Overload. It's becoming more common. In the sea of information, and while using the most powerful tool that the masses have ever been given, it can at times be too much. It's not the raw potential that is too much, but the fact that information is almost becoming an echo chamber. Region to region we have to face down the issues of the era, but in knowing people who are on the same or even on opposing waves, the messages start to become repetitive. Along with this, it starts to become apparent that people are essentially yelling at clouds.
There is a clear difference between calls to action and venting.
Many times I find myself watching the equivalent of reality television unfold in the post or post-repost link through to comment sections. It's just discourse. People being mad or sad or shocked and sharing it. It has become almost automatic. This part right here is the major issue.
It's not that people aren't thinking as a whole, it's that people are only thinking about a part of the process that they're going through each day. They think about the issues, they reach their logical conclusion, and then they side with the post torrent that aligns with that view. After this they get swept up into the automatic process of spamming or parroting the ideology.
What's the danger in this? What's the harm?
The danger and harm come through in several points.
First, TIME.
We burn time in doing this. Hours and hours spent over years pushing buttons to share ideas and get an emotional spike. The clashes, the likes, the energy. It burns TIME which we will NEVER be able to get back.
Second, ENERGY.
I speak of energy in terms of polarity. When we interact with things we train our minds. We train them to habitually flow through certain routes more easily. This can be done for productive means, and destructive means. We have a limited amount of energy each day, but this can very easily be squandered. This squandering or productive use begins to add up. Energy, like time is a limited resource. If you curate the flow of this energy and you reinforce the right polarity in its use, you will see exponential gains. Your life will naturally trend to the productive and positive side. This in turn leads to a deeper sense of fulfillment.
Third, HABIT.
The repetitive hard wiring of actions can be both beneficial or detrimental. When actions slip into this automatic stage after heavy repetition, we essentially surrender all control of the active mind. Knowing which actions to put into the active and which to repeat until they become automatic will have a massive effect on your life. Professional basketball players repeat their motions so that in the heat of the game they don't have to think about how to hit a jump shot. The body simply does what it is supposed to do. If these repetitions are trained on things that are non productive or detrimental to the individual, when it counts, the person will fall automatically into doing the wrong thing. This adds up and can steer one into oblivion. (Dramatic but true)
To conclude :
If one's actions become automatic, and they drain the finite resources of time and energy , over and over again, every day , for years, the individual is essentially being robbed of their life by an automatic process. There is a solid way to avoid this. Actively limiting and at times completely removing the activities that have the potential to build up that automatic process.
A digital detoxification.
Yelling at clouds is the same as spinning wheels. It's action but it isn't a call to action.
Be conscious of where your time and energy go. Be conscious of your habits. It is great to join with allies and bring about positive change, but we must remain cautious of which actions we're actually participating in. Although something may feel productive, it's often necessary for us to step back and truly analyze what traction is actually being made.
 
- MANIKK -

It's truly a marathon. 

Not everyone has the exact same experience during this new and unusual era, though I figure I could shed some light (although I do need more sun myself) on methods I've found to keep on track during this suburban Toronto area lockdown. 

Overall it's come down to 5 major things. 

1) Setting goals - on physical paper 
When it comes to getting things done, physical and visible charts have been the most helpful to me. 
As much as I could trust my superhuman (lie) memory to perfectly catalogue every single thing that I have to do in perfect order, it's still much much easier to simply write things down, order them by number based on importance, 1 being the most essential, and then setting a due date. Due dates are extremely important 

(Short side note : When I was going through art school and trying to pick a solid study path, I always wondered why the animation students in general came out with a higher level of draftsmanship. I realized that they simply had to get more projects over the line. Deadlines coupled with a set quality standard and criteria make for a solid level up recipe. )

2) Targeting health and nutrition - without this , there's nothing to build on. 

If your body doesn't work, you lose the game. (You've already lost the game because you're aware of the game - Am I telegraphing my age?) 
Making sure to keep plenty of good clean , nutritionally balanced foods in your house, and to actually eat them and not the junk food that's conveniently placed to the left of them is essential. Also supplements are very useful ( vitamin D if you're not getting as much of that sun as you should) 

3) Scheduling rest. 
If you don't make time to just chill then you may never ever chill. It's common to want to just feel productive and think you need to be killin it 25/8 but it's not realistic. Work in cycles, rest in cycles, schedule it all. You'll thank yourself for following through on it. 

4) Taking time to learn new skills
Keep your mind fresh. There's always more to learn, but once in a while picking up skills outside of your normal range will grant you some extra peace and a bit of mental flexibility. Innovation usually comes from combining things that haven't gone together before. If you'd like to know more check out Mastery by Robert Greene. (Click through for a direct link to the book) He gives an excellent and comprehensive look into what gets people from wherever into success.

5) Aim beyond the comfort zone. - Making a note of it to punch above my weight 
I've learned that pushing the upper and outer limits of your skills is where you grow. Being comfortable is cool if you're running a money button situation ( A money button is a task that you can simply complete that generates solid revenue, as if it were a button. Low input with a reliable return) . 
If you'd like to grow and achieve something a bit more remarkable then you'll need to go beyond the normal. 
Stretch and you'll grow. 

That's it. Those are the top 5 that have helped me keep on track. 
Hopefully they'll help you out as well. 

Let me know what you're targeting over the unforeseeable future and what processes you're using to stick to it. 

Cheers, 

-MANIKK-