Quarantine II: Much Ado About Nothing

Quarantine II: Much Ado About Nothing

As the title suggests, I'm back in quarantine.

Not just me this time, though - it's a whole team effort. Stage 3 lockdown is in full effect, which means everyone is stuck at home for the foreseeable future.

This was not fun the first time. I daresay it's not that fun the second time around either, with the only silver lining being that I get to watch all the extroverts squirm as they're confronted with the harsh reality of isolation. I now know how they feel watching me get dragged, kicking and screaming, to social events.

Granted, as I covered before, even introversion has limits. Humans are ultimately social creatures, and while it's great to have time to think and space to breathe, we go stir crazy eventually.

So - how does one cope? 

Progress.

It's very easy to treat this as a break, but it's not. This is the reality of life for the next few months - probably until near the end of the year. That means we're going to have to find ways to mark time, to measure progress, and to avoid stagnation.

Someone far wiser than I once said that the key to happiness is to always have something to strive for. While I'm sure he missed out on a lot of the other things that contribute, he was right. It's like the story of the sculptor who, upon finishing an exquisite marble statue, began openly weeping. His friend asked him, "What's wrong? It's perfect!", to which the sculptor replied, "I know."

If there is nothing left to strive for, no ambitions or goals, then we are simply going through the motions until we expire. 

How can we avoid stagnation when the world seems to be coming to a standstill? Despite it being horrendously cliche, setting goals and creating a routine is the solution.

For me, this isolation has given me no excuse to avoid writing. I've already started some short fiction pieces, and I'm finding the creative juices starting to flow again. I've taken a renewed interest in the business I run, and I have resolved to come out of isolation looking a little bit more trim than I went in.

As it stands, my daily routine looks a little bit like this:

• Wake up. Scull a glass of water and leap into the shower before I become aware that I don't technically need to leave my bed.
• First workout - a basic HIIT circuit using bodyweight exercises for 30 minutes.
• More water, with lemon juice. I go through chess puzzles and language exercises for the next half hour to keep my mind sharp.
• It's now 9AM, which means it's time for work. I'm at my desk, computer open and ready to work on whatever task I'm given. If it's a slow day, I'll take advantage of the time to go through some writing from the previous day and make edits.
• Break my fast at midday, usually high protein.
• Look at Twitter. Get disappointed by Twitter. Resolve not to look at Twitter again.
• Second workout - upper body focus callisthenics.
• Read for half an hour.
• Keep working. Don't look at Twitter.
• I said don't look at Twitter. Christ.
• Get a glass of water and stare at it. Add lemon juice.
• Work is over. Stretching and mobility yoga.
• Write for an hour. 
• Cuddle cats.
• Prepare and eat dinner - again something with high protein.
• Delete Twitter from your phone to avoid all the hot takes flying around.
• More cat cuddles.
• Evening ablutions and bed. No Twitter.

I find I'm more productive in the mornings these days - cold showers help. Set your own routine and follow it as closely as you can, and we'll all get through this relatively sane. Who knows - we might even become more complete humans in the process.

Now is a good time to check on any extroverted friends you may have. It's a scary time for them.