BlogReflections

Diary of a SelFIsolator: Day 7-9

written by Michelle @ FrugalityandFreedom 7 April 2020
Diary of a SelFIsolator: Day 7-9

ICYMI: I’m in the midst of a 14-day required self-isolation, after my hasty return to Australia. I’m currently bunkered down at my parents’ home, after my 2020 work, travel and housesitting fell apart courtesy of Covid-19. I’m fortunate that my pursuit of financial independence means I have solid emergency funds for now, with creativity and resilience to adjust future plans – after some rest and ‘Room Service By Mum’ amongst this uncertainty.

Missed one? Read my other posts on this theme:

Day 7 – Saturday 28 March

  • Woohoo, weekend! Halfway mark of my self-isolation too. I was pleased to sign off from my remote work for the week – even if still stuck in the same surrounds of my bedroom.
  • Another 16 hour intermittent fast smashed with a late brunch of English muffin with mushrooms, pumpkin and avocado. Dinner later was carbs with a side of carbs. Tasty but uh oh.
  • Tonight’s free entertainment was a livestreamed set by Hot Dub Time Machine. The Australian DJ had 10,000 viewers as he sampled hits and video clips while “time travelling” from 1950s-2020. I enjoyed dancing along with three friends over a Zoom video call, in the comfort of our own homes. Costume changes and all! We were hilariously out of sync where clapping and singing along was required. Rewatch the DJ set here.

Daily questions

  • What did I create or learn today? – I watched some of The Science of Wellbeing free course from Yale University, hosted on Coursera. Some good prompts for reflection in here.
  • What was I grateful for today? – Being able to sit in the sunny backyard with fresh air (even if well away from family, in my designated quarantine chair!)
  • What fun or beauty did I enjoy today? – That 2-hour dance party with friends, all while in my comfy trackpants!
  • How did I move my body today? – In addition to the silly dancing, I did more squats and planking via free 30-day tracking apps.

Content I enjoyed

Why FI? – Why Everyone Needs Financial Independence – The Minted Latte

A detailed post in which “49 of my favorite FIRE experts give their reasons for achieving financial independence!” Some common themes in the many responses – such as wanting to have freedom from obligations, to spend time with family, to travel more or to work on passion projects. However, it’s fascinating to read many wonderfully unique motivations and “Ah Ha!” moments from these respected writers.

Meme of the day

Day 8 – Sunday 29 March

  • Baking day for Mum, which meant zucchini slice, scones and the Aussie dessert of sticky date pudding. With a hearty serve of ravioli at dinnertime too, I’ve established she’s trying to overfeed me to keep up the energy for my intermittent fasting. Ummm…
  • I have signed up to Netflix for the next month, while I have so much time at home to come. Sadly, there are no free trials any more in Australia, but I’ll binge-watch some shows before cancelling again soon. I’ve often had access to homeowners’ Netflix when housesitting in New Zealand and USA, so haven’t felt compelled to have my own account – but a pandemic is a decent excuse to indulge, I think.
  • Aside from that, I’ve been enjoying looking into the free entertainment and fitness offers in this long list on Medium.

Daily questions

  • What did I create or learn today? – Drafted the Australian FI Weekly enews for tomorrow! 31 editions of this curated link roundup so far.
  • What was I grateful for today? – Connecting via Zoom call with USA blogger friends I’d made on my slow travel year there 2018-19. Shout out to The Fioneers, A Purple Life, Financial Mechanic and Modest Millionaires for the great conversation and film/tv/book recommendations.
  • What fun or beauty did I enjoy today? – Listened to a favourite US musician Ben Folds, performing a mini-concert from an apartment where he’s stuck in Sydney after his Australian tour was cancelled part-way through.
  • How did I move my body today? – More squats and planking with my 30-day tracking apps. Plus ClassPass are currently offering free workout videos on demand, so I checked out a 10 minute express video with basic yoga moves.

Content I enjoyed

How Pursuing FIRE Has Changed How I Act At Work (Part 2) – A Purple Life

I love how ballsy A Purple Life is getting as she approaches FIRE, especially when it comes to no longer tolerating any B.S. in her job. She’s combining the superpowers of being a valuable employee asset and having valuable money assets of her own, leveraging these to make her work environment better – for herself and others. Love it.

Meme of the day

Day 9 – Monday 30 March

  • Back to work again, with another three weeks left of my event admin job to complete remotely. My makeshift standing desk is getting good use.
  • My intermittent fasting streak is going well with the free Zero app; 16hrs with an 8hr eating window. I’m a sucker for not wanting to “break the chain” and now being publicly accountable will keep me going!
  • In the afternoon, my family received the sad news that an elderly relative passed away today (unrelated to Covid-19). In these strange times, we won’t be able to attend the funeral with current limits on gatherings. If there’s an upside to all this, I am glad I’m staying with my parents right now so we can reflect and grieve together. We spent the afternoon sharing photos and anecdotes with each other, admittedly sent via message thread while I kept to my bedroom. Later, Mum served up a favourite dessert in his honour.

Daily questions

  • What did I create or learn today? – Wrote a work-in-progress guide to work from home jobs available to Australians, including a digital task site and an English teaching site accepting Aussie accents.
  • What was I grateful for today? – Having seen my relative during a visit home at Christmas time.
  • What fun or beauty did I enjoy today? – Mum has been adding to the plant collection on my outside window sill. I’m enjoying the new pots of mini succulents she’s transplanted from other sources around the garden.
  • How did I move my body today? – Still on the squats and planking. Not really inspired for much else today.

Content I enjoyed

We’re Here With You – Raptitude

David Cain’s 11-year-old blog, Raptitude, is one of my long-time favourites. His writing sways between being a soothing balm and a source of squirming when he articulates human foibles so well. This gentle post about connection invites fellow readers to express who they are and how they are at this time. 500 wonderful commenters and counting… “Browsing through other people’s accounts of their own physical corner of the world cuts through the illusion that the internet is made of webpages. It isn’t — it’s made of people.”

Meme of the day

Stay tuned for more nonsense or follow me on Instagram or Twitter for live updates. What’ll Mum serve up next?

This was Day 7-9. Read other posts in the series below:

1 comment

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