What do you want to take forward from lockdown?

A bridge across the River Hamble, moving forward

It’s a big question but a good one – what do you want to take forward from lockdown?

Here’s a way to reflect on your life in lockdown and decide on the positive things to take forward from this time to make your new normal better.

What are we rushing back to?

The current battle for our health is ongoing. But, there’s a huge push for us to get back to some sort of normality.

I don’t know about you but, this time in limbo has revealed good and bad things about the life I lead.

People keep saying ‘I can’t wait for it to return to normality’ but, what exactly are we all rushing back to?

What bits do you REALLY miss? Are there new habits you’ll adopt? What will you let go and what from your new routine will you take forward?

I know, it’s a lot of questions but, now is the time to be asking them and thinking about what you really want from your life.

Lockdown has been a rollercoaster and given me a lot to think about, as I’m sure it has you too. And, I’m not sure everything in my pre-lockdown life was doing me good.

This line in the sand is the perfect opportunity to take stock. What are the things I want to keep and what can go in the bin?

Black Lives Matter

Before we start I think it’s important to say that I’m committed to educating myself about races different from my own and continuing to be anti-racism.

I won’t add this to the lists because it’s much more important. It’s an ongoing journey to inform myself and others while also speaking out against any racism I witness.

A furthering of the Black Lives Matter movement and anti-racism is one of the most important things to take forward as racism is and always will be totally unacceptable.

It’s time to get reflective…

I’m going to make a few lists, you might find this useful too, and if you want to do the same while reading this then now’s your time to grab a pen and pad.

First, write a list of five things you’ve had fun doing and five practical things you’ve liked. Feel free to add more if you have got them to mind.

Really think about the experiences you’ve had in lockdown and what you’ve appreciated the most, and what it’s lead you to discover about yourself.

Here’s mine, split into the fun side of things and the more practical, to give you some ideas…

Fun things I’ve loved in lockdown

Spending more quality time with my partner – not just slumped in front of Netflix and scrolling on our phones.
Cooking more – trying recipes that I’ve wanted to try for years is satisfying and I now no longer buy shop bought hummus.
Exercising more – this clears my mind and keeps me happy, and often something I let slide when life gets busy. Watching the seasons change on my daily walk has been a real treat. Watching the bluebells come into bloom in the woodland by my house has been incredible. I would never have the opportunity usually to spend so much time outside.
Gardening- we have a lovely garden space and I’ve been so thankful for it during this time.
Family Quizes on Friday nights – testing the old grey matter is always fun and it’s a great way to learn, I now know Sudan has the most pyramids in the world and an octopus has three hearts.

Practical things I’ve appreciated in lockdown

More sleep – I mean who doesn’t want more of this?!
No commute – not having to rush in the morning and sit in traffic, that’s a win in my book.
Automating my life with regular food and household deliveries, so I spend less time in supermarkets in the future.
Sorted out the absolutely huge pile of paperwork that had been sat upstairs for a year.
Gardening and painting the fence.

What can you take forward?

After you’ve made your list, reflect on them and decide which two you can take forward easily as lockdown relaxes. Don’t just say you’ll do all of them, because it might not be realistic. It’s much easier to make lifestyle changes if you make small changes more frequently.

Think about the things you can implement easily and the things that will save you time. Work on these before tackling anything else you’d like to introduce.

You’ll have already had so many changes happening in your life, so make these additional commitments ones that you can achieve easily and benefit more than one aspect of your life.

What I am going to take forward…

The two fun things I’ll take forward and promise to commit to are spending more quality time with my partner and exercising more. These, to me, are the most important on the list. They are also the two that I can fit in around a busy work schedule more easily.

I can head to the gym before or after work and I can plan things to do with my other half on evenings and weekends.

The two practical things I want to take forward is getting more sleep and automating chores to make my life easier. During lockdown I’ve realised I do not get enough sleep, not by a long stretch!

Sleep is important for your health, mood, mental health and function. I will be imposing strict earlier bed times and planning less in my schedule to balance work and life better.

My Riverford vegetable boxes and Who Gives a Crap toilet roll deliveries are just a couple of the ways I’ve automated my life more. It feels like a bit of a relief- I waste so much time in the supermarket.

I want to maximise anything that will make my day to day life more efficient and ultimately easier. Adulting is hard, right? So if there’s companies out there that can make it a little easier, I plan on embracing them.

Lockdown realisations

While I don’t mind being at home, and Hampshire is certainly a beautiful spot to be settled in, I have to confess that I miss travel the most.

Travel certainly isn’t worth risking your life for but, when it’s safe to do so, I’d like to experience more of the county, country and abroad.

My love for travel is greater than ever and I want to travel more – even if it’s just locally, it’s a real love of mine and now the focus of this blog.

Lockdown positives

It’s been a really odd time but, I’m determined to find the positives from lockdown and think I found quite a few by reflecting on my personal experiences and creating these lists.

I could add so much more to the lists above too, so make your lists as long as you like, the one on my pad is huge and spans an A4 page!

I hope that by following this listing process will bring you some clarity about your feelings and experience of lockdown of 2020 and give you some positive things to take forward.

Let me know in the comments below how you get on…

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