax and that's totally okay! I'm in this weird place where I'm in my last few weeks of grad school so I'm still busy with that, but it's all remote (which would normally be fine, but I'm doing my internship so I still have to call clients and have sessions with them over the phone). I also quit my job and moved back home temporarily because I didn't want to be by myself locked in my apartment and have some time before my lease is up and I move in with my boyfriend.

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    1. A lot of changes there. It's good that you can keep your degree program on schedule, and that you can continue your internship. I hope your experience with online classes is better than mine was. I love the interaction in the classroom, the sharing of ideas and digging deeper. I didn't get that with my online class, but at least I got the requirement out of the way.

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  18. I haven't been that productive but I have done things that improve my life at home. My yoga studio closed so I cleared out some space and made myself a tiny little yoga practice area. I also had to clean a closet out for my overflow food - usually I am like your mom and shop almost daily. (That, actually is a time suck and I'm going to rethink it when we're free!)
    I actually feel like I'm eating better and getting more exercise, so I hope to continue that. I used to put exercise off and now my daily hour walk is a must. Learning to sew has been kind of fun (sometimes aggravating).I put on my 80s playlist while sewing on Friday and thought of you!!!
    I think NY and NJ are likely to be stuck like this for quite a while, so it's not too late to re-assess. Going forward I'm going to try to be less cranky!

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    1. My sister likes to get her meat fresh, but she cooks it that night. My mother just likes to shop every day. She is a mystery. I wish I had a bit more space in my room. I liked yoga, when I was younger, and I know it would help with my sciatica. I gave up on sewing quite a few times. Now I wish my daughter was here with me to school me in the art. She never had the time, when we lived together, but does amazing things with her machines. I anticipate the quarantine being long for NJ, but I am not sure how long my company will give me leave. When they say I have to go back, I am going back. And, whoo hoo! 80s forever!

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  19. I think people are putting too much pressure on themselves (myself included) to be productive or achieve things when we're like this. There's only so much we can do while trapped in houses and productivity is intrinsically linked to being in a good head-space and most people - aware of the fact or not - are not in a good head-space. We need to be kinder to ourselves and just get through this in one piece.

    That said, I really wish I'd kicked off an exercise routine! I'm always too tired to do much and this would have been a great opportunity to get into one and maintain it. :(

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    1. I think my two biggest regrets are the exercise and taking a class. I have not worked on my hard skills in a long time. I wasted away all those years teaching high school, and every time I look at even the internal postings at my company, I worry that I lost those skills, because I have not used them in so long.

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  20. Since quarantine is something none of us has ever experienced before, I think it's logical that we don't know exactly how to handle it. The uncertainty of it all makes it difficult to plan ahead or really have any idea what the future's going to look like. That's scary and depressing for some people. For me, I just haven't felt overly motivated to do much - and that's okay. I'm giving myself a break from guilt. It is what it is.

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    1. I really thought it would be back to "normal" sooner. So, why plan for time I never have, you know? At least I am not sad, like a lot of people seem to be. I never have much free time to do much anyhow. I cannot help, but feel guilty about wasting time though. It's part of my makeup

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  21. I'm still working, just from home now, so you would think cutting out 2 hours worth of commute a day would give me more productive time. But no. I have accomplished almost nothing in the month I've been home. I redid my bookcases, but honestly that's really it. And I've been blogging and reading less. I honestly can't account for most of my time right now.

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    1. At least you got your shelves done, right? That's something. Blogging is such a permanent part of my schedule, I can't not do it. It helps me keep the days straight too.

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  22. Don't even feel bad about not utilising your time better during this time. As I remind myself, this is a crisis so we're allowed to do whatever the hell we want to help us get through with our mental health intact. Does my body hate me for the lack of exercise and increase in chocolate I've consumed lately? Probably, but as long as I get through this without having some kind of breakdown I am totally cool with having to exercise a bit more to fit into my favourite jeans again. To be fair, I'm slowly getting more productive (one month in) I've renewed my effort to learn German on Duolingo and I'm trying to draw and blog a bit more. It's slow going but there were only so many hours I could sit and watch Netflix. I have found working from home has helped me not be completely bone idle and has forced me to get changed of my pyjamas each day because if I try and work in my PJs no work gets done and i feel extra lazy. Who knew?

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    1. My German used to be pretty good, when my grandfather was alive. Once he passed, I really didn't have anyone to practice with. My dad always answered in English, and my grandmother always spoke in a mix of German and English. But, that's awesome that you are learning another language. My daughter was using Duolingo to learn Spanish, but I am not sure if she is still doing that. I remember reading an article about phone interviews, and they said you should get dressed. It's a mental thing, which probably applies to working in PJs too.

