Our acting Prime Minister Dominic Raab announced another three weeks of lockdown yesterday. It was disappointing but guess it makes sense. When we leave the lockdown we need to be sure we’ve really got on top of this awful virus.
News from other countries who thought they had it under control shows that it’s not going away. I’m just hoping we get through these next few weeks and can resume something like normal life – perhaps with face masks and continued social distancing until a vaccine comes along.
Since retirement I’ve become somewhat obsessive about making the best use of time and with travel and socialising off the agenda this brings new challenges.
We’re already part way through our first day of the new lockdown so I’ve got 20 days of it ahead which rounds to around 500 hours. This is how I’m planning to spend it:
| Hours | Activity | Comment |
| 140 | Sleep | I’d love to actually be asleep for all this time, the reality is I’ll be lying awake trying to sleep for some of it |
| 20 | Fitness | Running, cycling, weights, garden badminton and table tennis |
| 40 | Blog | Writing my daily diary and all the connected work around the social media and website |
| 40 | Business | Client work which has slowed a bit since the virus took hold plus other projects around marketing and finance |
| 30 | Garden maintenance | Digging, weeding, mowing, edging |
| 15 | Garden projects | Big jobs such as jet-washing, creosoting the shed and fence |
| 40 | Reading | I’d like to read three books over this time, started a promising book ‘Three Wishes’ by Liane Moriarty |
| 40 | TV watching | Relaxation at the end of the day, films, box-sets, TV series, Britain’s Get Talent, Killing Eve etc |
| 20 | Food | Planning, preparing, cooking and eating. Making sure we vary our diet a little more |
| 10 | Marital intimacy! | Everything from cuddling upwards, am yet to mention this to Mrs Jones! |
| 20 | DIY | There’s a couple of painting jobs that need doing – that’s if I can get hold of the paints. |
| 10 | Hobbies | Might get my stamp album out again, online Scrabble. |
| 20 | News | Reading the daily papers, watching the last virus updates |
| 15 | Walking | Sometimes for leisure, sometimes to get essential supplies in |
| 10 | Social | Phone calls to family, connecting via social media |
| 10 | Planning | Thinking about future holidays, sorting out financial issues etc |
| 10 | Domestic | Tidying, bins and a range of other domestic tasks for which I have to admit Mrs Jones does most |
| 10 | Relaxation | Just sitting quietly and meditating! |
I reckon that adds up to 500 hours – am sure there are things I’ve forgotten – doesn’t seem too bad a way to spend a few weeks.
Through it I’m really focusing on spending less time on the internet, looking at my phone and focus much more on de-stressing at a time when I’m lucky enough to have very little pressure.
How are you spending your next 500 hours of lockdown?