Momentum

The roller coaster ride of the Covid 19 shutdown continues to roll on. If you’re like me it’s been a real test not only of patience but on how to keep one’s momentum at a steady pace. Full disclosure I have good days and less than stellar ones.

What is momentum?

I like this definition by Merriam-Webster dictionary:

~~strength or force gained by motion or by a series of events

Finding strength or force gained by motion when forced to stay at home means gathering up loads of inner strength. There are ways to get an outside impetus to create energy, such as taking an online course, a virtual fitness session and or simply doing a Zoom Happy Hour with friends. Notice though all of those require time on the computer.

Or if you have the space you can do something outdoors, spend time in a garden, take a walk, redo a piece of furniture or meditate quietly. The point is these sparks are great, however days can be long to fill when so many hours are required at home. That’s what I mean with momentum.

One might have a really good morning, get a fresh start on a couple projects and roll smoothly till lunch. Then after lunch inertia sets in, you get distracted maybe by looking at your phone, social media and momentum starts to wane. How can you relight it?

Three ways I found helpful to get through the long days at home.

1. Make one sticky note per day with four or five things I’m pretty sure I can get done. I have the pleasure of crossing each one off as I go. At the end of the day, whether I made it through the list throw it away. New day, new start, new sticky note.
2. Have some quick go-to workouts, when feeling stuck, its’ an easy way to get moving. One is just a bunch of simple old school type exercises, squats, push-ups and arm weight series. Another is one my husband and I put together for outside in our backyard, a bit more intense but a huge momentum booster.
3. Participate in an online course, I signed up for two. I did a 6-week course, and now just started another one for 10 weeks. Both of these have homework and reading assignments, it gives a welcome structure to the day and brings a sense of accomplishment to the many hours at home.

Not knowing for many of us how much longer the shutdown will continue, peeking inside another’s window just might offer a fun solution or different idea to spark your daily routine. Would love to hear what tools you’ve been using to keep the momentum rolling!