Breaking the Cycle: How to Overcome Your Bad Quarantine Habits

Habits are routines of behaviors that occur constantly and unconsciously and are achieved through repetition. It could be waking up early in the day, exercising regularly, or scrolling, pretty lazy scrolling, and browsing Instagram fifty times a day. It is a kind of obsession that can be both good and bad. But it is your responsibility to recognize what type of habit it is. Is it reasonable or horrible? Does it help you go further and forward or does it set you back enough to let go of your daily life?

Either way, we can’t deny the fact that quarantine has made our subconscious mind instantly pick up all those bad habits and keep repeating them over and over again. Not to mention that it was so much easier to carry out these unpleasant habits and it is difficult to control them.

I also went through some of these issues and had a very hard time recovering and regaining my productivity. So, here are some ways I’ve used that you too can overcome your procrastination and bad habits.

Limit your screen time:

Your phone can be either an excellent servant or a terrible master of procrastination. Our addiction to our phones is immense. Sometimes it’s so hard to stay rehabilitated for just one hour. With all those messages and DMs from others or just a notification is more than enough to quit all work and fall back into the distraction zone. One of the reasons we become slaves to the pull of distraction is curiosity. We can’t help but wonder who’s sending us messages or who’s on the phone.

Many researches have shown that using screens for more than two hours a day is masked by depressive symptoms. Too much screen time can lead to obesity, depression, anxiety, chronic neck and especially sleep problems. You can’t stay healthy with all these symptoms, can you? So learn to put your phone back in its place and avoid all unnecessary texting or just put your calls on voicemail if it’s not an emergency. Stop scrolling through social media as it can be a good interruption between you and your productivity. It’s not that hard, all you have to do is limit your screen time to a maximum of 2 hours a day. Try adding screen limits or limitations to every app, so the next time you lose track of time, it can remind you. Many apps, like Qustudio, help you calculate your screen time and can create time restrictions for each app.

Try a social media detox. The means are:

• Disable your phone data: Turning off your phone’s data or Wi-Fi can help you avoid any unnecessary notifications you may have.
• Store your phone: Moving your phone away from your work can help you focus more on the work you might be doing, while avoiding any kind of distraction.
• Disconnect from social networks: Your phone can be a huge intrusion during work. Another way to avoid this is to simply log out of your social networks while you work.

Quarantine has moved everything online, from classes to official work to meetings, and almost everything is happening online. But I don’t talk about those things. I’m talking about the excessive screen time that most of us spend time on social media. There, right there, things that needed to be fixed.

Health maintenance and physical activities:

The current COVID-19 pandemic has caused much of our physical and mental activities. Since the beginning of the quarantine, we hardly move and we only eat. This has made it quite easy for our health to decline and the dreams of having those ideal body shapes to fade.

Let’s be realistic ! Whenever you try to do something but find yourself sitting on the couch watching movies on TV it’s because you lose track of time and when you realize you don’t feel like it TO DO. You don’t feel like doing it because of your lack of movement, which made it quite easy for you to be less energetic. This is another example of a lack of movement. There is a saying that says “A healthy mind in a healthy body is a short but comprehensive description of a happy state in this world.”

So here are some of the best exercises you can do for instant results. Also, if you are a beginner or doing this after a long time, be sure to try the beginner version first and gradually increase the workout to avoid any unwanted injuries.

1. Slots: Challenging your balance is an essential part of a good exercise routine. This promotes functional movement while increasing your leg and gut strength.
2. Shoes: Push-ups are the most basic yet effective workout there is. They are not only effective in toning your arms, but are also helpful for your abs.
3. Side boards: Not only for creating balance in your body, but it’s also helpful for full body burns and getting those summer abs.
4. Bike crisis: Another effective workout to burn the body and lose those fats.
5. Jump: Jumping is highly suggested as it creates a full body workout while losing weight and maintaining body shape.

In addition to physical activities, you must ensure your health by eating healthy. This includes healthy eating. It is important to maintain a balance between your physical activities and your diet.

Make a plan:

Staying at home all day made us forget about our busy life schedule that was before. So if you want to change your bad habits of not getting things done, you may need to make your daily plans and start setting goals based on prioritizing work to do at once. Without making a plan of your work or ideas to do anything you cannot accomplish this, you would sit at your desk frustrated that you are not achieving the result while giving enough effort to the task. But it depends on where you use the effort. If you’re working on a task to full potential but putting the effort in the wrong place, you’re more likely to miss the desired goals. It is therefore necessary to set a clear objective and set clear priorities according to your work.

Why you don’t feel like doing anything:

This quarantine has been expensive and will leave us abrupt and distracted. We can’t deny the time we’ve wasted creating bad habits that are so hard to control. It’s hard to get things done when you don’t want to do them. One of the main reasons is that you don’t know what to do. You’ve been tasked with completing a task at work or achieving a personal goal, but you can’t do it until you know how to earn it. People in this state are usually paralyzed because they don’t know what to do or how to get there. It is therefore important to make a plan before starting any task or creating a habit of personal development.

Another reason may be that you spend too much time and energy deliberating during your off hours. Too much thinking can lead our brain to depression. So, I suggest you avoid this habit and take immediate action. You can achieve goals, but you must act through them to achieve them.

So, in addition to setting priorities, act accordingly. Make personal development your main priority and only by taking action can you overcome all your bad habits while gaining productivity.