How are you spending your time during lockdown? In this blog post our chief executive, Alison, shares her experience.

I expect, like many people at the beginning of the lockdown, I made a list. Well, actually, I made two lists; one for all the things I want to get done in the home and one for work.

As the weeks have gone by, I have been reasonably disciplined in working down my lists. Although, to ensure I have not felt overwhelmed, I learnt it’s better to make shorter, day to day lists, weekend lists and evening lists. It helps to break tasks down into manageable bite-sized pieces, and the sense of achievement one gets when able to tick those jobs off the list is sublime!

It reminded me of the completely unfathomable delight I used to feel as a full-grown adult when I was at Slimming World and received a sparkly sticker for reaching a certain milestone. These small acknowledgements really do matter!

Of course, I am always thinking of new jobs to add to my lists — filing at work that has needed doing for some time and cleaning the oven at home (although that job is always at the bottom, ugh!)

I am happy to say I have achieved quite a number over the last few weeks. This has had a really positive impact on my mental health. When working at home I have interspersed time on my emails with baking a cake or tidying a kitchen drawer. The type of drawer that comedian, Michael McIntyre, described as his ‘man-drawer’, full of questionable old batteries and keys of which you’ve long-forgotten their use.

Weekend and evening projects have included finishing a birth sampler for a first birthday present for my little grandson, Alfie; making and decorating a Christening cake and my sister’s 60th birthday cake and starting on a tapestry for yet another cushion. As for the oven, well that’ll have to stay at the bottom of the list for the moment!

What do you like to do and what keeps your spirits up? We’d like to know what your projects have been, and, if you’d like to share a photograph, even better.