books and tea please

ハイキュー！！

100 Days of Productivity | 2020

Day 2

22nd March 2020

Today was a relaxed and productive day! My friends and I discovered Netflix Party (which will be extremely useful during this indefinite period of social distancing), and so we begun the day by FaceTiming and watching Totoro together! I then continued looking through online Uni resources and got a much better grasp of my Law subject for the semester, which I’m really excited for! I begun doing catch up readings, and will continue those tomorrow in preparation for my first online seminar.

Currently reading: Identity by Francis Fukuyama (up to Chapter 9!)

Insta @ isthisnametakenyet

Goodreads @ isthisnametakenyet

03.22.20 | sunday morning moments 📚☕️ i’ve been taking the time the past few days to indulge in some activities that i normally don’t have time or mental space for: 

reading ebooks (checked out from the library!) 📖

teaching myself crochet ✨

knitting a chunky blanket 🧶

having scheduled calls with loved ones every day 📲

going for walks every day ☀️

re-immersing myself in my yoga practice 🧘🏻‍♀️

painting 🎨

reorganizing my spotify playlists + updating cover art 🎶

https://www.edx.org/school/harvardx

But TBH I prefer the MIT Open Coursewear approach. Feel like taking a class on the policy and economics of nuclear engineering? MIT’s got you covered:

https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/find-by-topic/#cat=engineering&subcat=nuclearengineering&spec=nuclearsystemspolicyandeconomics

In fact they’ve got  you covered with A LOT of their courses, everything from fine arts to immunology.

morning light and online coding class 🌞

it’s electives week right now, and i was scared to get this coding class digitally since the subject is very tricky, but there’s only 7 of us and it’s actually very chill!

- get dressed and style your hair as if you’re going to school/work - even use the same perfume/ cologne as you normally do  (trick your mind into being motivated)

- plan things out - everything (plan out your week, day, meal, etc. you can make these as specific as you’d like. this will help you stay on top of your work as well as stay healthy, especially if you live alone.)

- make studying/ working the first thing you do each day - best if you can start in the morning (minimize the tendency to procrastinate)

- just start - don’t worry too much about perfecting or finishing anything yet (if you don’t start then there’s nothing for you to perfect or get done. and it will never get done)

- listen to old and simple (aka non-distracting) podcasts, Youtube videos, or café/ chattering white-noise, etc. simply leave them as background noise to create an illusion of being outside your room (bring the presence of people to you. my favorites lately have been slam poems from 2016, Mae Martin’s stages, and Awsten Knight’s crackhead podcasts)

- set timers, for both study sessions and breaks (so that you don’t overwork, burn out, or procrastinate. the Pomodoro technique works great here)

- take advantage of the comfort of your own home (light a candle, have crunchy snacks, play loud music, review notes out loud while pacing around, wrap yourself in a blanket burrito, study on your bed if you can focus there like me, etc. basically anything you can’t do in a classroom, office, or the library)

- if you miss your friends, call/ text/ facetime them, make a study group chat with them, etc. (that is what technology is for)

- choose recreational activities/ self-care for your breaks instead of going on social media (go on walks, make small art, play an instrument, stretch, take a nap, etc. I usually reach for my guitar, brainstorm writing ideas, or sketch very simple line art.)

- if you want to go on social media, do it during meal times - or the 15 minutes after your meals that you can’t work just yet (it also doesn’t make you feel like you’re wasting time)

- study in different rooms for a change of scenery (dining room, living room, the patio, etc. I have an armchair next to the window that I study in whenever I need some sunlight and don’t have to write anything down. however, if you need a designated place to focus on your work, you can also use these alternative spaces as designated “relax” or “creative” place for your breaks)

- use this as an opportunity to take care of yourself (get enough sleep, drink water, exercise, talk to your family, take your meds, be mindful of your mental health, etc.)

Feel free to add your tips. The current situation sure is unpleasant but it is unavoidable. All we can really do now is take care of ourselves, others, and try to make the best out of this.