Did you just run out of the things to do in quarantine? With the global lockdown, you have completed the Netflix list and tired of discussing COVID-19 news with your family or flat mate. Don’t fret out; this article covers plenty of fun, free ways to utilize your time during the coronavirus lockdown without getting bored. Here’s a list of 25 things to use your internet connection or items that you already have lying around to get you through the lockdown weeks without getting bored.
1. Write A Novel.
Lockdown is a time to create rather than consuming. So, if you have been yearning to write down a novel, now is your chance to write your opus. After all, Shakespeare wrote King Lear while is isolation during the plague. Great works get inspiration during the tough phases like this current global pandemic.
2. Watch A Documentary.
If you are in a mood with a bit of more cerebral, watch documentaries online. Whether you are into iconic personalities, wild animals, mammals, serial killers or revolutions, you’ll find plenty of documentaries to watch during this lockdown. You can find some documentaries on Documentary Heaven, Top Documentary Films, and Documentary Tube.
3. Paint with Bob Ross.
Find your paints and brushes to start your forgotten passion for painting. There are numerous episodes of the ‘Joy of Painting’ being uploaded on YouTube. Listen to the soothing tones of Ross while you paint and enjoy the beauty of imperfections.
4. Enjoy A Karaoke Night at Home.
Are you missing karaoke night with your friends or colleagues? You can still do it at home. Install apps like Air Console that lets you turn your smartphone into a mic and sing with your usual gang. Moreover, you can start practicing new songs to sing at a bar once the lockdown gets lifted.
5. Try A Fitness Challenge at Home.
Are you missing your gym? There are numerous fitness challenges you can try at home. You can try the 100 squat or push-up challenges or a 30-day bodyweight workout challenge to stay healthy at home. Ensure not to push yourself too hard early on and thoroughly warm-up before starting exercise so that you can emerge as a leaner, fitter, and more energetic once the lockdown is lifted.
6. Learn to Cook Something New.
A good thing about being at home is that now you can try cooking from scratch. Find some great recipes online to try preparing your favorite foods. Once you’ve finished cooking, take photos of the food and upload it on your Instagram handle.
7. Write A Song.
Do you have a musical persuasion? Then use this lockdown period to channel your emotions into a song or an entire album. If you are not sure where to start, join a virtual song writing course. You can also start making playlists on the music app of your smartphone to get some inspiration for song writing.
8. Learn A New Language
Did you wish to learn French? Or was awed by Italian or German? Were you being intrigued by Mandarin or need to learn Norwegian for your work purpose? Now, it is the best time to start learning a new language. Lockdown is a perfect time to dedicate yourself learning a new language, testing your pronunciations, and brushing up your vocabulary. Duolingo is one of the most popular apps for language learners. You can start your journey to learn a new language and start practicing as well.
9. Play A Board Game
Lockdown time is a blessing to reminisce your childhood memories of playing a board game and actually play it with your family members at home. Enjoy this no-screen time with your family, which will eventually improve your relationship. If your family members are busy with some other work, then you can play a board game online with your friends or people from across the globe.
10. Deep Clean Your House
Considering the current coronavirus scare, it is more than vital to deep clean your house. Your home can give you days of distraction with the dirty tiles, stained carpet, and dusty dressing table to the extent that you’ll feel the need for deep cleaning. Find online resources to get help with deep cleaning your home. If the task is too long, focus on cleaning one room at a time as diving your work will help to maintain a tidy home.
11. Join the Conversation
Make the most of your social media handles during this lockdown time by genuinely engaging with the medium. Participate in the social media challenges and the tag-around games which are currently going on. After all, it’s a fun way to forget the worries and anxieties of the global pandemic we are facing. Start a discussion or join the conversation on social media platforms that can help you to reconnect with your old friends, and could alleviate the cabin fever, which you’ll be experiencing soon.
12. Read or Listen to A Book
If your 2020 resolution involved reading more, you could achieve your new year’s resolution. You can finally tackle that vast stack of novels you have collected but couldn’t find time to read the exciting book collection. If you prefer audio over reading yourself, try Audible for free.
13. Solve the Riddles, Puzzles or Mysteries
Indulge yourself in solving the riddles that help our brains to exercise by performing a mental process such as thinking, imagining, and reciting. While you solve a jigsaw puzzle, it results in the production of dopamine in the brain, which is essential for learning. If you are a true crime fan, then immerse yourselves in solving mysteries on the online communities to swap theories with other fans and combine information to get to the bottom of old cold cases.
