Well… here we are six months into quarantine and distancing, something none of us could have expected. For now, there seems to be no end in sight (particularly if you live in the USA). But we’re creative beings and we’ll get through this.
To this end, together with my wonderful community on Instagram, I’ve compiled a list of quarantine hacks to keep us all going. We’ve got this!
HYDRATION HACKS
Our bodies are made up of 70% water - not coffee and alcohol, which are tempting during an apocalypse. But you’ve all heard about the many benefits of staying hydrated, including regulating our moods, immune system, circulation and more! Here are a few of my hydration hacks:
Plant Nanny App
I’ve been using this app since March 15th when we first started distancing, and it’s kept me accountable to my daily hydration goals. It’s like gamification and container gardening had a baby. Right up my alley! Get the App
Flavor your water with Essential oils
Even though I was using the Plant Nanny app, I got so bored with plain water. Then it occurred to me, I have a whole selection of safe-to-drink essential oils I could use to flavor my water! I’ve put together a list of safe oils to use here - feel free to pick one or two of these or all six depending on your needs and wants..
PRODUCTIVITY HACK
Pomodoro App
If you’re like me you get easily distracted by text messages, the urge to check Instagram, and emails. If you’re hell bent on meeting a deadline, reaching your goals, and staying focused on what matters most, this app is a gamechanger. It’s a timer that uses “The Pomodoro Technique” where you focus on a task for 25 minutes (you can change this to 30 minutes or whatever), followed by a 5 minute break. During the breaks I do pushups at my desk, rock some squats, do a few yoga poses, or fill my water bottle - and then it’s back at it. Oh, and I’m totally using it right now as I write this blog!
HOUSE CLEANING HACK
Clean with Me Podcast
I just found this podcast after feeling like I couldn’t keep up with housework and decluttering in an efficient way. I’d walk into a room and start tidying only to get distracted and then leave with the job unfinished. That was until I started listening to The Clean with Me Podcast. Now I put on one of Raani’s episodes in my headphones and she literally talks me through cleaning, tidying, and putting stuff away until the job is done, and it’s the best thing EVER.
SANITY HACKS
Get outside for a walk every day (and bring your mask) no matter how heavy things feel.
Practice yoga with the Glo.com App.
Throw on your favorite music and have yourself a dance party - go at it hard.
Make Golden Milk lattes (made from turmeric and plant based milk).
Grow a veggie and flower garden - it’s a literal godsend and will sequester carbon, help feed precious pollinators like honey bees, butterflies and hummingbirds - and feed you.
Update your house plants.
Mutter “what the fuck?” freely throughout the day.
Stick to a daily routine.
Give yourself permission to have a 2 or 3 hour call with a friend or family member!
At the end of each day, reflect on something you accomplished - even the small things. Celebrate that tiny victory and you’ll train your mind to create even more goodness in your life.
CIVIC ENGAGEMENT HACKS (for AMERICANS)
You might be home a lot more than usual, but you can still kick some civic butt! Helping to get out the vote for the November general election is the most noble thing you could do right now - with lives on the line, and our planet earth hanging by a thread - we need every single American citizen to vote - and to vote with precision and awareness, as attempts are being made to suppress the vote.
Register to vote and check your registration regularly until the deadline to register.
Request an absentee ballot ASAP (unless you live in a state like Colorado that mails all their ballots) and be prepared to fill it out as soon as it arrives so you can either 1. Hand deliver it to a proper ballot collection box or 2. Send it back immediately to make it through the mail by November 3rd in case there are post office delays.
If you must show up at the polls, request a paper ballot. Digital voting can be hacked!
Call or text 3 family members or friends and ask them to complete steps 1 & 2. Then remind them to vote when the time comes.
Support the US Post Office! The US Post Office could be out of money by September because the Trump administration blocked its funding and fired its top officials. People, especially in rural areas, rely on the PO for food and medicine deliveries, and we all rely on the PO for safe and secure elections. So…
Shop for stamps and shipping materials
Call your representatives to demand oversight and investigation into the defunding and mass firing of PO officials - I recommend using ResistBot.
Sign up to be a poll worker - Poll workers are typically older and will likely be sitting it out during the pandemic so we need folks who can step up to fill this role and help safeguard our electoral process ensuring that every voter in every community has a voice! Sign up now.
It seems we’ll be hunkered down for the long haul, so I hope this list is of benefit! Please leave a comment and share your quarantine hacks with our community!
Stay well and stay healthy!