The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic can’t be exaggerated, it has unilaterally disrupted the daily routine of our entire world. There is no where to hide, it reaches communities in all corners of the globe. Everyone’s plans for the year have been completely upended, with most people now staying home with a lot more time than they know what to do with. What a great opportunity!

This is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity to slow down and reflect on your life. You can take the time to audit your routine and consciously decide which habits to reinforce and which ones to drop.

People speak of “returning to normal” or that “there is no return to normal” – both seem exaggerated to me. Fully returning to the way things were seems unrealistic, but so does assuming that we can’t. Humans are creatures of habit, unless we choose what habits to bring forth into a post pandemic world, we’ll likely slip back to what we were doing before – with some modifications based on changes in social pressure, such as wearing masks.

This post is to provide a framework you can use to audit your life and consciously decide which habits you will bring forth into the post-pandemic world, and which ones you won’t.

Categorize Your Habits

Firstly, there should be a common characteristic which you will use to make these decisions. I propose the idea of balance: does the habit make you more centered and grounded, or does it require a recovery period of some sort? Does the habit leave you feeling refreshed, or does it require counter habits to bring you back into balance?

In other words, does the habit sacrifice long term growth and inner peace for instant gratification and pleasure?

I encourage you to get out a piece of paper and make three categories: balancing, neutral, and draining.

For example, my balancing habits include: daily fitness and yoga, being in nature, artistic expression, and eating wholesome foods. My neutral habits include: dancing all night with friends (requires some recovery but definitely worth it), and occasionally eating junk food. My draining habits include: scrolling through social media, watching hours of TV or playing hours of video games, checking my phone frequently, and not getting enough sleep.

It is crucial to be honest with yourself in this analysis. I can clearly point to certain habits that leave me feeling refreshed and rejuvenated, and others that take a day or two of recovery. Pulling an all-nighter with friends is great, but definitely takes a day of recovery. Pulling two all-nighters in the same weekend can require several days of recovery – that’s too much for me.

Enforce Habits that Support Your Dreams and Aspirations

The idea here is to develop a sober understanding of the habits you have and whether they are aligned with your heart’s desire or not.

Even when habits go against our deepest wishes and dreams, we sometimes hold on to them out of attachment. They could be part of the identity we’ve built or be something we think people expect or associate with us. Be really clear on what you want and whether something is or isn’t contributing to that outcome.

Use this time to imagine what an ideal day or week would look like. What habits are included? Are there any new habits you would add or old habits you would bring back? Conversely, which of your current habits are not included in that vision?

In my life, I’m choosing to place a particular emphasis on self-care: doing things that make me feel more alive and in touch with myself. I know that by making self-care a focus, I’ll have more energy, a clearer head, and a calmer state of mind – the perfect foundation to achieve my aspirations.

Determine the Frequency of Each Habit

Make a new section on your piece of paper with the following categories: daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly. Assign each habit that you want to keep to a specific frequency. You may want to limit any neutral or draining habits to weekly, monthly or even quarterly activities – if you choose to keep them at all.

For example, once my new alarm clock comes in I’m starting a daily habit of turning my phone off from 8pm to 8am to help optimize my sleep and increase focus. I also intend to keep a weekly habit of going hiking, a monthly habit of getting a massage, a quarterly habit of weekend camping trips, and a yearly habit of taking at least a week off to truly unplug and adventure with friends.

Don’t Forget the Small Habits You Do on Autopilot

Sometimes we all fall into autopilot. Occasionally I’ll be working on something and catch myself opening up a browser and navigating to Facebook for absolutely no reason at all – I’m sure I’m not alone. The real question is, how often are you running on autopilot and what does your autopilot system consist of?

If you’re like me, it’s triggered from boredom or as a distraction from what I’m working on. To change that, whenever I feel that urge to distract myself with social media or the like, I’m choosing to instead take a break from what I’m doing and to do one of the habits that refreshes me: reading a book, going for a walk, or sitting in the garden. This way I can come back to what I’m working on refreshed instead of feeling like I wasted time on social media.

Imagine if your autopilot system was built around self-care instead of distraction – instead of mindlessly scrolling social media, it could consist of learning, moving, reflecting. That’s an autopilot system for growth.
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If you’ve found this post helpful, please share it with any friends you think may benefit from it too. There are many opportunities for growth during this pandemic, read Finding Opportunities for Growth in the Chaos of COVID-19 for a look at how to use this time to release your fears and become more heart-centered in your action.