What will you do if you are quarantined?

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There has been mass quarantining of people due to virus fears in China, South Korea and Italy. In most countries some people have been sent home because of fears that they have the virus, or that their workplace or work colleagues may have been infected by the Covid-19 virus or Coronavirus.

So what will you do if you’re suddenly sent home for 2 weeks or more? What will you do if your workplace or project is temporarily shutdown for a few weeks?

Of course the important thing is to understand whether you’ll be paid for this time away from work, and the type of leave you’ll be using. If it’s unpaid time you may have to contact loan providers to extend their payment terms.
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If you are running a project or business, it’s important to contact customers, suppliers and employees and make sure that they are all aware of the situation.
But what will you do with your time while you’re at home?

How will you spend your time while you’re quarantined at home?

​Now some of you will be angry, upset, frustrated, or even worried, if you’re quarantined at home. But really, there’s nothing you can do that will change the situation. The best is to make constructive use of your days. Do something with your enforced days at home. Here are some suggestions:

1. Some may be able to do certain work from home. Well that’s great. However, be careful not to spend the whole day in front of the computer, checking your emails and attending to the odd few things that arise, when maybe this work could be done in a few hours. If you’re doing a little work from home it may be worthwhile recording the hours and what you did in case you need to explain to your boss that you weren’t doing nothing in this time.
2. Spend quality time with your family. I’m sure you’re usually flat out working and don’t have much time for the family. Don’t take out the frustrations of being quarantined on your partner or children. They are probably as frustrated as you. Maybe watch a few movies together and play a few games.
3. Perhaps now is the time to do some of those projects you’ve been intending to do around the house. Some tidying and cleaning. Fixing stuff that’s broken. Even larger projects like painting a few rooms and installing shelves or cupboards. Maybe the garden could do with a makeover. (My book ‘An Introduction to Building and Renovating Houses, Vol 2’ has a few ideas for improving homes.) You could even plan a more serious renovation or home build project for later when the country returns to normal. (Reading home building and renovation books, such as my books ‘An Introduction to Building and Renovating Houses volumes 1 and 2, could give you a few tips and starting ideas.)
4. If you’re not happy with your current job then now might be a good time to dust off your cv and update it. Towards the end of your quarantine period you can even send off a few job applications.
5. You could spend time on your hobbies. Get stuff done that you’ve been meaning to do for the past few years.
6. Read a good book. There’s tons of books you can download.
7. Learn something new – a new skill or hobby. Maybe something that you’ve been wanting to learn for some time. There’s lots of info on the internet and in self-help books.
8. Improve your skills and qualifications. There are lots of useful books and online courses. (I’ve written several construction management books that may be useful for some). We can all learn something new which could advance our careers.
9. Communicate with old friends and acquaintances who you haven’t spoken to in a while.
10. Plan what needs doing when you get back to work. How will you make up lost time. Of course, don’t dwell on this the whole time. Spend a couple of quiet hours and make some notes. Then move on to the next task.
11. Look at your finances and personal situation. No I don’t mean sell your shares or panic. Rather check that you have the right health insurance, home and car cover, life insurance, etc. Most of us haven’t checked on these for years and we’re probably paying too much for outdated cover. I don’t mean take drastic action and cut policies or take out extra cover – rather just check you have the appropriate cover. Possibly also check your will (not that you’re going to die right now) but just to see that it’s up to date. We all do things and then forget about them and before we know it several years have passed and they are no longer appropriate.
12. Stay healthy. That means eating right and doing some exercise.

​It’s important to have a plan. To structure your days and your week so that you make use of your time. At the start of your quarantine decide what needs to be done and what you would like to attend to. Don’t let the weekdays run into the weekend. If weekend time is usually for the family, then keep it that way. If you’re doing some office work from home then set aside a few hours in the morning and afternoon for this work – then forget about work in between.

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Don’t waste your quarantine time by:

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1. Fretting about your situation.
2. Fighting with the family.
3. Searching news stories for good or bad news.
4. Worrying about the stock market.
5. Dragging out tasks to fill the day.
6. Pestering work colleagues with emails about little things.
7. Watching mindless TV that you’re not really interested in.
8. Pestering your partner or children because you’re bored, even though they aren’t.
9. Doing on-line shopping for things you don’t need.
10. Lying around doing nothing.
11. Spending the day snacking on sweets, chocolates and crisps, or consuming too much alcohol.
12. Imagining virus symptoms or other health problems.

​Importantly don’t break your quarantine. Don’t put others at risk if you’re infected. Don’t risk catching the virus from others, which could extend your quarantine further.

Use your time in quarantine wisely

We’re usually all flat-out busy at work most of the year, with barely time to think about ourselves or our families. If you’re forced to stay out of work for a few weeks then make the most of the opportunity. Spend time with the family. Do stuff you’ve been meaning to do for years. Learn a new skill. Improve your career. Enjoy your break. Before you know it you’ll be back at work with little time for yourself or your family.

What will you do with your time when you’re quarantined? Are you currently in lockdown – what are you doing with your time?

​For further information on getting your workplace ready for the virus read this advice from the World Health Organisation.
For information on self isolation visit

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Do you want to learn how to manage construction projects successfully?

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​Paul Netscher has written several easy to read books for owners, contractors, construction managers, construction supervisors and foremen. They cover all aspects of construction management and are filled with tips and insights.
The books are available in paper and ebook from most online stores including Amazon.