Staff Writer Yuki Adams made a list of things she told herself she would do during quarantine. Guess how many she’s done…

I’ve been putting off everything but binge-watching Criminal Minds since I came home for the rest of the semester. The fact that lectures are recorded just means I can always watch them later…whenever “later” comes around. Despite where I am now, the first thing I did when I got home was to open up my bullet journal and make a list of things I wanted to do and achieve during quarantine. So, here’s a list of lies I told myself I would do:

1. Stay on top of schoolwork, maybe even get ahead. I don’t know why I thought this would happen but it’s a wonderful, nice goal that I love to think about striving towards every day.
2. Cut my hair. It’s just so unbearably long. And now that I don’t have a library to sit in and procrastinate doing work by splitting my split ends, it’s time for a good 5 inches to be chopped. If only I could trust my mom… 
3. Workout. My Tiktok for you page is full of at-home workouts. I just can’t bring myself to do it. However, my friend and I did promise to zoom call and do a workout together… tomorrow.
4. Watch more classic, well-known movies. This may be a bit of a shock since I feel like all I’ve heard about is how people are watching all kinds of movies. Alas, it hasn’t been me. I wanted to watch more movies and set this as a goal for myself because according to my friends, I have not watched enough movies. TV shows? Sure. I’ve watched plenty. But movies for some reason? I just haven’t. I don’t know famous actors, and to my roommate’s dismay, I haven’t even seen Clueless. I’ve been told it’s a staple so… even the easiest of goals I haven’t done. If anyone has any classic, you definitely should have already seen this type of movie, please let me know.

So yes, I set myself some goals. Most of them are relatively achievable. And I actually am going to start the at-home Youtube workout tomorrow. And I started compiling a small list of movies I should probably be familiar with. So I’m making small steps. And the thing is, I’m not beating myself up over not being uber productive during this time. Just because I have more time doesn’t mean that that time hasn’t been filled with uncertainty, stress, and been completely different from anything else I’ve experienced. So, not filling every second of my waking day with something crazy meaningful is okay. Watching Criminal Minds until 5 am isn’t, but I’ve mostly stopped that. See! Baby steps. Just because Shakespeare wrote King Lear while in quarantine doesn’t mean I have to. I’m not a failure for not writing literature that will be studied for generations to come. I can’t even do that hopped up on my fourth coffee of the night at Butler. I’ve been doing what I can do to feel sane while staying safe, and I hope you are too.

Me pondering my list of goals via Wikimedia Commons