Staying busy, motivated and connected while social distancing

During the recent Movement Control Order (MCO) in Malaysia due to the Covid-19 pandemic, I felt the urge to reach out to my Academic Advisory students to ensure they were happy, safe, motivated and healthy. Most of them were back at home with their families, but five of them were either still at their student hostels or rented houses near the university. We brainstormed ideas to keep everyone busy, motivated and connected while social distancing. Here are some of them:

• continue learning by enrolling in free online courses
• pick up a new skill for growth, e.g., meditation, public speaking
• video call family or childhood friends
• work part-time online
• create a side-income plan, e.g., start up a YouTube channel, selling mask or hand sanitizers online
• invest (money, time, etc.) on your passion
• read books / listen to audio books
• play video games
• make a cup of your favorite beverage