Hi, I’m Victoria Chemko, Founder of Umami Marketing. 

Life has been drastically altered due to the COVID-19 pandemic. And although I’ve mastered the art of working remotely for the past ten years, and in many ways feel well prepared for the current circumstances in terms of my own individual life and impact, I too have to be mindful to stay grounded and focused as I, along with the rest of the world, adapt to this “new normal”. 

While my usual day to day has been disrupted, especially while I was fully quarantined 24/7 for two weeks upon returning from Thailand, I’ve been finding comfort in my new daily routine, so I wanted to share what I do as it might also help you navigate this changing world.

Morning Pages

While staying isolated in my current home (an Airbnb in Vancouver, Canada, that I am grateful I was able to choose during my airport layover in Japan on my transit back), I’ve been savouring these slower starts to the day by focusing on somewhat recent ‘morning pages’ routine. From Julia Cameron’s “The Artist’s Way,” the morning pages are three pages of free form, hand-written thoughts that tumble out on the page. I treat them as a place to put whatever comes to mind when I first wake up every morning. Yes, that’s right – before even checking my phone, before doing any more than hitting the bathroom or drinking a glass of water. Of course, doing it first thing doesn’t have to be the hard and fast rule for everyone to still get the benefit from it, but it’s what has worked for me and has become so ingrained over the past few months that I cherish this time exactly as it is. 

I chose a really beautiful journal that makes me happy to pick up each morning, and it goes wherever I do. The morning pages are a space where I can process my feelings, work through any issues or challenges that come up (work-related or otherwise), and also just write down random thoughts that may seem crazy to anyone else who might read them.

If the morning pages idea resonates with you, I highly recommend reading The Artist’s Way in more detail. 

Quality Pour-Over Coffee      

Many of us enjoy the ritual of a morning coffee from a local cafe or coffee shop. Since that is no longer possible the same way, as many shops are now closed, many are transitioning back to the “old fashioned” way of having coffee at home.

After drinking way too much average coffee from a generic pot brewed in my recent shared LA home or a French press when I’ve been on my own elsewhere every morning, I’ve refined my habits to enjoy one single cup of pour-over coffee each day. I really savour in the process of finding quality beans, grinding them fresh each morning, and making a single high-quality and flavorful cup that I truly relish. I’ve invested in a stainless steel filter and my Byta reusable mug and find immense satisfaction in trying to make just the right cup each morning, no matter where I am. 

It’s a newer morning routine that I have come to look forward to and really appreciate as I sit somewhere cozy, do more writing, or prioritize my upcoming day.

Strategize Your Day

It can be very difficult to stay organized and motivated right now, especially if you’re not used to working from home and are accustomed to more structure. The hours and weeks are a bit of a blur and it can even be difficult to remember what day of the week it is — just know that you are not alone and many people are feeling this same lack of focus right now. 

What can help is to strategize each day into manageable chunks of time. Sit down in the morning and detail what priorities you want to have done by the end of that day and allocate a chunk of time to each of them. The key here is allocating manageable chunks of time. If 10-15 minutes is all you can focus on at a time right now, then so be it. 

For example, you could spend the first 15 minutes of your workday catching up on emails, then allow yourself a 5 minute break to enjoy a cup of coffee and listen to a song or two. Then dive back in for another 15 minutes, and so on. By breaking up the day into manageable chunks of time with some breaks in between you might find yourself being able to stretch those 15 minutes into 30, 40 or 60 minutes at a time and improve your focus and increase your productivity.

Most importantly: be easy on yourself. This is an unprecedented, challenging time and it’s difficult to suddenly start working from home when you’re not used to it.

Movement, Nature, and the Outdoors

It’s still possible to enjoy physical activity and even the outdoors while practicing safe social-distancing, depending on where you’re located in the world. Getting outside and going for a walk, even just a short one, can have so many benefits. 

And on those rainy days, it’s still possible to get movement in. I’ve changed my daily movement practice to Yin Yoga, and do this in the early evening each day, and will add in a solo dance party or two when I want to add in some cardio. There are also a ton of gyms and exercise studios offering free or heavily discounted virtual workout classes which can be a great way to relieve stress, anxiety, clear your head, and get some physical activity back into your routine. If you haven’t tried a quarantine workout yet, try to fit one in the morning or the middle of your workday and I promise you’ll find you have a much more focused and productive afternoon.

Summary

Regardless of the uncertainty we face, now or otherwise, these practices and routines have made a huge difference for me in life, both prior to and even more so during this time, and will always be there for me to follow when I feel unfocused or ungrounded. I hope one or all of these tips may do the same for you.

Stay safe and stay healthy!

Image Credit: Elena Taranenk on Unsplash