I came across an article in this weekend’s, April 4, 2020, Financial Times with a review of my favorite author Alexander Pushkin (pictured). The newspaper made a point that one of his most productive seasons was when he was in confinement, quarantined for an outbreak of cholera in the village of Boldino in autumn 1830.

Desperate to return to Moscow to marry, he wrote to his fiancée: “There are five quarantine zones between here and Moscow, and I would have to spend fourteen days in each. Do the maths and imagine what a foul mood I am in.” Pushkin went on complaining bitterly but, with nothing else to do, he produced an astonishing number of masterpieces — short stories, short plays, lyric and narrative poems, and the last two chapters of his verse novel Eugene Onegin — in a mere three months.

This made me think about how to use my time in an at-home confinement for the long-term benefit. On one hand, I have extra duties such as figuring out videoconferencing technology and supervising kids who are out of school. One the other hand, I save time on commuting, traveling and going out that I should use wisely.

Here are new things that I found to be useful

Learning new technologies: It is amazing how simple it has become to record videos, create websites and perform data analysis.

Catching up on books and movies: These are unfortunate sacrificed of a busy live. Now I go for a book rather than a magazine and a movie rather than social media clips.

Spending time with the family: The fact that we are physically together for long periods may be frustrating at times but it creates opportunities for “quality time”. I already feel that my relationships with kids improved.

Thinking about what’s important: I am taking this time to reflect and set the right priorities for the future.

Here are the things that I did not find particularly productive

Browsing news several times a day: I found this exercise intellectually rewarding at first because there was so much to learn about the virus but then the messages started to repeat and became less informative. It is helpful to get hold of good-quality analytics a couple of times a week and build expectations for the future even if they are only a few days away.

Worrying about the future: This is not to say that we should not adjust to the current situation and should not work hard. However, constantly mulling over what might happen and how we might respond is usually not productive.

I miss my old routine including going to the office, gym, and church however it is helpful to replace it with outdoor walks and regular activities with the family. Things may look dire and uncertain now however I am sure that we will remember them for the changes we made in our lives that hopefully make a positive impact in the long-term.