3 Tips to Stay Productive during the MCO

By Muiz Zafri

Feeling lethargic after hundreds of hours binge-watching every Netflix series on the list? Don’t worry, Cemerlang has got you covered with 3 tips on how you can make the best out of your precious time quarantining at home.

Since getting something to eat from the fridge isn’t going to be an option for some of us Muslims in the next month or so, might as well we keep ourselves occupied rather than thinking about iftar all day long.

Tip #1: Learn something new from online courses

I’m sure most of you are getting an abundance of forwarded Whatsapp and Telegram messages about FREE online courses provided by some of the world’s top universities. Well, those messages aren’t just for show you know. Take some time to scroll through the list of courses and subjects offered. This is your opportunity to take up new skills that are high in-demand in the workforce like computer programming, digital marketing, and data analytics.

Assuming that quarantine season in Malaysia isn’t going to be uplifted within a month plus, that is actually the usual length of time needed for you to complete an online course. If you are interested in bringing more value to your CV, personal statement, or even general knowledge, feel free to check out online education sites such as https://www.coursera.org/ , https://www.udemy.com/, https://www.edx.org/, and https://www.khanacademy.org/

Tip #2: Writing to clear our conscience

Whether it’s about economics, global warming, or even your favorite pet, writing enables a person to be clearer of their thoughts and emotions. Despite being an essential skill in the working world, the majority of us Malaysians tend to cut off from practicing our writing after completing the 1119 English SPM paper.

Nothing in mind that you could write about? You can start with writing daily reflections which also allows you to take a step back, reevaluate yourself, and self-motivate to be more productive tomorrow. For you more serious people, writing opinion pieces regarding happenings around the world can be a great opportunity for you to collect your thoughts and express yourself with more clarity. 

Once you’re done and thinking of publicizing your work, invest some time in creating a blog or you could even send it to our Cemerlang website for us to publish it for you!

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Tip #3: Declutter to Destress 

After years of buying clothes from stores and rarely giving them away, I believe that it’s time for us to take a short trip to our wardrobes this quarantine season. Take some time to go through old clothes that can no longer fit and put them in a separate box. Some suggestions would be to donate these clothes to cloth recycling boxes located around our areas provided by Life Line Clothing, Kloth Cares, or even at your regular H&M where you can get a 15% voucher with a minimum submission of 5 pieces of clothing. 

If you’re looking to donate your pre-loved clothes to charity, NGO’s such as Community Recycle for Charity, Salvation Army, and Kechara Soup Kitchen would gladly arrange for them to be distributed equitably to those in need. 

Aside from having more space to own new clothes especially as we’re approaching the Eid season, decluttering also proves to help us be in a calmer state of mind.

Ramadan Wishes from Cemerlang 

Despite not being able to see our old friends at the mosque during tarawih prayers or even buying mouth-watering food from the bazaar, it’s not impossible for this year’s holy month of fasting to be equally as memorable as previous years. 

The Cemerlang Editorial team would like to take this opportunity to wish all our readers a blissful month of fasting this Ramadan. May God be with us at these difficult times to show us that there is always light at the end of every dark tunnel. Stay safe, stay home!