How COVID19 is affecting my intentional living plan
I have an intentional living plan from 1994 to 2019. I have achieved the goals of this plan with contentment on January 31, 2019.
I have reached 70 years old and not crippled, being productive, with peace of mind, with contentment, with enjoyment and with happiness.
In February 1, 2019, I formulated another intentional living plan (bonus plan) from 2019 to 2024 with a stretch up to 2032.
One of the strategies that I have used in formulating and implementing my intentional living plan is that I formulate a whole life intentional living plan then break it into yearly plan, monthly plans, weekly plans, and then daily plans with the daily plans contributing to the achievement of my weekly, monthly, yearly, and whole life intentional living plans. That's how structured and systematic I am.
When I made these plans (whole life, yearly, monthly, weekly and daily), first, I am fully aware I may not be able to achieve everything in the plans to the letter but I promise myself I will do my best. Second, I put more weight on achieving the targets for the year and for the whole life when I do my interval assessment. I put more focus on project accomplishment than task and activity accomplishment. Third, I am fully aware that there will be unforeseen and unexpected circumstances that may affect the implementation of my plans and that I have to make adjustment but with the hope that I will still be able to achieve the goals of my yearly, and particularly, my whole life plan.
One such unforeseen and unexpected circumstance occurring right now (May 8, 2020 - date of this writing) is the COVID19 pandemic affecting the lives of practically every human being in the world, including me.
From March 15, 2020 up to now, May 8, 2020, I have stayed home (home quarantine and isolation). Our Philippine government has imposed general and then enhanced community quarantine from March 15, 2020 to May 15, 2020 to "flatten the curve" and to save everybody from being infected with and being killed by COVID19 By May 15, 2020, the quarantine will already be 2 months long and nobody knows what will happen after May 15. It may be extended for one month, two months, three months, 6 months, 12 months, nobody knows.
There is a buzzword of "new normal" going on now in the community - a "new normal" after the COVID19 crisis. I have also admitted there is a "new normal" going on in my life since March 15, 2020, the day I started to stay home. These are the so-called adjustments that I have to make in my intentional life plan because of COVID19. I hope the adjustments will be limited to daily, weekly, monthly and at most, yearly plans (hopefully just for one year). Again, hopefully, they will not affect the achievement of my goals in my whole intentional life plans (2019 - 2024 to 2032).
https://rojoson.wordpress.com/2020/04/25/new-normal-amid-covid19-crisis-rojoson/
On April 24, 2020 at 2300H, I made a public advisory:
ROJoson’s Advisory
April 24, 2020 – 2300H
In the light of the extension of the enhanced community quarantine up to May 15, 2020, I have to make adjustments in my Intentional Living Plan for 2020, particularly on the aspect of my medical practice.
I have to make known my adjustments and new resolutions in my medical practice to the public particularly to my patients so that they can also adjust accordingly.
NEW RESOLUTIONS:
1. I will be on self-quarantine in my house up to at least June 15, 2020 (4 weeks more than the government-announced May 15, 2020).
2. I will not go to Manila Doctors Hospital and Philippine General Hospital to see patients.
3, I will not go to Manila Doctors Hospital and Philippine General Hospital to operate.
4. I will continue to conduct ROJoson Telemedical Consultation from my house every day and indefinitely.
4. I will continue to do online public health education as part of my Education for Health Development in the Philippines Program.
So, to all my friends, particularly to my patients, please.be guided accordingly. I am making the above announcement as early as now so that you can make the necessary adjustments also.
Dr. Rey
The other small shifts to a “new normal” for me as an offshoot of COVID19 crisis consist of 1) intensifying my exercise regimen at home without going out of the house because I am not allowed to and 2) doing a lot of household chores in the absence of house helps because of community lockdown (I now include cleaning the bathrooms aside from other household chores that I have been doing before).
