Life with MS

How to be Productive While Sheltering in Place

By Rachel Jane

Even for those who have moderate to severe symptoms, MS is not always the cause of the daily challenges we face. For instance, dealing with shelter-in-place directives in order to curtail pandemic spread is a complete challenge on its own. And if these restrictions have upended your MS coping routines and habits or derailed your personal productivity, there are ways to start moving again in the right direction.

Do an Online Garage Sale

This simple task lets you hit two birds with one stone: it’s an opportunity to declutter your home as well as earn a little extra money on the side. If there was a perfect time to start clearing your home of unwanted furniture, electronics, clothes, and other stuff, it would be now when we’re supposed to be sheltering-in-place. If you’ve put off the repairs of certain appliances or even that car in your garage, maybe it’s time to let it go. Just make sure to indicate any issues or damages with any items you sell when you post them on your local Facebook buy-and-sell group or your personal social media accounts. Nowadays, it’s easy to sell secondhand items thanks to the increased connectivity afforded by social media. And last, but not least, don’t forget to sanitize any item that you send out for delivery.

Enroll in an Online Degree Program

Online courses and extensive education programs are easier to access today than ever before. Furthermore, many of today’s degree-level online courses can train you for increasingly in-demand professions. There’s definitely no shortage of programs you can enroll in if you want to land a high-paying job in any of today’s rapidly digitally transforming industries.

Recently made accessible to students from all over the world, the University of London’s online computer science degree program is helping to fill tech gaps in enterprises struggling with digitization. The same can be said of Maryville University’s online accounting degree, which is helping the tech-driven financial sector respond to the projected availability of 61,700 new accounting and auditing jobs over the next decade. As many enterprises continue to struggle with doing business online, it’s no surprise that both financial and IT skills are highly in demand. And through an online degree, you can attain these marketable skills, which you can use to find the ideal work-from-home job. 

Start working from home

Having a degree can also help you land a work-from-home job that matches your skill set. And with not just education but also much of the business world migrating online, there’s no shortage of ways to land the right job. Sites such as Flexjobs and Indeed, for instance, are good places to start looking for companies to work for. Meanwhile, you can also check out Baha Enterprises and WEGO Health Experts, which actually compensate MS patients for testing and reviewing new healthcare technologies.

Whether it’s getting a degree, finding the ideal work-from-home job, or decluttering your home while making money on the side, there are many ways to stay at home and still be productive. You can also try taking up painting or sculpture, redecorating your home, or even starting an online business. The point is that with the Internet and a bit of free time, the world is your oyster.