I might be stuck at home, but I’m more productive than ever

It’s officially been 2 weeks since I’ve started working from home, and in Dallas County (as in other cities and counties across the U.S.), we now officially have a “shelter in place” ordinance. Initially, I was bummed because I am a super hyperactive person. On any given day, I’m running around doing 3–4 things, making stops, attending multiple meetings, events, etc. So being forced to stay home didn’t sound like a very appealing thing to me. I was afraid I would get restless and spiral into depression from a complete lack of productivity. Instead, my experience has been the exact opposite and I now feel more productive than ever. Here are some of my personal tips and tricks for boosting productivity considering self-quarantine measures.

With ~40% of the American population under quarantine measures, I hope my experience is helpful to others. And as the saying goes, “Never let a crisis go to waste!”

Tip #1: Celebrate the small things in life

As I’m sure with everyone, life goes on during a crisis. My 90-year-old grandmother was with us during our first weekend of quarantine and returned home with a fever a few days later. She quickly went to the ER and got tested. It was a stressful time waiting for her results and worrying about whether I might have inadvertently exposed her (despite being asymptomatic). But as with many things COVID-related, I had no immediate control over the outcome or her results. Thus, I focused on living and continuing with life. We…