If you’d have asked year 13 me if I got distracted, I’d have looked at you with a raised eyebrow. Year 13 Scarlet did not get distracted. Undergrad Scarlet’s personality, on the other hand, is synonymous with distraction. I blame this transformation primarily on the lockdowns, because then I don’t have to take any actual responsibility for the fact that I genuinely procrastinate for more time than I work.

Having to spend most of the day at home, without filling the evenings with fun outings, is something which COVID has flung upon us. And I know I could do something wholesome like buy a craft kit or make a clay cup or something but frankly, I do not have the motivation. Sorry for being such a Scrooge for no good reason.

“What do you do to distract yourself, then?” I hear you ask (or not). Great question! I’ve actually (totally coincidentally, of course) compiled a list of my top distraction methods for you to enjoy …

“If I ever need distracting, I pop downstairs under the guise of needing a ‘quick tea break’.”

Popping to the kitchen

The kitchen is the absolute hub of social life in my house. If I ever need distracting, I pop downstairs under the guise of needing a “quick tea break” and tend to leave guiltily an hour or so later, fully aware that I interpreted the “quick” in “quick tea break” a tad generously. I will usually find at least one of my five siblings there, also searching for an escape from the tyranny of Zoom classes. Added benefits to the kitchen include: an abundance of Yorkshire Tea and heating. My parents won’t heat any other rooms in the house, because we are in Yorkshire and having an Arctic house is some kind of status symbol – don’t ask …

Overall rating: 4.8/5

Walks

Okay, I’m really sorry. I bet you’re rolling your eyes having to read yet another person advocating walking as though you’d never have thought of such a suggestion by yourself. If it’s of any comfort, I know I won’t be winning an award for original thinking any time soon. The unfortunate thing is, though, I’m going to have to jump onto the walking bandwagon because COVID doesn’t leave me with any other choice. Though my enthusiasm for walking has waned significantly this lockdown, I still enjoy the occasional outing – with a flask of hot chocolate, of course. Though part of me detests walking with a burning passion (I don’t think I ever want to see my local park again), I also think that walks, annoyingly, are here to stay. Plus, they are a reminder that other humans exist outside of Instagram’s tiny squares, which can only be a good thing.

Overall rating: 4/5

Scrolling on social media

I’ve kind of given in to the fact that I probably spend too much time online. It doesn’t help that I’ve followed lots of estate agent accounts recently either. My feed is filled with country manors and French palaces that I doubt I’ll ever live in. Also, they remind me of the fact that deep down, I just want to have Kevin McCloud’s job on Grand Designs. Too much time online can obviously be problematic, but a sprinkling of German castles to fill my evenings doesn’t go amiss.

Overall rating: 3.5/5

Workouts

I absolutely detest workouts. I do them anyway, because I’ve made it my New Year’s resolution to do a workout a day, and I’m too stubborn to break it. I always feel better after them, but for their whole duration I just feel pain and misery. I think that my wellbeing is probably improved by doing them, but I actually don’t know if they are worth the suffering.

Overall rating: 2.9/5

Reading

I love reading, I really do. Or, at least, I used to. But now my degree has spoilt it for me. I spend all day trying to read about religious sacrifice and actor-network theory (I am a humanities student) so that by the evening I don’t want to read a single word ever again. Reading for fun has now become a remnant of the distant past for me, and I’m unsure if these scars induced by reading the course book for HSPS will ever heal.

Overall rating: 4/5

I know that I don’t lead the most thrilling life ever. I’m sure other people paraglide for distraction, or set up businesses, or fly to the moon. Alas, I am not one of those people. Gone are the days of filling my time productively – productivity, who is she? Distraction is now the new Vogue. You heard it here first.