Productive Things To Do In Lockdown… For Millennials

Not sure what productive things to do in Lockdown? Well, in this article, you’re going to learn some key steps to make you super productive, even if it is locked down. I’m hoping it will contribute to some great decisions you have made thus far. Bold statement, but also very true. This article will go through 8 tips to help you do productive things during this lockdown.

We’ve entered into a new year and it’s been a crazy 2020. However, I, my friends, family and clients have been utilizing these strategies in order to enhance and increase our productivity. They are simple things, but amidst all the madness has kept us grounded.

Now, admittedly, you are likely to know these things already, but I know is not the same as I DO. This article should serve as a good reminder to help organize your thinking in such a way where you can be better when it comes to your performance. 

Have one Primary Aim

Your one Primary Aim could be money, health or relationship related. Let’s say you Primary Aim is “I want to make 100K”, you need to be able to break it up into key objectives, quarters, months, and weeks. This gives you a level of organization and clarity that helps guide your activities day to day. You can find out more about how to do this effectively here.

Develop some sort of 12 month plan, even during this crisis. Many clients come to me because they feel confused about their next steps or have a lack of clarity. However, when they’ve gone through this exercise, lo and behold, clarity reveals itself. So develop some sort of primary aim that enables you to develop a good, solid plan that you can work towards so you can achieve your personal and professional goals. Remember, a plan can be iterated and needs to be flexible to accommodate changes. As I stated before you can read more about that here.

Invest in a course

People invest in Premium courses as well as low-ticket courses that can be found in places like Udemy. You can learn skills like a new language, business marketing, or even cooking. Investing in a course is definitely a productive thing to do in lockdown, just thing about the new person you will become.

Learn something that will benefit you and make you stronger, especially once we come out of this whole situation. The great thing, this new skill that you develop from investing in a course may even make you additional income. Investing in a course does not insinuate that you have more time, but looking at the same four walls heightens your orientation of time and how you use it. So utilize that greater sense of time to learn something new, develop your skills. 

Get a routine

I’ve spoken about morning and night routines already here, and I’ll reiterate the point in this article. Many of my clients initially had issues with sleep, which said something about their lifestyle. Having a good night and morning routine sets you up for the day, as it gets you into a state of mind that prepares you for your day.

During the lockdown, it is easy to feel fatigued and sluggish and this is some we want to avoid. Create a situation where you feel energized by creating routines that caters towards your needs.

Start a business

Setup an expert business. This could be a coaching, consulting or training business. Think about:

• Your key skills
• Your passions
• Opportunities present in the market

Using the Ikigai model is a great way to help you unravel some opportunities. Identifying these factors will enable you to help people who have problems that you can solve for a fee. So let’s say, for example, I help the millennial dads improve their personal finances in order for them and their families to enjoy their money more. That is a specific need with a specific gain that they would get if they were to take me up on my offer.

Also look at what other people are doing and learn from them. This is known as competitor analysis. Understand some of the following:

• What content are they providing?
• How frequently?
• What sort of offers do they have in play?
• What platforms are they using?
• What are people saying about this stuff? Can you capitalize on anything?

This is a prime time to capitalize on the elearning industry as it will be worth $325 Billion by 2025. I would jump on the bandwagon if it’s something that interests you.

Content creation

I’d also say create content on a consistent basis. This could be something like Facebook or Instagram Lives, a podcast or Clubhouse sessions. I would advise producing SEO content (relies on a search engine) and also Social content (reliant more on engagement factors). You need to know where your audience is and what you’re comfortable doing. Sometimes what you’re comfortable with isn’t always the best thing, but monitor and see where people are, using your strengths. Don’t be afraid to be a bit out there, no one really cares until they care…

Learn to cook well-well!

The next thing I’d like to say is learn how to cook properly. If you’re one of those people who always wanted to learn how to cook or bake something, then this is the time to practice. Maybe there’s an Italian cuisine that you want to learn. Possibly there’s a West African dish that you want to master. Potentially you could ask your parents to help you or you can investigate things for yourself online. Whatever it is, master the art of cooking, because when you do, you’ll feel better for doing it. This may encourage date night, or family get-togethers. It may even help you kick start a business, or reduce your expenditure on takeaways. I don’t know about you but sounds like it is a productive thing to do in lockdown to me!

Redecorate your house

There are probably many annoying things that need to get done in your house. This could be the curtains, the walls, the floor, or even the kitchen. However annoying it may feel to get things done in your house, this is the time to get it done. When ever in history have you had this time to be in your house so much? You start to notice things. Pinterest and Instagram are great ways to garner inspiration and guide your redecorating steps.

I remember speaking to a friend where she said it was embarrassing to know how she used to live. Since lockdown she has rejuvenated life into her environment. Ask yourself, “Do I really need to live like this?” Some of us may be waiting on the right or the next house to do everything up, but why not do it now? Thinking about it strategically, you’re upping the value of that property anyway, if you’re looking to sell it in the future. So redo your house, and stop making up excuses. 

During the summer I repainted my walls and built new Ikea gear in my room. Now, my mind feels fresh. I’m able to shoot YouTube videos and have a plant and all that kind of stuff. Get into the mindset of re-doing your house because it just changes the vibe, the mindset and the way you do things as well.

Sort out your Money

Ensure that your finances are on point. Do your due diligence and understand how much money you spend, and what your expenses look like. You may want to use something such as Money Dashboard. I’ve actually done an in-depth video on finances, so make sure to check it out here. 

Whether you feel like the pandemic has made your situation worse or not, it really comes down to your habits and behaviors that you had before this whole situation. This is not true for everyone, but for many people it is. This is the time to monitor your behaviors, understanding your buying patterns, and putting in budgets and saving mechanisms in place to promote financial wins.

In addition, you may want to understand how you can actually grow your money during this time from an investing standpoint. Don’t get head over heels though, focus on the fundamentals such as personal budgeting and savings, and then work your way up.

Fix your body

Commit to consistent exercise. I hold my hands up and state that I am a hypocrite here. I wouldn’t say you need to commit to an hour a day, but I would say commit to a specified range or amount. For example you may want to focus on doing 7 mins of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) per day, coupled with a brisk walk.

How do you commit to exercise daily? You get into the habit of monitoring your progress. You also take very small steps. For example, I bought a smartwatch to make sure I track my steps. It can also track my sleep and heart rate. This encourages me to want to do better. Get to a point of understanding how your body works, because if you don’t, you could be in a position where you’re actually getting worse in terms of your health and you don’t really understand why.

You could also invest money and get a good personal trainer. This could be in person (if protocol allows it), or virtually via online classes. There are Instagram pages where people help you exercise for free. There are many options to get your body supple and active, you just need to look for them.

When this pandemic is over, we don’t want to go outside and break our Achilles heel for taking a humble step into the sun! Breaking all your toes with each step! Make sure you exercise, and eat well too; this aligns nicely with cooking.

Closing points

So there you have it, productive things to do in lockdown, especially for millennials. Hopefully this helps you from losing your mind. If you have some sort of routine and stick to activities like this, you are going to feel a lot better. This is because you will feel like you are not wasting your time and you are keeping productive. Do not think you have to do everything at once, but focus on the things you can handle, need to or want to focus on.

If you want the tactics and strategies to make sure that you stick to these habits helping you stay super productive, I’ve got a 10-page guide that you can download here. Make sure to click on the link in order to receive this guide.

Enjoy your day, and if you want to watch this advice rather than read it, then click on the associated video below.