Tamima Hafez ’20 details her new routine and how she learned to make the most of staying at home

Quarantining has taught me how to become disciplined. Every morning, my natural alarm clock wakes me up at about 8 or 9 am without needing to snooze my phone alarm for hours. Having that much free time and space in my day allowed me to create a system for myself, which I try to make the most of.

I wake up with a fresh amount of energy, make my morning coffee and enjoy the sun with some music for about an hour. Afterward, I either stretch, do a mini- workout or read. This allows me to gently wake up my brain and get ready for the tasks of the day. Depending on the amount of work or Zoom sessions I have, I plan my day accordingly to finish my work at around 4 pm. Sometimes, I don’t have any work, and I can use this time to practice some of my hobbies, such as painting, singing and playing the guitar or piano. I was only taking three classes during my last semester, so I had lots of time to learn new skills and talents.

My experience with online classes was great. I loved working from home. Creating my own comfort zone and managing my time added so much discipline to my day.
 

When the sun sets, I use the nighttime to switch off and catch up on movies or series that I’ve always wanted to watch but never had the time. At first, this quarantining system was tricky because I realized that I lacked discipline — not time — but then I found a way to work around that and use my time preciously.

The best part about this for me is that I can use my time freely in the morning, which is different from having to be on campus to attend classes. I really appreciate my mornings, and now I actually have the time to enjoy them. So overall, this experience has absolutely affected me positively because it has allowed me to split my day according to my needs and preferences. The main drawback of the quarantine is not being able to spend my last semester as a graduating senior with my friends, but we’ll make up for that after this is all over.

By Nahla El Gendy, as told by Tamima Hafez ’20, a double major in theatre and English and comparative literature