Posted: Mar 30, 2020

Updated: Oct 9, 2024

Almost everyone in the world is in coronavirus quarantine right now, and this is a lot of time spent at home. Interestingly, there are 4 things you can’t take back, and one of them is, “time after it’s gone”. The Corona pandemic has put us all in a retreat mode. A lot of us are now at home. Some are working, and others are not. We have had our phase of aimlessly scrolling on Facebook, liking posts on Instagram, following Twitter feeds, and sharing TikTok videos. And we will keep doing that every now and then, because it makes us feel better, it brings comfort, makes us laugh and for a moment, we forget the reality. 

But apart from all this, what else can we do for ourselves? How else can we be productive during this Coronavirus quarantine? What else can we do to grow personally and financially, and put ourselves in a better position than where we were yesterday?

In this post, I share my top suggestions of ways in which you can be productive right now, and invest your time in activities that will benefit you in the long run.

Covid-19 Quarantine Tip #1: Apply for jobs online!

Just like any healthcare crisis, the coronavirus pandemic will do a lot more than affecting our healthcare system: it will give a huge blow to the economy. Right now, we are focused on limiting the disease spread and preserving lives, which is commendable. But in addition to this, we should start foreseeing what life will be like after this is all over. Returning to normalcy will not be as easy as a snap of fingers. Because a lot of businesses saw a drastic drop in their revenues, it will be difficult for them to keep all their employees on their payroll, and people will lose their jobs. 

It is tough to have to face this kind of reality especially when you have student loans to pay, a family to feed, and monthly bills to sustain. But one way to soften the blow is to think about diversifying your income RIGHT NOW, especially during this coronavirus quarantine. One of the ways to do this is by applying for jobs online. Whilst the physical world is on its feet, the online world is booming with thousands of companies and individuals looking to hire people EVERYDAY. From sales agents to customer service representatives, graphic designers, musicians, virtual assistants, human resources managers,  medical and legal consultants, etc. The list goes on. Below are just a few (of the hundreds) screenshots of job openings I have been sharing with my network over the past few weeks.

 

 

 

If you are interested in finding out how you can better position yourself to land a job online, and what skills you can offer to the online marketplace, I am hosting a personalized, 1-on-1 Freelance Skills Workshop. This could be the turning point you have been waiting for.  

 

Covid-19 Quarantine Tip #2: Review your finances

If you are like 70% of people, you probably plan your finances and budget your expenses on a monthly basis. However, in times of crisis, we are tempted to spend uncontrollably (either on entertainment, food, or things that comfort us). Now that you have a bit more time on your hands, take time to review and reassess your finances. During this coronavirus quarantine, go through your purchase receipts for the month, account statements of credit card statements. When you do this, focus on the following:

• Analyze your expenses: What did you spend on? Were these expenses planned or unplanned? Was it something you could have avoided? 
• Analyze your savings: did you manage to save this month? Did you save as much as you wanted to? Why/why not? 
• Make decisions for the upcoming month: what changes do you need to make right now to meet your financial goals? What are 3 things you can do犀利士 right now to increase your savings? What are 3 expenses you can cut right now to reduce your spending?

FOR BUSINESS OWNERS: If you are a business owner and want to get your finances in check during this coronavirus quarantine, here is a great Youtube channel you should check out. It puts a lot in perspective in terms of business finances for beginners!

Covid-19 Quarantine Tip #3: Organize your important documents

Important documents are anything you deem important to you. In general, they include documents like: 

• Identification documents: birth certificate, passport, national ID card, driver’s license, etc. 
• Employment documents: work permit, employment contracts, salary slips, etc.
• Health related documents: medical book, vaccination card, prescriptions, blood donor card, etc.
• Financial documents: bank cards, financial statements, proof of earnings, etc. 
• Documents with an emotional value: love letters, birthday/anniversary or well-wishes cards, etc.

When I was growing up, my mom taught me to organize my important documents in 3 ways: the original documents should be kept in a safe folder, three copies of each document should be kept in a different folder (called photocopies), and a digital copy of each document should be kept on a portable device. It doesn’t matter how old I have grown, but I still apply the same principle (or at least, something pretty similar to it). Having my important documents organized has helped in ways I can’t even describe (for instance, when you are looking for the copy of an old passport, looking for a copy of your work permit when overseas, trying to find your university degree urgently, etc.).

Now that you have a little bit of time on your hands with the Covid-19 quarantine, put some orders in those documents. The idea is to always have them in place and accessible not just for you, but for anyone else who can help you in an emergency situation. (afterall, you don’t want to send someone to look for your passport through your stuff, if you don’t even know where the “said passport” is!)

#4: Watch an educative documentary

As relaxing as it was to catch up on all Netflix premiere movies and series, the brain needs more than passive entertainment. What makes educative documentaries exciting is the fact that 1) they help your brain take a break from its routine, and 2) they are the perfect occasion to learn something new, effortlessly.

If you are a student and are looking for a break from your daily routine during this coronavirus quarantine, these educative documentaries on Netflix can be helpful. For adults, here are some interesting docuseries I found on Netflix (scroll all the way down to the category “docuseries”).  If you don’t have a Netflix account, cancelled your account or no longer have access to someone’s password, here are some interesting documentaries you can find on Youtube. They range from science to humanity and entertainment. Something for every mood!

