Just as each new year is a clean slate to set new intentions, I feel like I’ve now been thrust into a new year, or certainly a new season of life -- I am now a work-from-home / mom-from-home mom. Isolation with a 5-year-old and a 2-year-old for an undetermined amount of time while managing a full-time job is completely uncharted territory for me and for all the negative and stressed thoughts I have, it also feels like that same clean slate to set new intentions for myself and my family.

So for my own accountability and for all the parents managing this new level of work/life balance, here are my Isolation Resolutions. Note: “read a book” and “exercise more” will not be making this list.

1. Prioritize new morning routines. Since we won’t be rushing to work and school, my 5-year-old’s morning teeth brushing, family breakfast at the table, and my skincare regiment are suddenly doable now that our morning doesn’t come with deadlines.

2. Clean out and clean up. The organizer in me is thriving on being locked in our home with all our stuff. Every closet and drawer is just begging for an edit.

3. Call in reinforcements. My kids now have virtual playdates with their friends, my mom (a former teacher) is leading video science lessons for her grandkids, and a new text message group called “moms group therapy” is my lifeline when it all gets to be too much.

4. Cleanse my digital life. I never noticed how many wasteful accounts I follow on social media and how many newsletters, deals emails and spam messages I receive every day. Instead of scrolling by or deleting like I would do on a normal day at work, I’m unfollowing and unsubscribing. This new life does not have time for any unnecessary distractions!

5. Get fresh air. Even if it means just opening the windows. With the constant reminders to stay inside, it's easy to forget that a breath of fresh air, literally and figuratively, can do wonders for stress.

6. Find alone time. We live in a two-bedroom apartment, there are no “separate work and living spaces” to be created, and I am currently living the mom-cliché of hiding in the bathroom for alone time (and for conference calls), but I am doing it.

7. Let my kids be kids. Our kids have a funny way of reminding us that while this is a stressful moment in our lives, every moment of the day does not have to be stressful. I will have patience with them, I will have patience with my husband, and above all I will have patience with myself while I figure this whole thing out.

Related video: