#coronavrius

[awkward-sultana]

[serenata-your-neighborhood-lefty]

[progressivejudaism]

STAY HOME.

“The human and economic costs of delaying this lockdown will be staggering. The COVID-19 outbreak has many more cases now than are visible (tip of the iceberg) and they are growing rapidly. Absent sufficiently effective intervention, new cases will increase 1.3 to 1.5 times each day. We had almost 20,000 cases in the United States on Friday, over 5,800 more cases than the previous day. Without a lockdown, in one week there will be about 200,000. In two weeks: 2,000,000. One in seven cases require hospitalization and 5% require ICU care with ventilators to survive. There aren’t nearly enough ventilators available.”

The Talmud argues that save a life is akin to saving the entire world. Stay home.

We need an immediate five-week national lockdown to defeat coronavirus in America

Locking down the country would reduce infections and allow time for massive testing. There will be staggering human and economic costs if we

[darkeyedghost]

I mean, yes, Boris Johnson is being an absolute idiot by opening schools again on the 8th of March (like whyyy, the data says it's a bad idea), but at least pubs and restaurants are still staying closed

[tbsmllr]

[factcheckdotorg]

Death Quote Wrongly Attributed to Trump

Social media posts are spreading a quote falsely attributed to President Trump about the coronavirus. He didn’t say, “People are dying who have never died before.” Ernest Hemingway did.  

[streamacademe]

Week 131, Day 910.

I am writing this post a day early; I normally have Sundays off, but nothing is normal anymore. I am taking Monday off instead; my other half is also off and we are using the day to escape the confines of our home in the Peak District. I am also supposed to have a hospital appointment tomorrow, but I suspect it will be cancelled... sigh.  It has been a crazy week, which I imagine is the case for everyone. On Monday and Tuesday I was still in the office. Wednesday was the last day I was able to go to the gym. On Thursday, I had my wisdom tooth removed, immediately after which I picked up my essential items from the office to be able to work from home. Our University shut on Friday and I have since been at home recovering from the surgery. 🦷

Photo: My working from home set-up. Source: Phone camera.

I am not the kind of person who enjoys working from home. I struggle to focus, feel lonely and unmotivated, and begin to suffer from cabin fever. I am sure I am not the only one. 🏡 The reality of the situation is that we have no idea how long these restrictions are going to be in place, so the best that we can do is accept them and adapt. I listened to a webinar on ‘working from home without going crazy’, here are some tips I found useful:

Dress for work -  As comfortable as pyjamas are, they kill productivity. Dressing appropriately will not only help get you into the right mindset for work, but will also mean that you are ready to handle any video calls. 👗

Replace your commute - Working from home means giving up your commute, which can have both positive and negative effects. For me, commuting allows me to get some proper exercise (I cycle) and clear my head. Without the commute I feel sluggish and overwhelmed. Therefore, I have started either going for a walk/run or doing a home workout before sitting down at my desk. 🌳 Establish a routine - And stick to it. It is super difficult to both stay motivated and to know when to stop working when you’re at home. Setting strict working hours will help make this more manageable. ⌚

Self-discipline - This can be very tough and is unique to each person in how it is achieved. However, it is an essential skill to have in order to be able to work from home, especially for PhD students. So figure out what works for you, be it reward incentives or daily to-do lists, and be strict with yourself. 📝

Avoid distractions - For most people, getting distracted is so much easier at home because they are not accountable to anyone apart from themselves. Some find it to be the opposite, I am not one of those people. If, like me, you are easily distracted, stay off your phone, social media, TV, Netflix, whatever it is that pulls you away from your work. 📵

Separate your work and home life - I appreciate this is not always possible, but try to not work in the same space you eat, relax, or sleep. Once you finished your working day, shut the door to your office. 🏠

Get comfortable office furniture - Once again, I appreciate that this is not always feasible, but try to make your working space as comfortable and functional as possible. 🪑 Use this opportunity to your advantage - Staying at home means having more time for those things you keep putting off e.g. sorting the garden, reading that book, meditating, baking, etc. Utilise this time the best you can! ✨

Good luck!

Photo: Our cat clearly not coping with having us home all the time. Source: Phone camera. 

Over the last few weeks, I have learned quite a lot of useful information for researchers on things like CV/cover letter writing, viva prep, using different statistical tools, thesis writing, etc. Sharing everything in one post would be too much for everyone involved, therefore, I will be writing several bonus posts covering these different topics across the next few weeks. :)  Before I go, here are a few podcasts from The Minimalists on the coronavirus pandemic, which I have found to be very insightful and uplifting, I hope you do so too:

1. Pandemic Preparation  2. Coronavirus  3. How to Live Through This

Thank you to 650+ of you for following my journey!  Keep your spirits up, stay kind, and look after one another! 👻

Photo: When some self-absorbed muppet has bought all the bread, bake your own - and present it to your cat as a peace offering. Source: Phone camera.

[awkward-sultana]