While COVID-19 continues its devastating force—affecting nearly every aspect of daily life—and with no definitive time-table in place to know how long the virus’s affects might remain in place, the following is a list of twenty-two things that students can do right now from home to best prepare themselves, emotionally and academically, in the wake of these unprecedented times (and how to also best prepare themselves for an anticipated return to normalcy, however that might look, in the future).

This list will be broken into two categories: Holistic SITs (Strategies, Ideas, & Tips) & Academic SIT’s—eleven of each to get to twenty-two.

With that, let’s get started.

Holistic SIT’s

1. Stick to a Schedule: As COVID-19 affects so many aspects of daily life right now, perhaps one of the most important thing for students to do is to stick to a regular schedule: A schedule for going to bed, a schedule for getting up from sleep, and a schedule for completing school work from home. Many parents and caretakers might be in a great position to discuss, and assist their student (s) with setting-up the perfect daily schedule for themselves, knowing that now is an outstanding, more flexible, time to trial-run, or fine-tune, those particular efforts. And while there are no school bells right now….

2. Set Alarms: I started doing this for myself right after the Coronavirus hit (students can use their phones, regular alarm clocks, our any other devices that have an in-built alarm clock feature). If a student wants to spend x-amount of time on a particular activity during the day, an alarm clock can keep them focused on the task at-hand, without worrying about losing track of time. They can also use it as a reward system for completing school work, chores, or other assigned duties at home. For example, if a student completes a certain academic task (or tasks) for the day, they can then use an alarm to reward themselves with a set amount of time for media devices, taking a nap, reading, or doing anything else that they enjoy.

3. Control What You Can Control: Similar to sticking to a daily schedule, and setting alarms for work and leisure, it is important to remember that, at least externally, much is out of peoples’ control right now. We don’t know when COVID-19 might start to regress; we don’t know when there will be a vaccine, at the moment, either, or when school might resume. But it is important to maintain those things that are in our control. For students, that might mean being able to control their attitude, or to control how much news media they consume. It might mean controlling how much they sleep, or how they are choosing to interact with other family members.

4. Dress for S(chool)uccess: This could be a good idea for students that already had a normal, structured routine for getting ready in the morning, and for those who enjoyed selecting what they would wear to school for the day. It can provide a measure of control and simulate what a normal day would look like. After all, if you want to take a selfie later, which looks better for a picture: school clothes or pajamas?

5. Wake Up Early: This is one that might work for some students if, in particular, families have to share technology devices, or if a student prefers to work in a quieter environment (maybe they have younger siblings or perhaps are part of a larger household). Getting up earlier might allow for some additional peace and quiet to be more productive.

6. Exercise From Home: There are still options for breaking a sweat and squeezing in a workout. Students can create their own workouts at home—many of which can be no or low-equipment exercises. Don’t have weights? No problem. Simple, safe household items could be used instead for weight resistance. The point is, to work with what you have and get creative. There are a lot of workout videos and plans online. Help your student(s) if they are not sure where to start.

7. Help Out Around the House: If you are a student, maybe you want to show off that new recipe you have always wanted to try out. Now you can get excellent, real-time feedback from your entire family. Maybe a parent or caregiver is skilled in any area of expertise that you are interested in—great! Shadow them or ask them if they can teach you what they know. Handy around the house? This is a great time for Spring cleaning and maybe completing those projects that have always needed to be done—make it a family affair. Who knows, it might really spark an interest (and can allow a student to feel a sense of pride or ownership of what they have accomplished).

8.Use Imagination: This is a perfect time to become a budding author, blogger, or artist. The sky is the limit—no idea too audacious! What problem needs to be solved? What story needs to be told? Now is the time to dream big and figure out how to make it happen—start now.

9. Read More: Similar to the imagination idea, reading can take us to fun and far-away places, and help us escape the feeling of not being able to leave our physical homes. Have a book lying around that you always told yourself you would read? Awesome! Read for fun; read for relaxation; read to pass the time; or read for knowledge—any way you go, you can’t go wrong with starting and finishing a great book.

10. Complete a Gratitude Activity: During this time, it’s easy to think about all the things that might be troubling our hearts or minds; the questions we might have, or the answers we are having a hard time finding. Sample gratitude activities (there are many models online) or simply writing out what we are thankful—or gracious—for is a great way to help keep things in perspective. Whether they be people, objects, experiences, or anything else, taking inventory of the things that are going right, or the things that we are happy to have in our lives right now, can help us all to better weather this current storm.

