Summary

The article discusses personal growth and adaptation to quarantine life, suggesting that it can be a productive time for self-improvement and learning.

Abstract

The author reflects on the recent extension of lockdown measures in Karnataka, India, and emphasizes the importance of strict and swift measures to end the quarantine period sooner. The piece covers various aspects of life during quarantine, including career, finance, social interactions, and self-improvement. The author, who has been working remotely since the beginning of 2020, shares their positive experience with remote work and the benefits of having a structured routine. Financial management is highlighted as crucial, with the author advocating for mindful grocery shopping to avoid panic buying. Social distancing has led to creative uses of technology to maintain connections, with apps like Houseparty facilitating virtual gatherings. The article encourages readers to engage in self-improvement activities, such as home exercises, meditation, and pursuing hobbies or side businesses, viewing the quarantine as an opportunity for personal growth. The author also reveals their commitment to a 21-day publishing streak, showcasing their dedication to writing and personal development.

Opinions

The author believes that strict quarantine measures are necessary for a quicker return to normalcy.
They express that remote work can be more efficient and rewarding, especially when one is accustomed to it.
The author opinionates that the quarantine period is an ideal time to focus on self-improvement and to try new things without fear of judgment.
They advocate for mindful consumption and against panic shopping, suggesting that it leads to unnecessary stress and inconvenience.
The author sees the quarantine as an opportunity to strengthen social connections through technology, despite physical distancing.
They positively reinforce the idea of using time-bound tasks to motivate personal productivity and growth.
The author values the importance of routine and structure, setting specific times for tasks like publishing blog posts.
They encourage readers to use the quarantine period to improve physical and mental health, as well as to explore financial opportunities like investing or starting a side business.

Is A Person Weird For Enjoying The Quarantine?

We Knew This Was Coming

A few days back, the news was that lockdown in few cities in Karnataka would lift one day early on 13 April. Then it came to light a meeting on Saturday 11 April will finalize the decision. And here we are, extension till 29 April.

Everyone knows how important this is and at the same time, we want it to end quickly. That is the entire logic: the quicker and stricter the measures we take, the earlier we will be free.

It must come as an obvious surprise for some of you who are trying hard to be productive in these times and have failed. But if there is still time to learn something, why not do it now? I have been doing since the lockdown started and I think this is improving me.

Career

Shifting the entire workload to do from home turns out messy if you do not have a dedicated workstation at home or have not blocked time to work in isolation for concentration.

I am an exception here. I am doing a remote job since 2020 started. Yes, I quit my full-time job on 31st December 2019, one of the reasons being the remote job paying higher than the full-time role with fewer efforts.

I am realizing day-by-day my decision was right. While some of my friends are having a hard time focusing at home and separating leisure time from hours, I have been doing it since January 1st. This lockdown has given me more time to follow a directed approach. Earlier I used to go out for the sake of nature view or to get some sunlight. Now I just go to the terrace and do morning exercise. Yes, that does it!

Finance

Talking about social distancing, online food ordering is also becoming lesser nowadays (or more if you are habitual to it or if the maid is not coming). Since only essential shops are allowed to operate, our finances are becoming stronger depending on the relaxation your company has provided you. If it is a big company and can survive at this time, then you won’t see any slump in salary. But if your company is small enough to start laying off the workforce, this might have affected your productivity and finances both.

By essential we mean whatever is required for thriving: that includes food, shelter, and clothes. The first one is the most perishable. So to manage it properly, I keep track of whenever a stock is about to zero down and whenever the number of items reaches a certain threshold can’t continue without, I buy them. This is helping my finance a lot because I get only the things that I need and at the time when I need them the most.

I have seen many people go with multiple grocery bags in the supermarket, flood them and then struggle to carry back to their homes. I mean what is the point of panic shopping if the panic stays until you get home? I helped an old man put his grocery bag in his vehicle because just looking at it doesn’t make sense, he might injure his lower back and my shopping can wait. Panic shopping is just a mad crowd and nothing. We disturb each other and the shopping staff too.

Social

You want to hang out. I get it. You want to party. Ditto. But haven’t you found some creative ways to enjoy connecting in this period? Apps like Houseparty and Zoom are for you to socialize and stay connected to your loved ones. Houseparty even has games you can play together. Yesterday I talked for 2 hours on Houseparty but didn’t regret at all. Why? Because we did it after a long time and like every extrovert, I started the discussion, continued it and we talked until we were hungry. We three people enjoyed dinner time with some multi-player games.

Self-Improvement

If you have done any self-improvement experiment before then you have trust in this process. It is easier to convince you to start with it right now. But if you haven’t practiced it before, then there is no right way to show the positivity in this. It is something you feel on your own and see the first-person view of benefits.

You just have to experiment because, in the end, no one is judging you. Even if your experiment fails, you will learn a lot which will motivate you to try again with more energy in the future. I failed at my writing habit whenever I started, but this time I have more chances to experiment with it. I was nervous hitting “publish” in the initial days starting 25 March. But now all I see is the publish button in green color is nothing but a strong driver to push my limits and face my nervousness head-on. Now I have set a designated time to publish my blogs and I prep in advance for it. Give your brain a time-bound task and see the magic. You will find ways.

This is the right time to focus on your physical health by doing home exercise, mental health by doing meditation or doing any work distraction-free for mindfulness, improve your eating habits for immunity, practice the hobby that you lost track a few months ago, start that side business you didn’t get time for, talk to an old friend you haven’t connected in a long time, learn to invest in the stock markets or even start a side-gig to expand your income stream and get that financial freedom. There is no better time to focus on self-improvement and the present one is just straight-up distraction-free.

This article belongs to a series of articles I am publishing in this 21-day streak. See the first one here. This is the nineteenth one in the line-up. 2 more to go…

To read the remaining ones, navigate to the end of the first article where there is a reference list sorted by day number.

~ Sanjeev