As I write this, many parts of the world are slowly, steadily, emerging from the surreal haze of self-isolation, a lockdown that limited us to the confines of our rooms, our kitchens, our balconies. Some are now gingerly edging back into a new, sanitised edition of their pre-lockdown life, while others are bravely entering a life that is wholly different, one that is unrecognisable from anything preceding it.
I know the past few months have not been easy - far from easy - for many people. I am fortunate to find myself in the rare, privileged, position in which lockdown has been a gift, of sorts. Being holed up at home has been more transformative and productive than I could have imagined: I’ve exceeded my reading goals, reconnected with long-lost friends across the world, and (finally) exhausted all excuses not to start this blog.
However, what I’ve enjoyed most has been the opportunity to get to know myself better. I’ve gained a deep understanding of how I function best, when I function best, what inspires me and drives me, what demotivates me and deflates me, right down to which dishes I prefer washing and which ones I don’t (yes, I’m probably not normal and no, I still don’t know how to clean that cast iron skillet).
Jokes aside, life in lockdown has given us a lot of time to think - and overthink - without the noise and neurosis of ‘real’ life to distract us. As I now prepare to stride back into that real world, armed with the insights gained this year, I’ve been contemplating what I want my life to look like on the other side of all this. What I want my priorities to be, and how I want life to function in order to focus on these priorities. A blueprint, if you will, for my ideal life - one that will preserve the progress and momentum of the past five months.
For this week’s post, I’ve distilled this blueprint into the two key lessons I’ve learnt over the course of this once-in-a-lifetime lockdown experiment. Here goes.
#1 Cut the Fat
No, not physical fat (although weeks of minimal exercise and maximal food intake means I should probably cut some physical fat while I’m at it, too). What I mean is, cut the noise: do away with the excessive, unnecessary activities that populated life before lockdown, and be efficient with what remains.
It’s recently become clear that when I was the office-going, commuting, out-and-about version of myself, my time management could be shockingly inefficient. The hours bookending work were mindlessly filled with a slew of random, disconnected activities that weren’t overly purposeful. Activities that did nothing to get me closer to where I wanted to be, to what I wanted to do.
Here’s a typical (and perhaps relatable) pre-lockdown scenario: after work, I’d head to a 60-minute workout session, dart around the nearest supermarket in an attempt to decide what to cook for dinner, negotiate my way through Mumbai traffic, shower, have dinner, sleep. And then wake up to do it all again the next day.
Before lockdown measures kicked in - while I was following this robotic yet unproductive routine - I had spent much of the past year toying with the idea of starting two side projects - one of which was this blog. But I’d always get caught up in populating my life with these routine tasks, which, although necessary, were executed inefficiently. And so, that overused excuse of ‘never having time’ was always within arm’s reach, ready to be deployed whenever I needed to rationalise why I hadn’t gained any traction on either of my projects. Naturally, they never got off the ground.
But once I was forced to put life on hold, to grind to a halt - with no commutes or aimless supermarket aisle-hopping to hide behind - that’s when I finally decided to become more purposeful with my time. I not only fired up both projects, but I also recognised those mindless post-work activities for what they were: excess fat. Filler activities, urgently thrown together in an attempt to avoid those empty spaces in which existential dread would undoubtedly creep its way in.
I recently shared how, for the first time in a long time, I no longer allow the days to finish me - instead, I take control and finish them. And that's pretty much been the theme of my lockdown routine. The fat has been cut. I’ve eschewed the unnecessarily frequent run to the the shops in favour of bulk grocery home delivery (I know, supremely late to the party) and I’ve swapped those long, drawn-out, gym classes for more intense 20-minute home workouts.
These may seem pretty minor tweaks, but adopting this approach across all aspects of my routine has been - if you’ll excuse the hyperbole - life-changing. Or, at the very least, habit-changing. Cutting the fat and optimising my time has allowed me to devote more attention to the priorities that deserve it: (virtual) time with friends and family, hours curled up with a really, really good book, and yes - this blog.
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#2 Transform ‘Someday’ Into ‘Now’
Undoubtedly, one of the most universal lessons of this lockdown - regardless of your circumstances - is that nothing is guaranteed.
Of course, we knew this already. But did we really, truly know it? Last December, I had the (fleeting) chance to spend a week together with my brother, father, and cat. As your typical, fragmented, third culture family, it’s pretty rare for all of us to be in the same country at any given time, let alone under the same roof. But I passed up on the opportunity. I ‘knew’ we’d have the same chance in March of this year, just 3 months later. And then, of course, it all came crashing down: flights were grounded, curfews imposed, and - as of July - chances of that reunion are still looking pretty slim.
In hindsight, I can’t fathom how I thought my other commitments at the time were more important than spending a week with my family. Turns out, of course, that they weren’t. Yet, I still took this particular opportunity for granted and postponed it to another time, another place.
But over the past few months, the events we thought would happen, jobs we thought were stable, people we thought we’d see - it all fell into a hopeless whirlpool of uncertainty, a vacuum we are now trying to fill with some semblance of stability. We’ve been thoroughly shaken out of our reverie, the one that safely held us in the comfort that it would all be guaranteed. We’ve realised that postponing to another time, another place, may no longer be an option.
And so now, I’m consciously reminding myself of a simple aphorism I’ve always known yet seldom followed: nothing can - or should be - taken for granted. Say yes to that opportunity, that adventure. Take that phone call from a long-lost friend. Start the project. Savour the meal. Wherever you are, be there.
Enjoy the moment you’re in because, before long, that moment will just become a memory you’ll wish you’d just lived, not lost.
If lockdown has gifted you a much-needed lesson, don’t let it go. Don’t forget it, forgo it, when life comes back to sweep you off your feet, luring you with its promises to keep you ‘busy’.
Sketch out your own blueprint, and start navigating life with more purpose, productivity, and presence.
Take care, and stay safe.
Until next time,
S
Tell me: What have you learnt from life in lockdown?
Cover image captured at IIM Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.
