I had planned to give you a Day In The Life of my new life in my own flat up here in Birmingham. However, we’ve basically been in some form of lockdown or restrictions since I moved, so I wouldn’t be able to show you my average day, and I have no idea when that’s likely to change. So instead I’ve decided to give you a week of life in lockdown: Disabled Blogger Edition.
Monday
I set my alarm for 7:30 every morning. Once I’m up, first things first, breakfast and most importantly COFFEE. This is usually toast and 2 cups of black filter coffee in my travel mug. Yes I drink out of travel mugs in my house, there’s less chance of spilling then than if I carry an open mug in my walker. Also yes I said 2 cups, but that’s mostly because my full French press fills 2 travel mugs so if I didn’t have 2 cups at once it would go cold, and cold coffee is a travesty. I usually watch YouTube whilst I eat and caffeinate. My favourites at the moment are Kara & Nate, Simon Wilson or, if I need my MMA fix before the weekend, Dan Hardy and the Raptors at Full Reptile. Once breakfast was eaten it was time for something I’ve labelled “house pick up” which is basically putting dirty clothes away into the washing bag and putting things back in the place they’re supposed to live as opposed to wherever I just threw them the previous day. then I quickly updated the blog view statistics and map, since I’d hit a new country the previous day.
It was then time to head into a meeting about my potential PhD opportunity and where we were at in that process. Let’s just say it was not the news I hoped for, delays and funding issues have meant I probably wont start anytime soon so it’s more important than ever to find a job. Speaking of jobs, I usually flag all job-related emails and alerts that arrive past a certain time and then go through the emails in in the morning and apply to those which are appropriate for me, so that’s what I did next. Specifically I wanted to finalise one application (but it turned out the role had been withdrawn before I could submit my application) and make notes for a paragraph to be included in another application.
Once the job hunt was done for the day, I moved onto creating featured header images for some upcoming blog posts (which you will either see soon or may have already seen depending on when this post is released. This creative burst was RUDELY interrupted by a fire alarm in my building. However that did mean I got to leave my building for like 10 minutes and see fire engines, which is entertainment I guess. Once we were let back in I decided to have a snack/break since I realised I hadn’t had one all day.
Mondays are also what’s known as “quiz night” because there’s Mastermind followed by Only Connect and University Challenge, all of which are shows I regularly watched with my parents when I lived at home. However this week there was, inexplicably, no Mastermind which was baffling, do they not realise the importance of quiz night? I did my washing up between shows and dried up afterwards. Then it was time to update my to do list whilst I sat down with a glass of wine before bed. I aim to get to bed before midnight but it’s not often that happens.
Tuesday
And so we move to Tuesday. After the usual coffee, breakfast and house pick up routine, It was time to continue the job search. This meant going through my email for job alerts that I had flagged yesterday and making applications or setting up careers meetings if the role required a longer application that I needed a bit more guidance with. I then quickly update the blog view statistics and map (since we hit ANOTHER new country) and took a photo for this blog post.
It was then back to the job hunt, filling in forms in relation to a job application in preparation for a Zoom interview (my first Zoom interview). I also wrote out a paragraph or section that I wanted to include in another application, in preparation for a careers meeting the next morning. Then it was time to switch focus to the blog again and edit some Instagram captions, before I settled in for a late night making notes from my recording of the previous weeks 3 hour Aston Apollo (a scheme and group of workshops I have recently joined, run my Aston University where I completed my Masters) meeting, in advance of the next workshop the next day. Tuesday was essentially a preparation day for what was a VERY busy Wednesday.
Wednesday
As I said, Wednesday was busy. After the standard coffee, breakfast and house pick up routine, I resumed the job hunt by checking my flagged emails and making applications to the relevant roles. Then it was time for my careers meeting to discuss that lengthy paragraph or section that I wanted to input into one of the more complex applications I was making.
Once that meeting was over, I decided to order a Greggs lunch since this time was likely to be my only break all day and I wanted to well prepared and fed ready for a long afternoon of meetings, also, who can resist a Greggs?! But my lunch “break” wasn’t really a break because I decided to use that time to quickly update the blog view statistics and take another photo to accompany this post. I then had a networking event between 1 and 2. I made some good connections which could prove useful for the blog in the future, which I was particularly happy about given that this was my first time joining an event with the specific aim of networking to improve and promote the blog, There was a bit of an awkward interruption in the middle of that networking event though, as some delivery service decided to abandon (literally knocked on the door, dumped it and left) a parcel which was not meant for me at my door. From there it was straight into the Aston Apollo meeting, this was sometimes a frustrating meeting as I felt I probably was not asking the right questions, but I guess that’s the process of growth and trying to build something right?
After all my meetings were done, I redelivered the abandoned parcel to its intended recipient (someone else within my building) and made dinner. Following all of that I just sort of… stopped. I think the combination of bad news I’d gotten earlier that day, the long day of meetings, the lack of sleep and being overwhelmed by the struggle to find a job, I just sort of broke down crying and wondering whether everything would ever sort itself out and when that would be.
