25 ways to spend your time usefully from home quarantine

Here are 25 things you can do to break the boredom of Covid-19 isolation:

1. Clean and de-clutter

You’re going to be spending a lot of time within those four walls so take the time to clean your home thoroughly including all the places you usually intentionally or unintentionally miss like under the beds, behind the sofas and hard to reach nooks and crannies. Go through all of your stuff and organize it then throw out all of the useless clutter. Not only will you gift yourself with a clean and ordered live and work environment but the science shows that the process of cleaning can help to improve your happiness as well as reduce feelings of anxiety.

2. Learn something new

You may never have a more opportune time to learn something new which can help improve your life once the coronavirus pandemic is over. Whether this is taking an online course, learning how to be an Excel or Photoshop wizard or studying a subject that you’ve always thought would be useful but just haven’t had the time – now you have the time – get it done and improve your knowledge and marketability. There are a huge number of sites to take online courses in whatever you like from free Microsoft Excel courses to paid providers like Udemy.

3. Learn a new skill or perfect an old one

You have all the time in the world to either teach yourself a new skill or become an expert in a skill that you’re already proficient in, whether that’s playing a musical instrument, how to do DIY improvements around your home, change a tyre or learn a new dance move. There are millions of how-to videos on YouTube where you can learn these and just about any other skill which you think would be useful.  And for skills where you’re already a student now is the time to become the master. Here’s a link to learn how to club dance for beginners so you can cut some shapes when they reopen.

4. Learn a language

There is little more impressive than someone who knows multiple languages. Take the time now to start from scratch or brush up on your mastery of another tongue. There are plenty of YouTube videos, apps like those offered by Babel, podcasts and online resources where you can work on your fluency in everything from Afrikaans to Zulu. Top tip - if you want to improve how quickly you learn, try watching those Netflix binges with them or find foreign movies with English subtitles to accelerate your progress.

5. Read classic books/watch classic movies

Now that you have the time, go and read those books or watch those movies you know you “should” watch, but have always made an excuse not to because the subject matter is too heavy or you have a gut feeling that it will just be boring and you’ll feel like a pleb for not appreciating it. Now is the time to do it. Dust off that copy of Tolstoy’s War & Peace or download Citizen Kane, even though you know who Rosebud is. It won’t be quick or easy, but you’ll feel better for finally getting it done and you may even enjoy it!

6. Exercise

“Summer bodies are made in winter” so the saying goes and what better time to chisel a fab physique than when you have hours with nothing to do? Even though the gym may be closed and outdoor exercise may not be an option where you live there’s plenty of workout programs that you can do at home, from strength training to toning to cardio. YouTube has thousands of videos dedicated to home workouts or buy a paid program like P90X, a tried and tested home workout program which fit homebodies have been using for years to keep themselves in top form without going to the gym.

7. Yoga

Make yoga part of your daily routine if you are not already doing so. Yoga is a fantastic way to stay fit at home, especially for improving core strength and flexibility, with routines as easy or as difficult as your experience and fitness levels require. If you’re a newbie start by trying to memorize the Surya Namaska or “Sun Salutation” routine. If you’re already an experienced yogi then work on perfecting some of the more difficult poses, here are 5 of the most challenging to keep you occupied (and inverted).

8. Meditation

If you’ve never tried meditation this is the perfect time to start since studies show that it can help reduce stress and control anxiety. Put aside as little as 15 minutes a day to see the benefits of daily meditation and there are plenty of great apps such as Calm, Aura and Headspace which can help you on your way to achieving Zen.

9. Create a budget

Get your finances in order and create a weekly or monthly budget during your time at home and when we’re all allowed back outside again. Go through your bank statements and expenditures from the past year and you may be surprised on how much you spend on certain things each week and find places where you can cut back. Apps like Mint can help you get started and stay organized for free. Then take those real savings and put them into your theoretical piggy bank for a rainy day.

10. Create an online business

Research and create a business plan for an online business whether providing a service or product. Look on Ali Baba to find trending products that you can have manufactured, branded and dropshipped around the world. When you know what you want to sell, create a website and start building social platforms as your online store. WordPress is still the free website platform of choice with plug-ins such as Woo Commerce which lets you easily optimise your site for e-commerce. Or choose a ‘drag and drop’ paid option like Squarespace which is easier to learn and get your site up quickly. All of this will take loads of time, which you now have, and could result in building a profitable online business for yourself!

11. Create a niche blog or authority website

Do you have a hobby you really love? As long as it isn’t ‘extreme ironing’ a lot of people probably share the same interest as you. Create a website and/or social group around your hobby and share your thoughts and creations with others who enjoy the same pastimes as you. Instagram is becoming particularly popular for sharing visual Stories and allows you to hashtag people with similar interests and attract new followers. If you generate enough interest and get a big enough social following you could consider selling products or become an influencer and get paid to review or promote other products.  

12. Keep a journal or Vlog of your thoughts

If you don’t have a diary already spend 5 minutes each day writing down your thoughts and feelings over this crazy period of history. Or if you prefer, get your phone and create a video blog. This is one of those unprecedented periods of time which everyone who lived through it will never forget where they were or what they were doing during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. After it's all over your recordings of how you were feeling at the time will become a history capsule or at the very least something you can bore your kids or grandkids with in years to come. 

13. Become an artist

Order some paints or an artist sketchbook online, or if you prefer less mess then try your hand at some graphic design and unleash your inner creative genius. Art has also been shown to reduce stress and you never know, maybe one day your painting will hang on the wall of an art gallery or sell for millions of pounds as these masterpieces did.

