Tips for surviving the lockdown from transatlantic rower Frances Davies

Ms Davies and her crew mates wrote a Sunday Times bestseller about their experience, Four Mums In A Boat.

Now a director of Progeny, she has devised a number of top tips to survive the lockdown.

As the prospect of a further spell in lockdown stretches out ahead of us, many of us will be seeking inspiration to see us through.

Here are Frances top tips for surviving the solitude:

Maintaining discipline and having a daily routine are everything. Fill up your schedule for the days and weeks ahead and tick off appointments as you go.

Break your challenges down into bite-size pieces. We didn’t set off with one goal of rowing 3000 miles; we broke it down into 50-mile chunks.

Celebrate every success – however small. Taking the time to reflect on your victories is vital in keeping your motivation and stamina up when you’re out of the traditional work environment.

It’s OK to have negative feelings. Vocalising them constructively can help you and strengthen your bonds with those around you. It’s unlikely everyone in a team, or a household will be feeling low at the same time. Asking for and providing support is the essence of good teamwork.

There’s a solution to every problem, but it might not be obvious. When we were in the middle of the Atlantic, we had to find a solution. Keep trying and you will find a workaround – you’ll be surprised by your ingenuity.

Create a psychological advantage. Emerging out onto the deck of the ship after being confined to a tiny cabin in a storm felt like a huge release. Denying yourself for a while (like restricting yourself to one room of the house during lockdown) can lead to a big psychological boost when you lift the restrictions (the house will feel huge!).

And finally, try and find the funny side – humour will always help.

Professionally, Frances has been a private client lawyer for 25 years.

With three colleagues, she set up her own firm, Progeny Private Law (now Progeny Law and Tax and part of the Progeny Group), in 2015.

She lives in York with her husband, Mark, and two sons, Jay and Jack.

Away from work, she loves an outdoor challenge.

Since the Atlantic row, she has taken part in many multi-day marathon events in the UK and abroad including the Marathon des Sables in 2018 and the Global Limits Cambodia event in 2019.