14. Learn How to Give A First Aid
It is good to be prepared for an emergency, especially when the emergency care centers are overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients. Learning first aid will be helpful even in case you may not want to leave self-isolation for a relatively minor injury. Start learning the basic first aid online and share this knowledge with your family and friends via your social media handles.
15. Start A Blog
If you have been thinking to start a blog for some time but couldn’t get started, now is the best time to set up one. As interest in hobbies such as baking, board games, cooking, painting, etc. have shot up over the recent weeks, you can set up a blog and share your knowledge. You can set up a new blog account for free. This could be a great time to build your audience, especially if you have a relatively free, indoor hobbies that you can share.
16. Discover Your Roots
Did you ever wonder where your family was during the flu pandemic of 1918? You can trace your family tree to unearth the lost memories or even distant relatives. Discover your family roots by learning about genealogy to know about yourself and your background
17. Meditate
Practicing meditation and mindfulness don’t help people to stay calm but also boosts their focus, make them remain present, and appreciate what they have. Though it is a simple concept, it can be tough to master. Start meditation at home, and see if it works for you during quarantine.
18. Gain Knowledge of Nutrition
Though comfort eating during lockdown is understandable, it won’t help you begin your summer happier and healthier. Gain some knowledge of nutrition and how food affects your body, health, and mood to make better decisions for your overall wellbeing and better use of your current food cupboard. Enroll yourself on online courses teaching about nutrition that will help you to understand better how what you eat affects your thinking and mood.
19. Sew A Teddy Bear
Recreate your favorite childhood toy or upcycle some old clothing by sewing your own teddy bear. As long as you have some fabric that you can use, and a small sewing kit, you can get started. Once done, share with your friends on social media how you are utilizing your lockdown time without getting bored.
20. Enjoy A Kitchen Dance Party
You can have too much screen time provided that now you have plenty of it spending in lockdown mode. If workouts aren’t your thing or indulging in your hobby during the extended lockdown seems not so exciting anymore, then have a kitchen dance party. Put together a list of your favorite songs and dance around your kitchen to uplift your mood and energy. Don’t worry; nobody’s watching!
21. Start A Virtual Book Club
Are you longing to chat about your book afterwards? Start a virtual book club! The best thing about this virtual book club is, you can agree on free books and get together for a chat and yet more recommendations. It’s a great way to stay in touch with your bookworm friends or make new ones virtually and utilizing your lockdown time.
22. Improve Your Communication Skills
Are you worried that being at home by yourself is eroding your communication skills? You can improve them while you are staying at home to help you sail smoothly over the workplace tensions, add in-demand soft skills to your CV, and excel at group work. Start recording videos of you speaking on a topic of your choice, once done, play the video and self-assess whether you are happy with your communication skills, or sent it to your friend or colleague to get help with improvement.
23. Try Bird Watching
You might have heard or read the news that nature is taking back cities on lockdown, from to goats in Llandudno or wild boar in Italy. Get a little closer to nature by starting with your back garden or plant some vegetables in your balcony. Soon, you’ll be visited by birds chirping near your house. Find some online resources such as eBird that can help you get started with bird watching and learning new every day.
24. Do Online Courses to Skill Up
Many reputed universities are offering free online courses during this lockdown period. TED-Ed is an online platform with high-quality videos on various topics that can help you to learn, thereby use your lockdown time without getting bored. The online learning websites can help you to skill-up during the lockdown so that when you get back to your office, you’ve got skill-sets that may serve you in the future.
25. Prepare A Wish List for Life Post Lockdown
With the curve taking longer to get flat on a global level, make a list of all the things you want to do once the lockdown gets lifted. Though the lockdown period may take a bit longer until a vaccine for the global pandemic gets successfully administered, you that this too shall pass. Let the list contain everything that you have postponed for the lockdown and social distancing that’s been currently advised to prevent yourself from getting COVID-19.
Tips
Show yourself some love by indulging in self-care. Make a face pack using ingredients at home or ask your partner to give you a hair massage. And abide by the following Public Service Announcement.
Follow ‘DO THE FIVE’. Help stop coronavirus.’
1) Wash your HANDS often
2) Cough into your ELBOW
3) Don’t touch your FACE
4) Stay more than 3 FEET apart
5) FEEL Sick? Stay Home