We all remember how things were before these crazy, unstable times. The normal routine of waking up two hours early to get ready and make it through rush hour traffic in time to get into the office. Going to the grocery store with no issues of whether it is being stocked with essentials. Taking a simple flight to spend time with your family without the fear of getting sick. Let’s be honest, everyone took that for granted, but who knew?

Realization & Acceptance

I realized the magnitude of COVID-19’s impact when one of the largest conferences in the world, SXSW, was canceled. How crazy that this two-week long festival—critical to Austin’s economy—had been called off? Once the shelter-in-place order was issued and people began “panic-buying” literally EVERYTHING fear ensued in my mind and left me feeling pretty hopeless.

As the days and weeks went on I also realized that working from home was most likely going to be the new normal and I thought to myself, “how am I going to preserve my sanity?” I realized that there are tons of things that I can do to keep myself busy. All I had to do was refer to the seemingly infinite laundry list of back-burner items that everyone seems to have:  the “Eventually​ List”.

My “Eventually List”

The Home Things

Organizing

I organized my closet, rearranged my home office area, read books, and fixed pieces of clothing that I have been putting off.

Side-Hustling

I’ve maintained my side-hustle of listing items for sale online with a huge profit margin that I find scouring thrift stores. I had so many that I even had to get a storage unit to keep them from overflowing my place. Although it may sound hard, time-consuming, and boring it’s definitely my favorite part of the process.

Coloring

I’ve eliminated my bad moods by coloring in my adult coloring books (yes, I have multiple) while sitting on the balcony with fresh air and sunlight. What a mood booster.

Gaming

My boyfriend and I have played a lot of old video games including Kingdom Hearts 1 & 2 which we were able to snag and definitely brought back all the feels. We’ve also played some Silent Hill 3, but I honestly can’t even play it without getting way too freaked out.

The Work-Related Things

Learning

I’ve completed several courses online including Programming Foundations: Fundamentals, HubSpot’s Content Marketing, How to Develop your Career Plan, Developing your Emotional Intelligence, and Developing Self-Awareness.

Extra Projects

I’ve also asked for extra projects at work that I realize are great opportunities especially when you have the time to do so and it’s outside of your sometimes monotonous daily routine. Plus, you get the brownie points for helping your team while helping the company and yourself. 😉

Advice for Your Own “Eventually List”

If I could give out any piece of advice it’s that you should do literally anything that sounds fun right now, no matter how silly or stupid you think it is. Yes, you should write that book. Yes, you should paint that painting. Yes, you should take that online course. Yes, you should finally organize that closet. You never know what you can accomplish unless you give it a shot. Although I’ve had to get used to a “new normal,” I am very thankful for my ability to work from home and finally get to do all the things on my “eventually list”.