It is challenging to stay productive during a health crisis because you will be worried about a lot of different things all at the same time. You will start thinking about your health doing everything you can to not get infected. You will also be thinking about access to basic needs especially when you are asked to shelter in place.
Live Science shares that the US now is the new epicenter of the virus having the most number of confirmed coronavirus cases anywhere in the world. The death toll is also the highest compared to countries affected by the virus. As such, the government is doing everything it can to try and flatten the curve of the pandemic in the country.
One of the policies which a lot of states are adhering to is to shelter in place leaving a lot of people stuck at home. You might start to worry and feel anxious about all that is happening around you. In all these, you could start to forget that you still need to stay productive during a health crisis. This is also one good way of coming out of the situation on top.
There are a number of things you can do to stay productive even with the threat of coronavirus in the country. Going through a pandemic is tough and there is no one alive at the moment who has experience with one. This is why the government is asking people to stay at home to lower the spread of the virus. As you stay at home, here are a few things you can do to stay productive.
Work on your household budget
One of the best ways to stay productive during a health crisis is to go over your finances and make sure you have what you need. If you are asked to shelter in place, you might need to make some budget adjustments to make sure that you can cover all your payments as well as purchase all the essential needs of your family.
Take a look at your household budget so get a clear idea where you are with your finances. Go over your income and what is coming into your budget. It is possible that you could still be reporting for work if you are in an essential industry like food or utilities. If not, you could be working on a very limited income stream.
You need to make adjustments, especially with your expenses to help you stretch your income to cover more ground. There will be some items that could be going down especially if you are at home. Expenses such as transportation, entertainment, and even clothing purchases could be going down. Use the extra money and put them into your emergency fund.
Take online classes
It is tough to stay productive during a health crisis but you have to find ways to do it. If not, you could get bored real quick and might even get depressed as you think about the situation more. People are creatures of habit and with the health crisis, you can find new habits to build up as everyone starts to get used to the new normal, at least for a few months.
Since you are at home, one thing you can do is to look for and take-up an online financial class. This can help you prepare better or identify financial opportunities even at this time. Even if the economy is down, there are a lot of opportunities out there if you know how to identify them. They might even help you come out of this crisis on top. This is also the reason why CNBC shares that 25 states are already giving persona finance classes to high school students.
If you are just a few units away from a degree, explore the idea of completing what you need to get than done. Finally getting that degree can be a big boost not only for your self-esteem but your finances as well. There is no denying the fact that a college degree can help open up a lot more career and work opportunities. During a time like this, you would need all the help you can get.
Learn a new skill
You can also stay productive during a health crisis by learning a new skill. One thing this an help you is to identify an outlet for your creativity. You may not realize that your doodles can turn into art. If you love to draw, you can look for a skill to help you improve your drawings. It can be creating realistic eyes or how to add color to your pieces.
It will help also if you can identify skills which ones can help you bring in extra money during this health crisis. Since a lot of people are at home, try to look use that to your advantage. If you have a good grasp of the English language, you can explore online jobs that cater to this. You would need to learn new or additional skills for this but it can give you financial relief.
Income-positive hobbies at this time can help you bridge shortcomings in your budget. With the health crisis, it is not surprising to feel its effect on your bottom line. You could be bringing in a smaller amount or none at all. Learning a new skill and earning off from it can give your finances a boost. It can also give you income options after this crisis is over.
Stay productive during a health crisis by making house repairs
One way to stay productive at this time is to start attending to all the repairs you need to do at home. This goes without saying that you need to stick to the projects you can take on all on your own. Remember that if you get way in over your head, you could end up paying more for repairs as you need to hire a professional. That is if you get to contact one during this crisis.
Stick to repairs you can do on your own and start with the easiest ones at home. It can be switching light bulbs to LED-types to help you save money in electricity. You can also clean up your garage so you can finally make use of the space. It might have been slowly converted into a warehouse over the past few years full of junk.
You can also paint your walls or even your fence. This adds to the curb appeal of your house which can increase its resale value. This will come in handy when you plan to resell your property in a few years. As you make small improvements now, it also lowers the possibility of having to make huge repairs down the line.
It is tough to stay productive during a health crisis but if you find good use of your time, you can come out of this situation on top. You might even be able to find new ways to improve your finances while sheltering in place. You can look at your existing hobbies and use it for your side hustle. It is also possible to learn a new skill you can use to take on a side gig. Taking on repairs at home can also increase its value which can be beneficial for you down the line.
