It’s hard to believe almost six weeks have gone by since SF issued its shelter in place mandate in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Although we’ve spent just about 40 days and 40 nights, we’re not out of the desert yet. Like the rest of the planet, I’ve found my life turned upside down by the impact and changes in a quarantined world. Looking back at my week 1 reflections and my week 2 adjustments, it’s pretty clear I was processing, grieving, and coming to grips with the reality of the situation.
There was plenty more of all that in the ensuing weeks, but with time I’ve also made peace with the uncertainties and moved ahead with living life. I’ve found the best way to care for myself was to establish new routines and activities. I thrive on being productive and experiencing the world, so I channeled that into more rigid daily and weekly schedules. My reasoning was that with a new way of life, I needed the training wheels of daily and weekly markers to continue to live well. So here goes. Hope this can inspire some ideas of your own, as well as conversations on some of your own tips and ways of living in this crazy time.
My Weekday Quarantine Schedule
Let’s start off with the smallest scheduling block – my daily schedule. On weekdays, I start off each day with my usual breakfast from before the quarantine – black coffee and a protein bar. Since sheltering in place, I’ve been using a cold brew pot, which makes enough coffee for a couple days at a time and tastes just as good as any cafe-bought cold brew. I check my emails, do some news reading and online browsing, and start my work day.
Before lunchtime, I take a couple of breaks – one to listen to a daily meditation/prayer podcast (~10 minutes), and another to do my first set of strength exercises (~20 minutes). I don’t have any fancy equipment so I’ve been doing old-fashioned squats, lunges, pushups, planks, and bicycle crunches. For lunch, I usually feast on sandwich wraps, salads, and frozen meals from Trader Joe’s – again, not much different from before the quarantine.
After lunch, I continue to work, and by the late afternoon near the end of the work day, I do my second set of strength exercises – this time specifically related to my shoulder physical therapy (~20 minutes). From my virtual appointments these past few weeks, I’ve been doing more intensive shoulder and back strength exercises. At the end of the work day, I take a quick power nap (~20 minutes) and then go for a walk or jog around the neighborhood.
In the evenings, I enjoy dinner and move on to a nightly activity. I’ll cover this in more detail in the next section, but it’s a mix of new hobbies, friend catch-ups and hang-outs via video chat, or meetings for outside-of-work groups.
My Weekly Quarantine Schedule
I also try to vary up my weekdays to keep things interesting. I’ve found this helps me keep track of time and prevent the dreaded “what day is it?” question that frequently pops up during quarantine life.
On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, my afternoon outdoor activity is a mile-and-a-half jog around my neighborhood. On these days, I also do a quick post-lunch walk of another mile or so to keep my daily mileage up. On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and weekends, I do longer three to four-mile walks around the city. It’s awesome being a tourist in my own town and finally appreciating all the little things that make SF incredible, from the famous landmarks within walking distance to the colorful rows of quaint apartment buildings to the incredible amount of parks and green spaces.
For my evening activities, I’ve reserved Mondays and Tuesdays for relaxing and writing. I browse the Internet, catch up on a movie, do some reading, or update my blog. I’ve set aside Wednesdays and Thursdays for learning. I’m taking the Yale Coursera class The Science of Well-Being and a Udemy course on DJ-ing music, so I alternate between the two and also include time to work on assignments or practice. On Friday nights, I virtually meet up with my church small group and do some more DJ-ing practice with a friend who’s also learning. Throughout the week, I also sprinkle in cocktail making and TV shows (currently working through Netflix’s Drive to Survive).
My Weekend Quarantine Schedule
Gloves come off during weekends! Just kidding, I’m still at home. But I try to fill my days up so I’m not staring at the wall counting down the hours. On Saturdays, I play my vinyl records, get through chunks of whatever book I’m reading, clean the apartment, and do some mini-projects, which have lately been focused on finally decorating my room.
On Sundays, I tune in to my church Reality SF‘s live-streamed morning service, and in the afternoons I’ve played virtual board games and caught up with friends. Last Sunday, I took my Boosted Board out for a ride and also volunteered at a supply drive, collecting and sorting through hundreds of shampoo and soap bottles, toilet paper rolls, and more to distribute to families that have a need for these supplies. The weather’s been so nice lately, so I’m considering getting my motorcycle fixed up for some riding on future Sundays. I’m also watching the MJ documentary The Last Dance with my college roommates, which premieres new episodes Sunday nights.
Treating Myself & Being Flexible
After reading this, you might think I have a stopwatch that dictates my daily and weekly activities, but that’s far from the case. While I do my best to get a rhythm going with everything I’ve covered so far, I also leave plenty of space to be flexible. For example, if it’s Wednesday and I’ve had a tough week and just want to watch a movie instead of doing another online course, I’ll give myself the grace and space to do that. And I think as the situation continues to change, my schedule will evolve and become looser over time as I get used to the new pace of life.
In all this, I’ve also treated myself to plenty of pick-me-ups throughout the week. On Wednesdays, I usually order from a restaurant on DoorDash, so that I can enjoy meals I haven’t been able to prep myself. Last week, it was beef donburi (with the red ginger!) and udon from Udon Mugizo. On Fridays, I’ve been starting off the day with a pick-up order of Philz Coffee’s Mint Mojito. I also grab Friday lunch and dinner from local restaurants (the BBQ pork banh mi from Fresh Brew Coffee is incredible). Weekends are a mix of prepping meals and ordering out. A couple weekends ago, I splurged and got the braised beef rib dinner set from Daeho. And anytime I’m near an open ice cream shop like Humphry Slocombe, I make sure to get something too.
Closing Thoughts
All this is still a work in progress, but so far my new schedule and activities have brought a measure of sanity and control during a chaotic time. The adjustment hasn’t been easy – I went from being gone from the apartment most weekdays and pretty much every weekend, to being a complete homebody – all in the span of weeks. There’s been plenty of trial and error, and still moments of worry and despair. But at the end of the day, I’ve accepted the reality and I’m doing my best to adjust. I also appreciate the fact that there’s no one “right” way to go about this. We’re all learning and adjusting in ways that work the best for us. That’s the beauty of it!
So how about you, dear reader? What have been some changes or learnings from your time at home these past six weeks? How have you stayed sane? I’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas in the comments.