11. Tell Others How You Feel: Last, but certainly not least: We all need each other right now. At a core, we all share in a human experience of living through a global pandemic most of us have never seen before in our collective lifetimes. If you are a student, reach out and check on your friends. If you are having a hard time adjusting to things, talk to your family or let your counselor or teacher from school know. Now is not the time to go it alone—be vulnerable, be transparent—it might have the effect of helping others to also open up and share how they, too, are feeling.

Academic SITs

12. Reflect on What is Important to You: Similar to the set of Holistic SITs above, use this as a time to think about what it is that you most value. Take a mental inventory, or an internal audit, of yourself, if you will. If you’re a student, did you take that advanced course because you truly desired to, or did you feel pressured to taking it by friends or because you thought that is what colleges expected of you? This is a wonderful time to reflect upon all previous classes taken, activities, and extra-curriculars that you participate in (and your future participation plans). Are you staying true to your own values and interests? What you want to get out of your time in school, or what you hope to yet still accomplish? Put your brand and stamp on your legacy—make it your own. You will be happier (and here’s a little secret: so, too, will the colleges).

13. Have a Plan: It’s important to still plan right now. Yes, none of us know when things might start to get back to normal. But plan as if things will get back to normal at some point (because they will). I started setting up this blog website recently and almost stopped my forward progress because the first blog topic draft that I wrote I figured few might read it right now. So, I sat down and decided to instead create a totally different blog topic that you are now reading. Have a plan, a backup plan, and a backup plan to the backup plan.

14. Learn a World Language: These days, it is probably easier than ever to embark upon learning another language. If you are in school, chances are you might already be studying a second language—keep going! The extra time right now might really allow you to advance ahead in your studies. Practice on friends or family or have quiz you—get creative and have fun.

15. Complete a Personality Test:  Discover more about who you are by completing a personality test, such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) or DISC assessments, for example (many versions, or condensed versions, are free). Share your results with friends and families, and compare how you are similar (and different) to others. This can come in handy with selecting courses to take in school or helping you to discover various careers of interest that might play well to your core personality set.

16. Work on Test Prep or College Essays: Or both. This is a great time for students to sharpen their skills with standardized test prep resources, or to also work on their college essays, if they are current Sophomores or Juniors. Jot some thoughts down on paper; think about what to write about. What story needs to be told? What areas of improvement need to be fortified in test prep or essay-writing? Now is the time to sharpen those skills.

17. Create a Resume:  This is an idea that will pay big dividends, particularly, in the future. Some classes might even require writing a resume as part of a classroom experience (so students could write a resume now and update it later, as needed). I liken the resume to a sort of personal Constitution, if you will: it’s like a living, amendable document. If you’re a student: Don’t worry if your resume seems short to you. Just list any awards, achievements, jobs, clubs, sports, or things that you are proud of, or that might stand out. You will have a ready-made resume to hand to potential employers and something that can also help  you with the college application process. Need a letter of recommendation? As a counselor, a student resume can help me to write an even stronger letter for students. (I recommend updating resumes every 6-12 months for students.)

18. Brand Creation: Similar to the importance of creating a resume, think about creating individual business cards or colorful tri-fold brochures of yourself. Have a personal website, or a digital portfolio of music or art, or an online store? Get the word out; starting by linking everything together. In 2020, brand creation is important. You don’t have to be a blue-collar counselor (it’s decent, but believe me: it’s not glamorous). But what is your individual brand? If you’re not sure, ask family or friends to list the words they think best describe you, and go from there to build up your own brand.

19. Do Now What You Said You Never Had the Time to Do Before: Yes, now is the time to think about starting that new project or activity you told yourself you would always do if you had more time. Guess what? More time is now here—whether we like it or not. Little things, big things—there is no limit to creativity and imagination. Leverage time; master time. This could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity right now.

20. Stay Hungry: This means that while there is less structure to the day-to-day expectations of going to school every morning, it’s even more important to stay sharp, motivated, organized, and pushing forward. It means that if other peoples’ hands are glued to smartphones or video game consoles, your hands are busy working and creating. See this as a season of opportunity and leverage it.

21. Take a Tour:  Similar to reading a book, sometimes we need a vacation—either in our minds or an actual vacation. Right now, most of us have to settle for the former. Many colleges have virtual tours set up for prospective students; so do other places like museums and zoos—all for free! While virtual tours might not hold the same exact power as seeing sites in-person, right now, they might have to make-do as the next best thing available—go forth and explore!

22. What Did You Do? It’s very possible that colleges will ask future prospective students what they did with their time during this noteworthy event in human history. Did a student further develop—or hone—a hobby or skill? Did they help others? Did they take on additional responsibilities, or sharpen their skills in any particular way? It’s very possible that colleges will want to know. If you’re a student, you don’t want to look back, months or years from now, and have difficulty answering this question.

Begin today.

–The Blue-Collar Counselor