Daily Routine for Everyone During Lock-Down

Before the pandemic, when everyone was running around like (what the British say) a blue-ars** fly, we were complaining: "We hardly have time for ourselves"; "Oh, we are drowning in work"; "If only I have the time I want", etc.; but now, with the blessings of the virus, when we have enough time --- more than, in fact, enough time --- we are again whining: this time, we are not happy that we have too much time: "oh dear, time hangs heavy on my hands"; "I am bored out of my skull"; "I don't know what to do with the extra time."

We are mysterious, aren't we?

Idle mind is the Devil's workshop. Unless we keep ourselves busy, our minds will get onto all sorts of monkeyshines, and we will, in no time, find ourselves in deep trouble. "Schedule your life...don't waste time", cajoles Paramahansa Yogananda in His "Journey to Self-Realization" (pg. 286). In "Man's Eternal Quest", He again reminds us, "...don't waste time seeking new excitement." (pg. 72).

In a similar fashion, Swami Sivananda says, "Do not be idle. Do not waste time," (pg. 5, Sermonettes of Swami Sivananda). In "Sure Ways for Success in Life" (pg. 266), Swamiji said, "Friends come to have idle talks with you and they waste your time" (like the way they did before the pandemic phenomenon), hence, He said we should "Live alone at all times". The opportunity to stay away from idle talk and useless friends is right here now. We should make use of this for our spiritual upliftment.

The irony is, what all these great souls cannot make us do has easily been achieved by an unseen, nanoscopic infective agent, which only has a nucleic acid molecule in a protein coat, and which is able to multiply only within the living cells of a host. The virus has done it!

Swami Sivananda Maharaj has prescribed the following daily routines for everyone: students, busy people, retirees and aspirants. All of us fall within one of the said categories, and what is most important is, we now have no one to blame for not using the Virus-given time to practise spirituality:

Daily Routine for Students/Pupils

Sr No	Time	Activity
1.	4.00 am - 4.25 am	Asana, Pranayama
2.	4.25 am – 5.00 am	Tratak, Japa, Meditation
3.	5.00 am – 6.30 am	Study of School Lessons:
4.	6.30 am – 7.00 am	Physical Exercises and breakfast
5.	7.00 am – 7.15 am	Mantra Writing
6.	7.15 am – 7.30 am	Study of Gita
7.	7.30 am – 9.00 am	Preparation for Class Lessons
8.	9.00 am – 10.00 am	Bath, Meals
9.	10.00 am – 5.00 pm	School Hours
10.	5.00 pm – 5.45 pm	Games, Walking, Nishkamya Karma
11.	5.45 pm – 6.45 pm	Japa and Dyana
12.	6.45 pm – 8.15 pm	Study of School Lessons
13.	8.15 pm – 8.30 pm	Meals
14.	8.30 pm – 9.00 pm	Swadhyaya, Study of Religious Books
15.	9.00 pm – 9.15 pm	Kirtan, Prayers
16.	9.15 pm – 9.30 pm	Self-analaysis, Introspection, Spiritual Diary
17.	9.30 pm – 4.00 am	Sleep

Daily Routine for Busy People (who are working in the office or at home)

Sr No	Time	Activity
1.	4.00 am - 4.30 am	Asana, Pranayama
2.	4.25 am – 6.00 am	Tratak, Japa, Meditation
3.	6.00 am – 6.45 am	Physical Exercises and breakfast
4.	6.45 am – 7.00 am	Mantra Writing
5.	7.00 am – 7.15 am	Study of Gita
6.	7.15 am – 8.00 am	Study of Spiritual Books
7.	8.00 am – 9.00 am	Nishkamya Karma and Household Duties
8.	9.00 am – 10.00 am	Bath, Meals, Going to the office
9.	10.00 am – 5.00 pm	Office Hours
10.	5.00 pm – 6.30 pm	Evening Walk, Nishkamya Karma
11.	6.30 pm – 7.45 pm	Japa and Dyana
12.	7.45 pm – 8.15 pm	Meals
13.	8.15 pm – 8.30 pm	Kirtan, Bhajans and Prayers
14.	8.30 pm – 9.15 pm	Swadhyaya, Study of Spiritual Books
15.	9.00 pm – 9.15 pm	Kirtan, Prayers
16.	9.15 pm – 10.00 pm	Atma-Vichara, Self-analaysis, Introspection, Spiritual Diary
17.	10.00 pm – 4.00 am	Sleep

Daily Routine for Night Duty People

Kirtan, Prayer and One mala of Japa: 30 minutes (after duty)
Sleep: 6 to 7 hours
Silent Japa: 30 minutes after getting up
Asana, Pranayama: 20 minutes
Rest, Bath, Food: 1 hour 30 minutes 
Study of Gita and Mantra Writing: 30 minutes
Tratak, Japa and Dyana: 1 hour 30 minutes
Household Duties: 1 hour 15 minutes
Swadhyaya of Religious Books: 1 hour 10 minutes
Self-analaysis, Introspection, Spiritual Diary: 30 minutes
Food Dressing and Going to Office: 45 minutes
Office Duty: 8 hours

Note: If there be leisure during office hours, silent mental Japa or study of spiritual books can be done.

An Ideal Time-Table for an Aspirant

Sleep: 7 hours
Walk: 1 hour 30 minutes
Mouna: 15 minutes
Study of Gita and other Scriptures: 4 hours
Bath, etc.: 1 hour
Asana and Exercise: 50 minutes
Pranayama: 10 minutes
Japa and Meditation: 2 hours
Food and Nishkamya Seva: 3 hours

Mantra Writing: 30 minutes

Source: (pgs. 455-458, Sadhana)