Creative Ways to Fill Your Free Time While Staying at Home

You might feel exasperated by the stay-at-home orders by now. However, you know you need to cooperate with authorities. The ultimate nightmare? Losing all the progress made in the battle against COVID-19.

Therefore, you need to get a bit more creative to stay busy while you remain safely at home. Positive hobbies can enrich your life, plus, they help you avoid the temptation to lie on your couch and binge-watch Netflix while eating junk food. Try these ten ideas the next time the quarantine gives you cabin fever.

1. Pad Your Resume Skills

If you kept your job during the pandemic, count your blessings. According to the International Labour Organization, the coronavirus crisis could cost as many as 195 million jobs over the next three months. Even if you are doing okay at the moment, you might have anxiety about what the future may hold. Why not hop on Udemy or another online learning site and tackle a new skill to pad your resume? You can choose from multiple computer programming languages or software like Quickbooks.

2. Start a Collection

What fascinates you? Collections are a fabulous way to explore your interests on a deeper level. For example, coin collecting teaches you much about history because it provides a starting point to explore the economy and influential individuals who lived during previous eras. You also learn a bit of science when you master how to store your coins in a way that keeps them free from water vapor damage and pollutants. Other ideas include collecting leaves or seashells.

3. Learn to Play an Instrument

Have you always wanted to sing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” while strumming the ukulele like Israel Kamakawiwo’ole? Why not take this time to learn how to play an instrument, if not like a virtuoso, at least enough for campfire entertainment? If you have other musically minded individuals quarantined with you, you can start a makeshift band and keep the entire gang entertained. It’s far superior to fighting over the remote.

4. Master a Foreign Language

Parlez-vous Francais? If the only tongue you know is your native one, why not expand your linguistic ability by conquering a new one? You can choose from a variety of language learning apps, but keep your eye out for specials. Some of these occasionally run multi-language specials that enable you to tackle more than one simultaneously. You could build fluency in a language you already have some familiarity with, and get a grasp of the basics of another.

5. Knit a Hat (or Something Else)

While they’re probably the last thing on your mind, the holidays will roll around again eventually. If you fear your budget may stretch a bit thin this year, why not learn how to make homemade gifts? You can learn how to knit a hat or booties and more with YouTube instructional videos. As a bonus, this hobby keeps your hands busy. That’s a critical factor if you’re struggling with a condition like compulsive overeating, and the siren song of the kitchen beacons frequently.

6. Write in a Journal

Writing in a journal can prove therapeutic — even if your job requires a hefty dose of written communication. That’s because you don’t have to censor yourself, nor do you have to worry about grammatical rules. It also doesn’t matter how potential readers may interpret your scribblings. Of course, if you want to create a historical record of your experience during the COVID-19 pandemic, you can take that approach, too. Imagine how valuable future children or grandchildren will find such a resource when it comes time to write a school report.

7. Begin a Workout Program

There has never been a better time to start a fitness program or shake up your present routine. One, you have the time, and two, you’ll benefit your physical and mental health, boosting your immune system and ability to cope. As a bonus, many popular fitness apps now offer exclusive deals because of the stay-at-home orders in most of the country. Find something that you love and won’t want to abandon when life returns to normal.

8. Engross Yourself in Reading

Dust off that novel that has graced your nightstand and pour yourself a hot cup of tea. Curl up in your hammock or your couch, surround yourself with a cozy throw and dive into a juicy word bath. Reading is like a workout for your brain, and it also helps develop your capacity for empathy. It builds your vocabulary and prevents cognitive decline.

9. Build a Birdhouse or Compost Bin

Do you like getting handy? You’re in luck. Many big box and smaller hardware stores alike remain open during the pandemic as experts consider them essential services. After all, you can hardly wait months to patch a leaky roof. Take advantage by purchasing some inexpensive carpentry supplies and tackling that handyperson task you have delayed forever. If you don’t have a deck railing in need of repair, why not build a compost bin or a birdhouse?

10. Putter in the Garden

Finally, many Americans face food insecurity, some for the first time in their lives, due to COVID-19. However, if you have land or even a sunny balcony, you can grow some of your supply at home. Learn how to save the seeds from your produce and start seedlings in egg cartons. When they get large enough, place them in your garden or an appropriate container. By “recycling” your vegetables in this fashion, you ensure a nearly endless supply during the warm season.

Fill Your Time at Home Creatively With These Tips

Don’t let cabin fever lead you to make hasty decisions that endanger your health or that of others. Fill your time at home creatively with these tips, and you’ll emerge from the quarantine as a healthier, more well-rounded individual.