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Without the constant distractions that errands and a social life provided, my daily life’s lack of structure was clearly evident. For the first time in my life, I found the time to reflect on myself and my daily habits. There are countless articles and videos online by successful people talking about their daily routines. Things like going to the gym at 4 am, spending hours journaling “power thoughts,” and drinking dubious green smoothies. I would read these and roll my eyes because, for the rest of us, life is hectic, demanding, and who honestly has a blender in their college apartment. But now, void of the things that prevented from doing so in the past (and a blender at home), I actually considered some of the advice given by these internet gurus.
The first thing I wanted to incorporate was some activity into my daily schedule. While I didn’t wake up at 4 am or break into any quarantined gyms, I did allocate some time to getting outside and just going on a hike. Maybe it was the fresh air or finally being provided with vitamin D, but these walks quickly became a daily staple. I learned Louisville actually has a wide variety of trails and many beautiful hidden corners in stark contrast to the downtown concrete jungle. Putting aside an hour a day for some amount of exercise: whether it be a hike, weight training, or a bike ride, went from seeming nigh impossible to being something I needed; otherwise, the day didn’t feel complete.
The first thing I wanted to incorporate was some activity into my daily schedule. While I didn’t wake up at 4 am or break into any quarantined gyms, I did allocate some time to getting outside and just going on a hike. Maybe it was the fresh air or finally being provided with vitamin D, but these walks quickly became a daily staple. I learned Louisville actually has a wide variety of trails and many beautiful hidden corners in stark contrast to the downtown concrete jungle. Putting aside an hour a day for some amount of exercise: whether it be a hike, weight training, or a bike ride, went from seeming nigh impossible to being something I needed; otherwise, the day didn’t feel complete.
As for many of my computer science contemporaries, sleep for me was often an afterthought. It didn’t matter if I went to bed at 9 pm or 5 am—as long as I was functional the next day, that was a win in my book. When quarantine began, I was finally able to get close to the coveted 8 hours of sleep. Yet, I still found myself consistently tired and assumed that it was just normal. When setting my alarm for an early morning meeting, I stumbled across a sleep schedule feature on my phone. With nothing to lose, I decided to give it a shot. While it may seem like common sense, the effects of sleeping and waking up at consistent times was a massive revelation for me. Being able to easily form coherent thoughts and not feel tired throughout the day is a new luxury experience.
None of these lifestyle changes are new or revolutionary. Eat better, move more, and sleep longer are health tips that have been touted by internet gurus and doctors alike. Despite this, I never made them a priority until we were forced to dramatically restructure our lives. Contrary to my previous thinking, once these changes were made into a habit, they had little impact on the amount of time I felt I had to commit to the other tasks of the day. Having more energy has made assignments more palatable and the current situation a bit more tolerable. And as an added bonus, losing the "freshman fifteen" has made it easier to go up the stairs to the computer desk.
Kieran Waigel, of Louisville, Ky., is a member of the McConnell Scholar Class of 2022. He studies computer engineering and computer science and political science at the University of Louisville.