Yes, connecting with others falls under the umbrella of “productive things to do at home.” We can’t be productive if we feel isolated, disconnected, and alone, so socializing is a crucial part of this whole process right now.

Since this is all new to all of us, this is going to take a variety of forms.

Take the “HouseParty” app, for example. It’s a face to face social network with embedded gaming capabilities that you can play with your friends. I’ve also used HouseParty to chat while we play online poker, and so forth.

In the Toronto Bloggers Collective, we’re also trying to adapt and think of genuine ways to provide some online community, and drop a little knowledge. Now, on Thursdays, we have a live workshop in the Toronto Bloggers Collective Facebook Group at 10:30am on a different topic each week. We’re also hosting a happy hour every Saturday starting at 8pm on Zoom.

I’ve also been prioritizing “brainstorming calls” where I chat with friends and colleagues I respect in the industry (and out of the industry, actually) and we just do an idea dump. You can’t underestimate the power of talking to a bright person for an hour, where you both have each other’s best interest at heart.

In my opinion, everyone has the opportunity to think outside the box a little.

I’ve never been a “gamer,” either, but I find I’m playing more games online with friends, especially games where we can play on the same team. For now, it’s really keeping me sane, and making sure I’m injecting some fun into my nights here and there.

Think about where and how you’d like to connect in new ways. What hobbies to you enjoy, and what communities might you be able to latch onto or engage with on the world wide web or on social?

So That’s How to Feel Productive in Your Pyjamas

Joking aside, I would recommend starting your day as you would normally do it. Wake up, get a cup of your preferred hot beverage, perhaps a bite to eat, then shower and get dressed.

It may not seem like much, but the act of getting dressed is big, at least for me. Plus, you never know when someone is going to hop on a Zoom call with you nowadays.

This also may sound a touch over the top, but I have “signifiers” that I use in my office that indicate when I’m “on the clock.” After my shower, I go into my office and turn on my air purifier, then I turn on the lamp in the corner, and my lava lamp.

I go and get dressed, then come back to my office and the lava lamp is oozing away, which I’ve mentally begun to interpret as my signal that the workday has indeed begun. When I’m done my “workday,” I turn off all of those things and just use the overhead lamp, and then I unconsciously understand that I’m no longer on the clock.

These things ultimately act as cues, so see what cues you can create for yourself as well.

I honestly believe I’ve shared all my tips and tricks about being productive at home that i’ve come to understand. Through these difficult times, I’m trying to establish how I can be the most helpful for others that I can, and that’s why writing about travel just isn’t cutting it for me right now.

Know that, whoever is reading this, I wish you well in this time, and I sincerely hope this gives you some boost or direction.

What I’ve come to understand more than anything else over the past few weeks is that despite the fact that I might have less to offer right now from a monetary perspective, my mind is still rich with ideas, and, moving forward, I intend to give all that I possibly can.