If you haven’t yet, read our advice on quarantine mind game here.

Maintain a routine

One of the most disorienting things about quarantine is the lack of structure. The days can blur together; you forget how long it’s been since you brushed your teeth or did laundry. Carve out normalcy by maintaining a daily routine. You don’t need a rigid minute-to-minute schedule; just simple habits and blocks of structured time will go a long way.

Create a productive area

Designate a place in your house that you devote to productivity. If you were a homeschooler before COVID-19 struck, you may already have one. Protect this space. Teach yourself that whenever you enter this room or sit in this chair, you are focused and alert and working. This physical space will go a long way toward helping you carve productivity out of the blur.

Connect with humans

Social connections are more important than ever. Schedule time to video chat or play games online with friends. Make sure they’re okay and ask what you can do to help. And even though they may be driving you crazy, invest in your family. Spend time with them. Hug them. Make memories with them. You need each other.

Change scenery

If local ordinances permit, go outside. Spend time in parks. Better yet, go on a long day hike. Nothing restores peace and sanity like spending time surrounded by nature with the sun on your face. Just make sure you go somewhere you won’t find many other people, and stay at least six feet away from anyone you do run into.

When you’re home, make the effort to spend time in every area of the house. This helps you mark time and keeps you from falling into a rut.

Keep debating

Take advantage of every opportunity to continue honing your skill as a debater. Compete in online tournaments. Coordinate practice rounds in the Ace Peak Society or with your club. This activity is as valuable as ever, and is a breath of fresh air from the monotony of quarantine.

If you’re doing a practice round, stretch yourself with practice resolutions. You can even experiment with different debate formats, or make up your own. This is a great time to push yourself out of your comfort zone and see what you’re capable of as a speaker.

Cultivate new activities

We know; it’s tempting to spend 12 hours a day playing Minecraft. And again, there’s nothing wrong with playing to help you pass the time, especially if you’re doing it with loved ones. But you probably have more time than you know what to do with, and if you spend all of it consuming, you’ll start to feel mentally and emotionally pent-up. Restore yourself by spending time every day doing something that either creates or builds your value as a person. Examples:

Create art (draw, record music, write fiction)
Reading (Everything you can get your hands on)
Learn a new skill (cooking, dancing, guitar)
Learn a new language
Journal
Exercise (running, biking, bodyweight exercises)
Garden
Something very time-consuming (stop-motion animation, falling dominoes, Rube Goldberg machines)

Take up just one new activity at a time, and discipline yourself to spend at least 30 minutes a day doing it until it feels normal. Activities you can do with family members are twice as good as those you do alone.

Ace Peak is committed to serving the speech & debate community during this crisis. Contact us with questions, thoughts, or Netflix binge suggestions.

We’re always here. Be well.

6 Tips for Making the Most of your Quarantine