The past month seems to have completely blurred into one really long run-on sentence with Zoom calls, lack of haircuts, sunshine, webinars, gardening and developing a 24 hour global online conference.
The majority of us have managed to stay healthy physically but not many of us have been able to escape the mental toll of being locked down. Here are five things I’ve been doing keep my mind fighting fit.
1. MEDITATION & MINDFULNESS
It's tough to find a moment without noise or distractions and just sit and concentrate on breathing. Every morning I’ve been trying to meditate for 10 minutes before beginning my tasks for the day. It’s helped me focus and gives my brain a rest before plunging into social media and hours of screen time. I’ve been using an app called Headspace. Trying to be mindful when accomplishing tasks has helped me focus on one thing at a time which is really helpful too.
2. WALK
Getting away from the computer and going for my sanctioned ’social distancing’ walk has been really nice. Usually I’ll go with Shona and we’ll push Francis in his pram with Samwise trotting along. Having that quality time with the family away from the house is super important.
3. GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK
We’re in the midst of one of the most anxious times in a generation so don't expect yourself to be super-productive all the time. I’m the worst for feeling guilty if I haven’t accomplished as much as wanted in a day, and I can be really hard on myself for it. I’ve started to give myself some leeway when it comes to productivity and it’s made a difference.
4. LIMIT YOUR MEETINGS
I wasn’t a massive fan of meetings to begin with, but they seem to have escalated to another level. Now that you don’t even have to leave your office or book a meeting room they’re piling up one after the other without a break in between. I would suggest actively blocking off space in your diary or leaving a buffer of an hour between each meeting to get work done or just rest your brain.
5. ONE TASK AT A TIME
This is a big one, it’s so easy to get distracted by emails, notifications, messages and everything in between. I’ll often start something and then quickly check a notification on my phone and next thing I know half an hour later I’m emerging from the rabbit hole that is social media without even blinking an eye. I’ve started to block off time for specific tasks while trying my hardest to keep myself focussed for that span of time. However, if do get side-tracked there's no judgement here - refer to number three, give yourself a break!
These are some of the things that have worked for me. I’d love to know what you’re doing to keep your mind fit.
ALL DAY ALL NIGHT
All Day All Night is a 24 hour social and digital media global conference. We’re starting in the UK at 10 am BST on the 26th June and traveling west around the world to hear some of the best and brightest speakers. The conference mission is to share knowledge and connect people within the education sector on a global scale.
Tickets will go on sale next week, but you can head over to alldayallnight.social to stick your name down for an early bird discount code. Early bird tickets are £35 and regular are £45.
