Staying Motivated During Furlough and Lockdown

Recent figures have highlighted that one in three Britons are currently furloughed due to the coronavirus pandemic. This situation, coupled with possible health and social worries can cause anxiety, stress and a lack of motivation for many. But for others it is being welcomed as an opportunity to develop new skills, or enter into that side hustle that time constraints never allowed. Until now…

So how do we reprogramme usually non-stop minds to accommodate a slower pace of life?

1. Create a schedule for yourself.

Working inevitably creates a tight schedule, and when it’s taken away from you suddenly it can throw you off course. Just because your job no longer requires you wake up early, fulfill certain tasks, it doesn’t mean you have to become less productive.

If doing nothing can cause more stress, every evening write a short list of tasks that you want to achieve the following day. Set goals you are likely to achieve, ad a few that stretch you more, and celebrate the achievement of fulfilling them.

Aim to maintain a working routine by using the basic working day (9 to 5) as a template to be productive, with an hour break for lunch. If this is too much, try 10am to 3pm. The beauty of furlough is that it is entirely up to you. Enjoy relaxing in the evening knowing that you have well and truly earnt it.

2. Set aside certain times of the day to look at your phone or catch up on social media.

Phone addiction is more of a problem when your entire day is based inside the house. If you go into the office, your colleagues are amongst you, so you are naturally less likely to go on your phone for extended periods of time.

Take this away, and you’ll find you are on your phone a lot more than usual. Make use of tech in a productive or supportive way. 

Use social media to stay in contact with friends and family and set aside certain hours of the day to catch up with friends and social media. 

3. Do things that will contribute towards improving your career or start volunteering.

Time away from work is a perfect opportunity to take a step back from your current job and to really think about your career goals. It could be that you want to rethink your entire career path, and that’s okay! Whether you want to improve your current career, or change your career entirely, you can use this time to contribute towards getting where you want to be.

When we are constantly at work, we don’t have the time to consider whether or not we are happy with our career. But now that we have escaped our usual working environment, it can become clear that things need to change.

To get things straight in your head, write down your career aspirations. Writing things down is a great way to confirm what you are feeling in your mind.

Consider using this free time to enroll in courses for online qualifications.

If you are happy with where you are career-wise, but need to fill your days with productivity, try volunteering – it’s highly rewarding, and provides a sense of giving something back to the community.

Where to start? These resources could help kickstart a new passion, or career:

• Google Digital Garage have many free online qualifications that will help you with your career. One of the courses called ‘The Fundamentals of Digital Marketing’ includes a certification. https://learndigital.withgoogle.com/digitalgarage/courses
• Become a voluntary dog walker with The Underdog International. During the COVID-19 crisis, some people may no longer be able to give their dogs a daily walk. This scheme hires volunteers to walk dogs in their neighbourhood. https://www.theunderdog.org/become-a-unity-volunteer
• You can find more ways to help during this COVID-19 crisis at:

Do-It! (https://doit.life/ours?utm_source=gov)

Volunteering Matters (https://volunteeringmatters.org.uk/)

Reach Volunteering (https://reachvolunteering.org.uk/)