Thursday
Following the previous day’s little emotional wobble, It was time to pick myself up again on Thursday. Following the usual coffee, breakfast and house pick up routine, I checked my email for any job alert emails and opportunities, as well as checking various job sites and signing up for more alerts. I then took a quick moment to update the blog view statistics and take another photo for this blog post.
I then spent some time applying for jobs from the ones suggested in the alert emails I had previously flagged, as well as finalising registrations for agencies which may be able to help me find a job. I spent most of my day at a virtual careers fair, and I must say it was my first time attending something like that virtually (as it probably is for most people) but I have to say it felt like the full experience, includes stalls set up in rows in an exhibition hall, but just…virtual. I then took some time to organise my food shop a week in advance. I wouldn’t normally do it that far in advance but, as someone who’s moderate risk for COVID 19 and lives alone and thus has no one to go out for her, I kind of NEED a slot and I wanted to avoid the prospect panic buyers having taken all the delivery slots.
When all that done, my evening started by listening to Frank Turner (whom I have discussed my love for in a dedicated blog post) livestream whilst I ate dinner and washed up. I ended the evening by editing an upcoming blog post, or maybe it will have been released by the time you see this (I won’t tell you which post, no spoilers here).
Friday
And sooooooooooooooooo we hit Friday, after the usual wake up, coffee, breakfast and house pick up routine, I started my day with blogging tasks. This meant updating the views statistics and updating my brand-new landing page. I also requested some feedback on a possible publication date and promotion strategy for the blog post I’d edited the previous day. I then followed up on some work I was doing on my Instagram earlier in the week by continuing to edit my captions to match up with the new strategy I am trying. I also took another photo for this blog post.
Then it was time to switch tack and focus on the job hunt. This, as usual, meant going through my flagged alerts and applying for relevant roles. It also meant replying to emails and making enquiries for those roles where I needed more information. I also photographed some extra documents needed for a specific job application and sent them over to the relevant person, as well as organising some documents ready for a meeting on Monday morning.
Of course, I also did the boring stuff like washing up, showering, paying my electricity bill (which is my only non-direct debit and therefore the only bill I have to REMEMBER to pay) and updating the shopping order I had set up yesterday.
Saturday
IT’S THE WEEKEND. So of course I woke up late. I did SET a 9:30 alarm, but I switched it off since I don’t tend to sleep very well and figured I could do with catching up. That meant that I woke up a little before midday, I then completed some surveys on the survey apps I use for extra cash, before having my coffee and “breakfast” (can you call it breakfast if it’s after midday?). I then went through the house pick up routine, which included putting away the stuff I washed up last night. I then washed up the things from breakfast and cleaned the bathroom (something I do weekly) whilst I left the washing up to dry. Once the bathroom was clean and the washing up at least drier, I finished drying up and put everything away, before cleaning the kitchen (again a weekly occurrence) once everything was clear.
Then it was time for the email alert check for new jobs I could apply for, unfortunately there were no new applications I could make this time. I then threw myself into blog promotion on social media for a little while and started hunting for Christmas gift ideas (kind of important now it’s nearing the middle of November.
Anyone who knows me knows that Saturday night is fight night with the UFC event on every weekend, and this Saturday was no different. I ordered my (now near obligatory) takeaway and worked on another upcoming blog post whilst I waited for it to arrive. Once that had arrived and been eaten I made my fight night caffeine (yes I said caffeine, these events finish at around 3am at the earliest) and sat down to enjoy the fights, but not before taking a picture for my Instagram and this blog post. I also made notes on the content for this blog post in between fights.
Sunday
Post Fights Sunday is always a little slower due to the late finish of the fights. I obviously started my day with breakfast and coffee and house pick up. Then I took the bins out and hoovered and polished (something I do fortnightly rather than weekly like the other cleaning, mostly because hoovering is a pain in the butt). Then it was back to job hunting and the cycle of checking my emails for job alerts and making applications for relevant roles. Then I moved onto blog tasks, which on this day included updating the views statistics and reading a post which was recommended by a fellow blogger. I also managed to finish writing that blog post I started whilst waiting for my fight night takeaway to arrive the previous night (a little advanced warning: that post turned into quite the essay!).
Once that post was finished it was time for dinner, doing the washing up and grabbing a shower before I settled down with a couple episodes of Mindhunter on Netflix and fell asleep on the couch (oops!).
If this seemed a little boring and repetitive that’s because it is, and it’s just as boring living it as it is to read. But for those of us who are more vulnerable, this isolation is often LITERALLY a matter of life and death. So for anyone who’s flouting the rules under the whole “it won’t affect me it only affects the disabled and elderly” PLEASE PLEASE wear your masks, isolate, social distance and do whatever is necessary wherever you live. I have an interesting, event filled life that I’d like to get back to at some point, just the same as anyone else.
Stay Invincible!
Em (Invincible Woman On Wheels)
Invincible Woman on Wheels 