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Like many of you, I've been coming to terms with social distancing these past few days.

How to practice it, how to respect it and how to best fill my days productively while enforcing it. Of course, it's easy to fixate on the vast amount of "cancellation" notices right now -- cancelled dinner plans, cancelled vacations, cancelled tickets and, heck, maybe some of you are missing your daily subway ride right about now. But in the whole scheme of things, especially for those of us who can afford to stay and work from home, it's a small price to pay in the face of a wide-spread pandemic. Take heart here though -- this isn't an extended vacation, or at least, I'm not treating it as such. The world and our economy is drastically different already because of the spread of this virus and I think we owe it to ourselves to really do some hard self-reflection and analysis on how we want to adapt to it in the coming days, weeks and months.

Here are just some of the ways I'm hoping to enrich my social distancing time -- but I'd love to hear yours in the comments below!

  1. Detoxing: I'm mainly going through a digital detox at the moment, but I'm also trying to be mindful of my approach to food (which I touch on below). From a digital perspective, it's already been immensely therapeutic -- and I'm going to enforce more specific hours I can use my phone for certain social apps, chiefly Instagram and TikTok, my two biggest time sucks. It's a fine balance, especially when you work in social media, but I'm trying to find the right cadence.
  2. Taxes: I mentioned this a few weeks ago in my tax prep blog post, but on average, folks spend 13 hours working on their taxes. I've already done the lion share of prep work last month but I'm finally finishing up a few final documents for my accountant to wrap up my records. I encourage you all, if you haven't already, to start your tax filing process -- head to this post of mine for more tips!
  3. Writing: Dedicated time at home has resulted in a lot of heads down time to write -- both from a professional standpoint for posts coming soon to the blog and also personal entries that will likely never be read by anyone. It's been a great way to process a lot of the thoughts swirling in my head.
  4. Boardgames and puzzles: It may seem old fashioned, but I can't tell you how much I enjoyed working on a puzzle this weekend with Ty. It was the perfect activity to distract us and make us laugh. A side of wine pairs really well.
  5. Calling friends: Since the beginning of this year, I've been making more of a point to catch up with friends, especially ones who live far away, during scheduled phone calls and I have to say -- it's been a godsend during this time! Pretend it's 1998, and pick up that ol' landline phone to give someone a phone call. Better yet, open a window, sit out on your fire escape, rooftop, or balcony and dial them up.
  6. Organizing donations: This past weekend, I spent quite a bit of time addressed the ever growing pile of clothes that seem to rotate around my closet. Gathered quite a bit of clothing and beauty product donations that I hope to be able to drop off soon, once restrictions are lifted.
  7. Cooking more: Thank God for HelloFresh -- which has reduced our grocery visits immensely. Plus, there's something about making a meal with a significant other that makes you feel closer.
  8. Brainstorming shoot ideas: Nothing makes me happier than planning and moodboarding for future shoots.
  9. Read: I have a small stack of books I've been meaning to finish, some for pleasure and some with a more business/marketing slant to them. No time like the present to dust them off!
  10. Redesign my website: This is high on my social distancing to-do list. It's something I've been putting off for years now.
  11. Watch the sunrise from my rooftop: It's easy to feel really cooped up pretty quickly, so I've been sneaking in my fresh air time when I can. While I love a good sunset, I'm making a point to catch the sunrise this week, perhaps from my rooftop followed by a brisk walk around the neighborhood. Given the timing, very few people will be out and it's a good chance to reacquaint yourself with some of your favorite aspects of your block. The trees. The gardens. The parks.
  12. Going for my daily run at off-times: Similarly, I try to plan my 30 minute run for a time of day that isn't busy outside, usually around 7/7:30pm.

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OUTFIT DETAILS: Cinq a Sept dress (borrowed) // Vintage Chanel earrings

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Photos by Allie Provost on location in Napa Valley with the Visit California team