The other major “new normal” shift that I have to do as an offshoot of COVID19 is physical distancing from other people, including the members of my family, at least 6 feet apart. The other publicly recommended preventive measures against COVID19 like cough etiquette and personal hygiene, I have been doing them before the advent of COVID19. Thus, they will not be considered as “new normal” for me.
Going back to my intentional living plans, so that there will no major disruptions in the overall plans, I will continue to focus on project accomplishment rather than task and activity accomplishment.
The slide below shows my my Programs - Projects starting 2019. At least at the moment, there will be no changes.
However, I have to face the reality that there will be inevitable changes, particularly in my daily activity plans.
My daily activity plans or routines before COVID19 are shown in the slide below.
My daily routines are categorized into MWF and TTh because of my regular clinics in Manila Doctors Hospital on TThS and operations in the Philippine General Hospital on MWF.
MWF Daily Routine – 2019
Wake up
Toilette
Weigh myself
Breakfast
Take maintenance medicines
Wash dishes
Water plants
Refill / collect water
BLOGS if no OPERATION scheduled at PGH or elsewhere (usually I schedule my operations in PGH MWF, outside my TThS clinic days)
Lunch
Wash dishes
Siesta
BLOGS
Exercise
Water plants
Refill / collect water
Dinner
Wash dishes
Take maintenance medicines
BLOGS
Sleep (at 12 midnight)
TThS Routine
Same as MWF except clinics in MDH in the morning or operations in MDH if there is a schedule.
DAILY ROUTINES AMID AND POST COVID19
With the COVID19 crisis, there is no more division between MWF and TThS as I will no longer be able (or least for a long time) to get back to Manila Doctors Hospital for my clinics and to go to MDH and PGH for my operations.
Thus, I will practically have the same routine everyday.
The daily routine will run like this:
Wake up
Toilette
Weigh myself
BLOGS
Breakfast
Take maintenance medicines
Wash dishes
Water plants
TELEMEDICAL CONSULTATION
BLOGS
Lunch
Wash dishes
TELEMEDICAL CONSULTATION
Siesta
BLOGS
Dinner
Wash dishes
Take maintenance medicines
BLOGS
Exercise and watch online movies
Sleep (at 12 midnight)
The major changes are contained in the advisories I gave on April 24, 2020:
1. I will be on self-quarantine in my house up to at least June 15, 2020 (4 weeks more than the government-announced May 15, 2020).
2. I will not go to Manila Doctors Hospital and Philippine General Hospital to see patients.
3, I will not go to Manila Doctors Hospital and Philippine General Hospital to operate.
4. I will continue to conduct ROJoson Telemedical Consultation from my house every day and indefinitely.
4. I will continue to do online public health education as part of my Education for Health Development in the Philippines Program.
In April 2019, I wrote :
https://rojoson.wordpress.com/2019/04/16/conditioning-and-preparing-myself-to-stay-home/
Conditioning and preparing myself to stay home is part of my intentional life plan.
Chances are, one day, I will be forced to stay home.
Chances are, one day, I will get a disabling or crippling disease forcing me to stay home.
Thus, as early as now, I will condition and prepare myself for this situation.
How do I condition and prepare myself to stay home?
I am holding clinic sessions only three times a week (Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays). I try to schedule my operations on these three days also.
I try to stay home on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. I do blogging and other activities at home such as gardening, washing dishes, house clutter management, watching YouTube movies, cherishing my memorabilia pictures, exercising, bonding with family, etc.
I have been conditioning myself to stay at home since at least after 2014 (my retirement from government positions); 2018 (my complete retirement from hospital administration); in 2019 (with my writing above).
The COVID19 crisis has made me stay at home since March15, 2020 (almost 2 months now). My prior conditioning before COVID19 has made things easier for me, not much adverse effect on my mental and physical health.
Pls. also see:
https://rojoson.wordpress.com/2020/05/08/rojoson-amid-and-after-covid19/
ROJ@20may8