I recently watched an eerie video of deserted cities all over the globe set to trance music on YouTube. The camera panned across normally noisy, polluted streets that have fallen under a terrible spell that, for now, cannot be lifted. Like the slumbering inhabitants in the fairy tale kingdom of Sleeping Beauty, we have been silenced, we are on pause and locked down. It will take time for us to re-emerge.

To an onlooker it appears that the entire human race has fallen through a portal, leaving its architectural splendours behind. Bustling streets and spacious squares are empty. The Pope stands alone outside the Vatican talking into a camera, the queen has retreated to Windsor Castle. Millions of humans have been asked to stay at home in a state of solitude and passivity until further notice. How bizarre! I have no doubt that the very first seeds of some tense and gritty post-modern sci-fi blockbuster movies and literary bestsellers are being sown, after all, we are living through unimaginable times.

As the natural rhythm of things slows and is less structured, our usual distractions have been swept away and we must surrender to circumstances. Some of us may feel a little uneasy being faced with ourselves, so maybe we need to be sensitive about telling each other what to do with our own time. It is an intensely personal choice. A choice that reflects who you are and what you want from life. So the question we could ask ourselves is: what does using your time wisely mean to you?

A Facebook friend recently had a rant, asking why on earth we’re all putting so much pressure on ourselves to “Learn French. Learn to draw. Learn to sing. Constant desires, constant initiatives. Enough!” he protested. It brought back a memory from my student days when we were living in Bologna for six months in the 1990s. We befriended an old hippie in our regular bar who taught us a little bit about his guru’s teachings including “Don’t just do something, sit there!” We laughed and toasted the notion.

That night, I remember thinking about what he’d said and concluded that sometimes it is just as important for our inner balance not to be productive. We have simply not been conditioned to “sit there”. Not by our parents, teachers, carers or other role models within our communities. Those six little words expanded my mind, made me question my conditioning and made me feel freer from within. Nobody has ever turned to me and suggested: “Just take some time out, reboot, restart, stop and smell the roses.”

On the other hand, I thought of prisoners and those under house arrest (as we more or less are) and how they use that time productively to learn new skills, join an arts programme, begin a degree or engage in more vocational learning. In interviews, reformed offenders often enthuse about how these projects gave them a true purpose and motivation and helped them through their sentence.

So, I suppose it all depends. If you’re a dad with three children under seven and a demanding career, you could just watch cartoons and kick a ball around the garden with your kids for the next few months! If you live alone, maybe you could take this opportunity to start a degree with the Open University. If you’re a woman in her thirties battling to carve out your career, well here is a pause for self-nurturing and calm. If you’re stuck in a job you hate, maybe you could begin to learn some practical skills you might need for a new job you have in mind.

As for me, this week, apart from creative writing and exercising, I’ve watched a couple of old films like EM Forster’s A Room with a View and some arty French film starring Juliette Binoche. I’ve read some DH Lawrence and given myself a home manicure. I have baked some fruit scones and phoned a cousin in Italy. I’ve attempted to play Mah-Jongg, failed miserably then settled for Harry Potter Cluedo!

It’s OK to exist in our own space. For once, we don’t have to run around all day and can let the more passive side of our natures emerge. You can sit back on your balcony and listen to music for as long as you need. Step into the garden after dinner, smell the cool night air and watch a flock of birds changing directions. Write a list of ten things you’re grateful for. Delete pointless old emails and have a spring clean of photos on your mobile. Read a few poems or listen to a few podcasts. Watch a wildlife programme or reflect on where you’ve been and where you want to go. Or you can simply just sit there and daydream.

  • Marisa Laycock moved to St Albans in 2000. She enjoys sharing her experiences of living in the city. These columns are also available as podcasts from 92.6FM Radio Verulam at www.radioverulam.com/smallcitylife