#5: Call your distant relatives/friends overseas

If they are like my relatives and friends, they might throw shade at you for only calling in times of pandemic, but hey – “at least you called”. Moments like these have a natural way to make us remember what truly matters. Family (both the one you were born in and the one you chose) is one of those things. You have a sibling who lives away from home? Find out how they are doing. A close friend you haven’t spoken to in a long time? Check in and touch base with them. Call your mom, dad, grandparents, if they are still alive.

Even if they don’t live in an area that is affected by the Coronavirus, or they are not under coronavirus quarantine, they might have friends who do, and they might be worrying about them too. And at the end of the day, pandemic or not, it just feels so good to be able to hear the voice of someone you love. Now that you have the time (and the free international minutes from your phone service provider), try it. You just might end up making it a habit. 

#6: Do your  school work

This one is self-explanatory. Just do it. Thanks to the coronavirus you have the time to, and because when school reopens, you will have no excuse for “not having done that homework”. 

Covid-19 Quarantine Tip #7: Read THAT book on your shelf

I know at least two friends of mine who are book lovers and have a pile of books taking dust on their shelf. Yes, you. This one’s for you. Dust one of those books out and start reading. If you do two chapters a day, perhaps by the end of the week you would be done with one of the books. You would have a story to tell and then, you can pass the book onto me! Point is, now is the time to binge on all the amazing books you bought but never had the time to read because, you know. Life.

So get started. Pick the one that excites you the most, and start reading. Just start. At the end of it, you would have gained something: more education, more self-love, more awareness, and a grander sense of satisfaction. If you are into self-development, here is my personal selection of self-help books . They have changed my life, perspective and point of view on so many aspects. I would always recommend them in conversations where I see fit.

You might not be able to buy a physical book right now (shipping restrictions and delays due to the coronavirus quarantine, etc.) But don’t worry! You can download the audio version of all these books and listen to them from your phone, your laptop, tablet or kindle! For my audiobooks, I personally use Amazon Audible and it works wonders. 

 

#8: Pick up a new skill online

You’ve probably heard this many times already, but I’m going to repeat it – because it’s relevant. Listen up (or read). The time we have right now is not going to come back. Pandemic or not, time waits for no one. Whilst you are at home, it’s so easy for you to waste that time by being distracted by other things. Instead, use the time of this coronavirus quarantine to invest into something long lasting, something that will benefit you even after this pandemic is over. 

I teach people with a 9-5 job everyday, how they can use the skills that they currently have to land jobs online. And at the heart of this physical pandemic, it surely feels good to know that you can earn money online and still secure the bag, while the world is scrambling. 

 If you have a computer and a working internet connection, the time is now. During this coronavirus quarantine, pick up a new skill online that you can monetize later on. Not sure what skills you can learn right now? Here are the top 9 skills that are currently in high demand by employers online. As we speak. This is what they are looking for. 

And even before you move on to learning a new skill, there are skills that you currently have (from your education, school, current employment, etc) that you can use to land remote jobs. You probably don’t know this because you either doubt yourself, or you are not clear on what skills people need to work online. And I want to help you in obtaining that clarity. Hop on a one-on-one freelance skills workshop with me. I will break this down for you, and show you exactly which ones of your skills you can monetize, and which new skills you might need to acquire to boost your chances of landing an online job. 

Covid-19 Quarantine Tip #9: Rest More

Wake up. Eat. Sleep. Repeat. It’s absolutely okay to go into “Koala Mode” right now! If you feel tired or uninspired for a while, this might be a sign that your body needs some rest. So take that time to rest. As much as you need to (just don’t become a couch potato though). Spend time with yourself. Pamper yourself. Your body/health is your greatest wealth, and you need this to achieve anything else you set your heart to. 

#10: Do At-Home Workouts

Yes, all gyms are closed because of social distancing. And no, you might not be able to go out and run in the gardens because you are currently on coronavirus quarantine. But don’t let this prevent you from keeping with your fitness habits. We don’t know how long this COVID-19 quarantine is going to last. So is it really worth losing all the tone, muscle and momentum you have worked so hard to build?

No, absolutely not. If you are used to going to the gym regularly, after a “no exercise hiatus”, the return to the gym will be brutal. And we don’t want that. If you are not used to gymming a lot but just want to stay healthy and fit during this time, you can do some easy and effective home workouts to keep you going. Here are some resources that I thought you might find useful. I’ll be starting some of these myself, this week:

• Home workouts for women: Oprah Winfrey shared a series of easy workouts you can do at home, at the beginner level. 
• Advanced Home workout for women: this is a collection of top resources you can use if you want more advanced workouts for women (upper body, lower body and core). 
• Home workouts for men:  this is a beginner level, and includes upper body, lower body and core. 
• Advanced Home workout for men: this focuses specifically on muscle building, and targets different parts of the body. 

 

There you have it! 10 productive things you can do right now while you are in quarantine. Which one of those would you try starting today?