Lockdown 2.0

So here we are, on the eve of a new lockdown. It’s an odd feeling. We’ve done it before, so there’s not quite the same uncertainty that came with round 1, but, particularly for those who struggled with the first lockdown, there may be a worrying certainty about it.

One thing we as a family did during the first lockdown was watch Groundhog Day. If you haven’t ever watched it, you may as well add it to your lockdown to-do list – there are worse ways to spend an hour-and-a-half. Basic premise is that a chap is stuck in an endless loop of the same day, over and over and over and over. Whatever he does with his day, he wakes up the ‘next morning’, only to find it’s the same day again. Personally, I enjoy the film. It makes me think (for goodness sake don’t tell my parents that – as kids growing up we somewhat railed against the discussion and dissection of a film after the credits had rolled…). He goes through a range of emotions (and actions!) as he finds himself unable to escape the endless round of Groundhog Day on repeat. But he does learn to use his past experiences of the day to make others’ lives better, and this has a positive impact on his own experience.

And heading into another lockdown does have a ‘Groundhog Day’ sort of sensation attached to it. The rest of my family will go to school, which will be a marked difference from the first lockdown, as I won’t be trying to get my head around an 8-year-old’s school work this time! But I find myself wondering what I can and should be doing this time round that reflects on previous experience and constructs a better way of doing things. Here are some possible ideas:

> ‘Meeting’ people for lunch. Maybe I could have lunch with someone on Zoom/Teams/FaceTime/etc. Could just be half an hour which allows us to catch up and is cheaper than going out 🙂 Win, win! The only downside is that my food will definitely not be as exciting as whatever the other person is having…

> Actually do some of the to-do list, rather than just writing one. Radical, I know, but apparently more stuff gets done with this approach. Who knew?!

> Work on that book… I have fewer excuses not to this time.

> Don’t beat myself up when I don’t do stuff on the to-do list (but don’t give myself too easy a ride, either – it’s a tough balance).

> Make sure I take my government-ordained exercise every day.

> Be more disciplined with my time (that’s going to be the work of a lifetime – I don’t think I’ll fix it in the next four weeks!).

But frankly, my brain isn’t working particularly well (I like to blame the fact that I’m full of cold, but it’s just as likely to be atrophy…). So what suggestions can you add in the comments? Anything about what to do, tips and tricks, things to avoid, self care, and just about anything else. How can we use Lockdown 2.0 well?

(On a side note, this new wordpress is a nightmare 😦 raises serious questions about getting back into blogging!)