24 Healthy Daily Habits to Deal with today’s Uncertainty
As a fan of improvisation and as a Second City Alumni, dealing with the uncertainty and the ambiguity of the present time is a hot topic for me. These 7 weeks spent in quarantene gave me the opportunity to experiment and write down some tips, that I initially shared with the CIMBA Italy MBA participants I have the pleasure to coach. I thought some of these habits could be useful for everybody, also in the future, when the Covid 19 isolation time will only be a memory.
You don’t have certainty in these days? Create it with the following actions…
Do your best to wake up and go to bed at the same time
Have a healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner, preferably always at the same time
Practice mindfulness for at least 12 minutes
Practice yoga (or thai chi, pilates….). There are lots of free app or on line programs you can use in these days
Get dressed as if you had to go out. Don’t stay in your pyjamas all day
Clean your environment
Declutter and organize your space, even for just few minutes
Plan your time with 30 minutes’ chunk of time. Make sure you choose and you know the purpose behind every chunk of time. In this way you are not passively “spending your time” but you use it to become the person you want to be and to reach your vision&goals. Ask yourself, how these 30 minutes will be beneficial to me and/or to others?
After 25 minutes of focus time, make sure you give yourself a 5 minutes break (This is called “The Pomodoro Technique”. Search it on Google, it was invented by an Italian guy, Francesco Cirillo, and gained success all around the world)
Do physical activity for at least 30 minutes
If possible, spend some time outside in the nature
Don’t stay for more than two hours in the same room. By changing your location, you change also your energy, even by “travelling” for just a few meters
Plan activities where you can apply your strengths or at least some of them. This action is key in order to energize yourself
Read books/articles not because you have to but only for pleasure, for at least 10 minutes per day
Manage your focus. Avoid focusing on problems, debates and drama, and focus instead on your vision, your goals and plan to achieve them. Take advantage of the time you have to design your future
Spend some time journaling your thoughts and feelings
Watch movies/tv series that will give you positive emotions
Manage the time you spend on reading/listening to the news/social media. Make sure you read/listen to official channels
Do your best to reassure your loved ones, without getting burn out from it. Agree with them, if possible and appropriate, how often and in what way you are going to stay in touch with them
After your online work, make sure you do some physical and creative activities (painting, listening music, coloring, playing an instrument…)
Make sure you plan time for doing nothing and relax
Reach out regularly to your supportive network, your family, your friends…stay in touch!
In general, support to be supported!
Most important point, do all of the above even if you are not willing to do it! Remember, you have the power to wake up your energy by taking action!