14. Write a book or poem

They say that “everyone has a book in them” so if you’ve always had an idea for a book, whether it be a novel, short story, biography or picture book, now is a great chance to start sketching out the plot and thinking about your critical opening line to get everything rolling. Or if you don’t think you can write a whole book try your hand at writing some poetry if for nothing else to keep the creative part of your brain active when things get boring at home.

15. Garden

If you have a home and can grow a garden take some time now to give it some love. There are lots of websites such as Suttons where you can buy seeds and other gardening accessories and decorations online. If gardening outside is not an option now then grow some plants indoors, if you can keep orchids alive for more than a few weeks then please let us know how! Studies show that gardening helps reduce stress and the exercise you get in the process can help reduce many different health risks.

16. Organize your phone and photos

Go through your phone and online storage and organise your photos, videos and apps. Take the good ones and store them all on a hard drive to free up space and ensure that they aren’t lost forever if you drop your phone in the toilet. Have a look at some of those apps which seemed like a good idea at the time and see if they could still be useful. Delete the clutter and apps you never use which are slowing down your phone – the stress relief from not having to see the warning that your “Storage almost full” whenever you try and take a new photo will be worth the time spent many times over.

17. Clean up your social media

Go through your various social media platforms and have a look at old photos stored there and delete the ones that you may not want online anymore. Maybe consider taking down the “Mad Lads Stag” photos from Ibiza 2013. Just consider it. Update your profile pic from 2015 to something more recent. Delete old social accounts you don’t use any more. Then have a look at all the new social platforms you’ve heard about but decided are “only for Millennials” and you would “never ever” use. Make your first TikTok video.

18. Learn a new hair or makeup style

If you aren’t leaving the house anytime soon now’s the time to work on the ‘new you’ by creating a funky new hair or makeup style. Or grow a really, really long beard. Then prepare to watch your friends’ heads explode when you emerge from your home or apartment looking like a completely different person from the last time that they saw you. YouTube and other websites are full of great content showing you different styles and how to recreate them on your own head.

19. Organise your Inbox

Super boring but also strangely satisfying. Go through all of your emails and delete all those old emails and other junk, unsubscribe from or block annoying spam mail. Save any important photos you have stored as attachments to a hard drive so you don’t accidentally lose them forever if forget your overly complicated email password. If you’re really bored then send a prank email to someone from way in your past who would totally not be expecting it.

20. Organise and clean out your closet and drawers

Go through all of your clothes and make a pile of the ones you know you will never wear as well as the ones you want to keep wearing but which are no longer in any condition to take out in public. When the quarantine is over, throw the unwearable clothes out and give the wearable ones to charity. Fix any old damaged clothes - you can learn how with YouTube videos like this one on sewing hacks. Get rid of any holey or non-matching socks. Go through all of your drawers and chuck out anything you will never ever use again, especially that one in your bedside table and the “odds and sods” drawer in the kitchen.

21. Update your CV

Update your CV. Research what the job trends are like these days in your field or a new career path you are interested in. Take a look at LinkedIn and different recruitment sites and update your profile information. Just having a look doesn’t mean anything, just see what the options are and how much they are paying then store that information away for when you go back to work.

22. Teach your pet a trick

If you’re sharing your living space with furry or feathery friends keep everyone occupied by teaching them some impressive or stupid or impressively stupid new tricks. If you get good enough when the quarantine is over, quit your job and take the show on the road with your talking dog or dancing parakeet.

23. Quit bad habits

Now is a great time to finally kick all of those bad habits and get back to clean living. Really. If you’re a smoker then you’ve never had a better reason to stop. If you are not a smoker now is definitely not the time to start. No bars or pubs are open so go dry or cut back on alcohol while you’re staying at home, your liver will feel much better for it and you’ll be able to better focus on being productive rather than needlessly hungover.

24. Re-arrange your furniture

Looking at the furniture in your home in the place every day is probably going to get boring quickly. Use the time you have now to move things around and see if there is a better way to arrange the furniture to give you more space, make things more convenient or achieve better feng shui. There are sites online which will give you great tips on how to re-arrange your furniture no matter what type of place you are living in.

25. Plan for when it’s all over

Sooner or later this will all be over. So look to the future and plan the amazing things that you’ll do when things are back to normal weather that’s moving into a new home (you’ll likely be sick of the one you’re in now), having your dream wedding, going on a fantastic holiday or watching your favourite team or band play again. Whatever it is, take the time now to research what you’re going to do, how you’re going to get there and who will join you when the coronavirus crisis is over. 

Keep safe and productive, it won’t last forever.

Sources:

psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-truisms-wellness/201607/the-powerful-psychology-behind-cleanliness
support.office.com/en-us/article/excel-for-windows-training-9bc05390-e94c-46af-a5b3-d7c22f6990bb
beachbodyondemand.com/programs/p90x/workouts
mondosurfvillage.com/the-5-most-challenging-yoga-poses
healthline.com/nutrition/12-benefits-of-meditation#section11
mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/15-strange-hobbies-around-world-7345374
huffpost.com/entry/study-says-making-art-reduces-stress_n_576183ece4b09c926cfdccac)
therichest.com/most-expensive/10-shockingly-valuable-art-pieces-a-child-could-have-made/
canr.msu.edu/news/what_are_the_physical_and_mental_benefits_of_gardening