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  23. Erm, I...have been doing all the spring cleaning I never have the time to do. Since my working time has been drastically reduced (2 days instead of the usual 5), I reasoned that I would never have a better opportunity to finally tend to my mess of a house. And I'm reading and blogging for the same amount of time as before, if not a bit more, since I'm spending so much time at home. I can see I'm the black sheep here 😂.

    It's great that you went back to doing crossword puzzles, and since AC is helping you connect with your distant daughter, it's nice that you're enjoying it too.

    I was wondering about your leave of absence - so you don't have any clue when you might be asked to come back?

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    1. I think my leave depends on the governor's orders. Right now, my state is still spiking. Even my township had a bit of a spike this week. I just keep an eye out for contact from my job, and I do logon every day to check correspondence.

      Gold star for the house cleaning. I should do some spring cleaning, but I have low motivation. I have kept up with all my normal cleaning though, and my storage drawers are not that bad.

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  24. I am still on quarantine but it's active quarantine as I am working from home! So the days are super busy, the only difference is that it's even more difficult to take bathroom breaks as my skype meetings happen...at the same palce LOL. Oh and I read less as I don't commute anymore...

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    1. I can't believe they schedule your meetings back to back like that. It must be exhausting. I initially worried about public transportation, and if I had to drive, I would lose out on all the reading time.

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  25. I have to say I'm glad I'm not the only one who hasn't done much productive during this extra time at home. I cleaned out my medicine cabinet a couple of days ago and that was a major accomplishment, lol. I keep saying I'm going to do more but so far, nothing.

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    1. You seem to have your hands full with all the extra parenting duties now - school, soccer, and still, work. I don't have any of that, so I'm just not doing much. LOL

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  26. I think you're doing amazing, Sam, as long as you're content and happy. :) On the one hand, I'm beating myself up over not being ready with all my essays yet, now that I've had more time, but on the other hand, COVID-19 has made me really stressed so I shouldn't have unbelievable expectations for myself. I'm not sure how long this situation will last, but if self-isolation is still a thing when uni ends, I definitely want to try to get more out of my free time, for example by practicing Spanish, or even starting to learn a new language. Great post, Sam! :)

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    1. Learning a new language is a great use of time. I studied three languages in high school (2 in college). I think I liked learning the cultural aspects more than the language, but I do wish I had been able to keep in practice. My Poppy (grandfather) was the only one, who spoke to me in German. It's so rusty now.

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  27. Hey, we all have to deal with the quarantine in our own ways. I've been really distracted some days, and getting a lot done others. The best thing is to not beat yourself up over it. And, since quarantine isn't over (and who knows when it will be), you might still have time for some of those goals! :-)

    Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction

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    1. I don't want to start something I won't be able to finish. This job thing is week to week, so I have no idea, when these lazy days will end. I know I won't be able to keep up with anything I start once I am back at work. I always too tired and spent to do anything extra.

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  28. There are all sorts of quotes online now about how you shouldn't feel guilty about not being productive. If you can during these days, then that's awesome, but some people are just getting by. We're living our lives as normally as we can, and finding escape in fun things. That's okay! I could definitely be doing more being home all day, every day, but slow and steady works for me. I don't need to overwhelm myself with all the "can-dos" when the world makes me anxious enough. LOL

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

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    1. I just feel like this is such a gift. Time is such a gift to me, and it seems wrong to squander it. But, yeah, I get that for some, it's a matter of getting through. I don't really leave the house, so I am sort of ok.

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  29. I'm not being very productive and I go back and forth about feeling guilty over it.

    There are a lot of projects I start to do and then realize I don't have the stuff I need to complete them. Moving cross country and being in a new house means I don't have those *just in case items* laying around.

    My attention span is shot and reading is eh so there goes blogging lol But I have been exercising more although I pretty much MAKE myself.

    And I've been able to work in the yard a little.

    i don't think this is a normal time off though so some people might be learning ALL the new things while others are overwhelmed or somewhere in between.

    Karen @ For What It's Worth

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    1. At least you are exercising. I just don't feel motivated to go outside, and I have very little space in my room (my bed is gigantic!). That stinks that you don't have the materials to finish your projects, but I get what happens when you move. I did a big purge when we moved back in 2017

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  30. I don't think you should feel guilty at all! There's no expectations on how we should be handling this situation. Personally, my husband still has to go to work and I've always been a SAHM/homemaker. But since I can't see my family or friends, I do have more free time than normal. I have used that to organize but that's because I genuinely ENJOY it. Do what makes you HAPPY. Not what you think you should be doing during this time. Find something that makes you feel you have a little bit of control and normalcy <3

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    1. Organizing is one thing I don't need to do a lot of, but I had wanted to reconfigure some things. Then I think about how I might need stuff, and I won't go to the store, and I am a true follower of Newton's law of inertia - once I am started, I keep going, but it's hard for me to start up again, once I have stopped.

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