Maintaining a Schedule During Stay-at-Home

I’ve read comments recently about the importance of maintaining a schedule while we remain in our homes during the Coronavirus pandemic. Here’s how my schedule has evolved. I’m a morning person so I tend to get up between five a.m. and six a.m. anyway. I have my bowl of cereal and orange juice while checking the news, and them I’m ready for activities of the day. First, I do a number of exercises. This routine has resulted from past hip and knee replacement surgeries, as well as needing some light weight work to keep my arms in shape. Then I ride the stationary bike for twenty minutes.

Since my wife and I take care of our four-year-old grandson during the work week, the rest of my day is focused on activities with him. He arrives between 8:30 and 9:30, so my day is filled with building blocks, cars and trucks, art projects, games, stories and indoor adventures. Recently added is three Zoom calls a week with his preschool teacher for online interaction. We also periodically do Zoom calls with his cousins and friends.

During the first month of staying at home, I also carved out time to write my story, Coronavirus Daze, which I reported on in my last post. I wrote this in near real time, a fourteen day journal of a middle school boy during the pandemic. I completed this writing project, got it edited and self-published it as an e-book all within a month.

After our grandson is picked up in the late afternoon, I shower, fix dinner and then we watch movies on television for a while before I crash between 9 pm and 10 pm.

Weekends are my down time. I take an hour walk both days, catch up on reading, and even enjoy a little nap time.

I know many people are suffering from boredom, but I’ve been fortunate to have been kept very busy with this schedule. What has been your experience during the pandemic?