As we continue to live in the most unprecedented time of our life with the never ending Corona virus outbreak, the world is waiting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Especially students, who have been desperately waiting to hop on to the school buses to be with their yaar-dost (friends). Alas! It does not appear to be in the offing anytime soon.

The year 2021 hasn’t yet been given a breather or respite from the disruption created by the pandemic, neither for parents nor for their young ones. Many households probably mirror the status and at times ‘despair’ of my household. The resounding echoes of my young ones pose quite a challenge for me;

“Mom, I am getting utterly bored. I don’t want to stay indoors any longer.”

“What’s the hurry Mom? I have all the time in the world. I can shower anytime.”

“Mom, I just want to laze around in bed. There’s nothing much to do anyway.”

“Stop waking me up early morning.”

Ohhhh…how I wish I could swing a magic wand to put our lives back on track! Unfortunately, we parents are just going to have to live with this for a long time yet!

Hmmm….. orrrrrr, I could scratch my head, dig deeper and come up with a ‘Stay-At-Home Routine’ that will help my kids to bid farewell to boredom right away.

So, let me get straight to the point, what is foremost on every child’s mind, who is confined indoors during lockdown and WFH? “How do I make my day interesting, without my parents having to deal with the boredom challenge.”

Leave aside the pandemic…many parents and educators have often struggled with helping children develop a routine for the day even during the previous “normal” times! But the urgency of developing and adhering to routine during lockdown is more important than ever. One must understand WHY it is important to implement a daily routine, or else it is unlikely that one will stick to it.

Our body and brain can work efficiently if we can follow a set schedule or add an outline to one’s day, remember the brain works at its best when it knows what to expect! Furthermore, it is advisable to keep to the routine as consistently as possible. The day runs much smoother when one is not leaving one’s decisions to impulse and random reactions.

So now that we know, the WHY of routines, let’s dive deeper into the WHAT and HOW. I guarantee that once you get into a regular routine and rhythm it will make your day and hours, much more productive and worthwhile. Elementary dear Watson! And guess what? A routine holds well for almost anything, whether it’s work, school, play time or screen time.

At this point, I must introduce you to the phenomenon named ‘Body Clock’. Our body has tiny clocks all over the place to keep everything running smoothly. But, the one that calls the shots and drives us, is the ‘master clock’, or 24-hour cycle ‘circadian rhythm’ – which is mostly affected by natural light and darkness and is controlled by a small area in the middle of the brain. It controls things like our body temperature, hunger, mood, and of course the favourite of my kids – sleep, and wakefulness. Each of us has a different body clock and our routine needs to be planned and tailored according to our own body clock.

Disruption in this rhythm or cycle leads to adverse behavioural changes, mood swings, mental and physical lethargy, impulsiveness and sleep disturbance. Whoa! That’s a lot at stake!

Dr. Adiaha Spinks-Franklin, a developmental behavioural paediatrician at Texas Children’s Hospital and an Associate Professor at Baylor says, “It’s not just what you do at night that helps with your circadian rhythms, it’s about having regular mealtimes, having things you do at a certain time during the day, every day. Natural light exposure and exercise are also important in underscoring natural circadian rhythms.” She also emphasizes the need for an hour of ‘screen-free’ time before bed: “It takes an hour for the brain to calm down. The electronic devices are the No. 1 sleep enemy.”

Having NO routine or rhythm in life can actually make our lives dry as dust. And the best way to beat ‘the lazy beast’ within is to have a plan for each day and enlist all that you wish to engage in on that particular day.

Here are some pointers:

• Routines don’t have to be mundane and repetitive; make sure to schedule activities you would enwrap yourself in periodically, throughout the day.
• You don’t want to burn yourself out trying to do too much.
• Doing the best you can is good enough. Don’t feel too bad if you drift away from your structured schedule- be realistic about what all you can do in your spare time.
• The point of a routine is to make your life better, not stressful. Once the rhythm sets in, it will be a lot of fun.

Under normal circumstances, daily schedules are organized around going to school or work, hitting the outdoors for sports and/or recreational activities and community events. However, right now, practically ALL of these activities are restricted to WFH (Work …and – play – recreate – participate – just about ‘everything’ From Home) vide the ONLINE virtual platform. And hey! If you hadn’t noticed, life continues to unfold and move ahead, but differently, which adults call the ‘new normal’.

