While being spontaneous can be fun, humans are creatures of habit and typically find comfort in the known rather than the unknown. Knowing what to expect on any given day can bring a sense of stability to a person’s life; this is especially true in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, where time seems to get away from us in our days of isolation and quarantine. Setting up a schedule for yourself will not only help you keep track of time, but it will also help stave off symptoms of stress, anxiety, and potentially clinical depression.

Why else should you create a daily schedule and implement it in your life?

Structure

Having a daily schedule will give you a structure to follow each week rather than leaving you adrift in isolation. This means setting up an alarm each morning, figuring out a morning routine to stick to, and setting time aside for important tasks like work or doctor’s appointments. It was easier to feel your schedule when you could physically go to work, but even with many people working from home, setting up a time to get onto and off of your computer can still give you that structure that the pandemic otherwise took away.

Accomplishment

How many times have you planned on running an errand, only to end the day not having accomplished anything? Scheduling your grocery trips will give you a specific time and day to do this errand, incentivizing you to actually do the task you need to do. By the time you end your day, you’ll be able to rest easy knowing you accomplished what you needed to do for the day.

Setting up a schedule

Routines don’t need to be complicated. Even simple tasks, like tidying your room, can give you that structure and accomplishment while easing your anxiety and stress. When setting up your routine, consider simple things like waking up and going to bed at the same time each day, getting dressed every day, and having your meals at the same time every day.

Working from home makes things a little more difficult to schedule, but you can still set up a routine to separate your personal space from your professional one. Find a space in your home to dedicate solely to your work, whether that be an entire room or a certain spot within your home. Going to this room or spot can give you the sense of “leaving for work” and let the rest of your house be for leisure.

Also, consider including new activities in your routine, such as deep breathing exercises or meditation. This will help with your mental wellness, grounding your mind rather than letting your stress get out of control.