So the first step towards being successful with a Stay-At-Home Routine is a change in your mind-set, your attitude, your perception of things and your responses. Everything around you has to be viewed with a new lens and with the goal of finding a creative solution that will help to make the routine interesting, new and one that drives the staleness and ennui away.

You may begin by listing out all the things (by ‘priority’ or ‘urgency’) that fall under these categories:

• Things you must / have to do to survive (like – eat & drink, rest & sleep, bathe and keep clean)
• Things you need to do (like work, study, research, exercise, help around the house, look after someone – a pet, aged relatives, or something – plants, wash the car/scooter/dishes/etc… and introspect/meditate/spend ‘me-time’)
• Things you want to do (like physically play a game, draw & paint, listen to music, dance, chat with friends on whatsapp, play video games)
• Things you could perhaps do (if time, resources and access permit)

The key is to stay busy, with healthy habits and nicely balanced-out time-slots for the above categories –for at least the first three. Set goals which are achievable. ‘Too much’ or ‘Too less’ will lead to frustration, boredom or in the worst case scenario drive you to say “ I give up!”

Having the right balance is what works and is good enough. Here are some tips on how to achieve a stable Stay-At-Home routine:

• Take a weekly format that shows the tentative waking hours for each day, like this schedule chart
• Fix your sleep time and meal times as per your ‘body clock’. Always remember ‘Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise’.
• Mark out your usual work/study times. If you have online school, just follow the instructions and plan the rest of your day according to your wish.
• Plan your activities – please ensure that each activity has clearly defined time line and rules. A group activity may be followed by personal time like-solving jigsaw puzzles, cracking crossword puzzles, doing craft work, writing a journal, reading in silence, or completing of homework. Setting up a kitchen garden on your own or with help is one of the best ways to connect with nature and environment you live in. If this seems challenging then just watering plants in and around your house will also do.
• On ‘No School’ days, plan and list down how you will help your parents in extra housekeeping activities, daily chores which are in line with your age and abilities.
• Devoting some time to physical activities in the mornings and evenings is a must and a great way to stay active and happy. Sometimes, if you are having a nice time playing, don’t interrupt it because the schedule says it’s snack time, be flexible and go with the flow, without getting carried away!
• Designate one day in a week for innovation or creation of something that you may have never explored before.
• During quarantine or lockdown or ‘work from home’ or ‘normal’ times, … a ‘family reading routine’ (when each member reads their own book), is a perfect way to be on your own and yet be together.
• You children, like us adults, too need some time to relax. Taking a nap or lying down for at least half-an-hour does wonders to rejuvenate the mind and body. The most essential and non-negotiable slot that you must schedule during the day is ‘ME time’. It is the time when you relax, sit and meditate by simply observing your thoughts and letting them come and go. This will help you to balance the energy within you. Once the energy is restored, you will be calmer and more productive.
• Limit screen time or use of digital devices (mobile phone, tablet, computer and laptop). Use them judiciously as tools or resources, and use them only for a fixed time. You could consider some online games to play with your friends and distant family members to keep yourself engaged, but ONLY during the scheduled screen time. (To name a few- Housie, Pictionary, Heads Up, Monopoly, Scrabble, Avo, Scribblo are great games to play online with your friends and family).
• Movie time, particularly over the weekend, can be a family fun-activity, when everyone is ready to unwind. Who said movie-time at home can’t be fun? Just pop some corn, get some snacks and drinks and make the family room a mini theatre to enjoy a movie together, complete with laughter, claps, yoo-hoos and an intermission!
• The best way to end your day would be to immerse yourself in Svadhyaya – a bit of ‘self-reflection’ or knowing yourself better, as you revisit the day gone by; being grateful for what you have and what you were able to achieve. It might be a good idea to pen down your reflections stating what you really enjoyed and why, and what you must try to change to become a better student, sibling or a son/daughter.
• Seek help if you are not able to structure your day yourself. It may seem overwhelming initially, but the end result will set your rhythm.
• Once the schedule is ready, put it up in a visible place.
• Lastly, and most importantly, follow the routine! Discount the first few misses or tripping around the routine… but then to make a plan work, one must follow it. Feel free to adjust, tweak, modify and re-schedule some tasks if needed; not all the time, just once or twice to help you to fix the routine into a smooth flow.

Well, human beings are creatures of habit: we crave routine, consistency and stability in our lives to learn and grow further. So, take on the challenge and create your own fun-filled, enjoyable routine by making the best of what you have. I bet once it is put up, you’ll agree that for now, “Stay-At-Home works for ME!”