Until the past couple of weeks, social distancing was something most of us never thought of. Why would we? We’re a naturally social society; and those of us who aren’t naturally social have been encouraged to get out there and live life with others.
For some people, the change in pace has made life a little frustrating. But for others, it’s nice to finally step off the hamster wheel for a couple of weeks.
Here are 50 ideas for things you can do when you’re stuck at home, either alone or with just your immediate family. Take them or leave them! But please, make this time count. And if you have a great idea to add, please include it in the comments!
- Replace in-person social interaction with Skype and Zoom parties.
- Try your hand at learning a new language. Get into Duolingo (it’s free) or Rosetta Stone.
- Have a theme dinner party for your family. Try that one thing you’ve never had time to cook — and get out the china.
- Have a Netflix binge weekend in your pj’s, complete with popcorn and ice cream. Make it a slumber party for the whole family. Sleep in the living room in sleeping bags.
- Get into at-home fitness. Get yourself into a daily routine. POPSUGAR Fitness is a great place to start! (See their beginner Low-Impact Cardio workout above.)
- Organize. This is your time to finally get your closet, cupboards and paperwork in order. (Read the story on how to start in this issue of Curvicality.)
- Do those simple home repairs you’ve been avoiding.
- Get a start on your spring cleaning. Dust off the top of those high shelves. Sweep the garage. Clean the windows — all of them.
- Get ready for summer with an indoor garden. The time to transplant will be here before you know.
- Keep a journal of everything that’s going on in the world right now. Clip articles and record daily events. Someday, what we’re going through will be history. People will wonder what it was like.
- Do an art project. Give stenciling or painting a try.
- Take a free online course.
- Play charades. Make it a family event.
- Sleep in at least once, without guilt.
- Take a virtual field trip. Take an online tour of a place like the Louvre or the Houston Zoo. Here is a list of 30 virtual field trips.
- Work on your goals. Make a list of all the things you want to do in the next year, five years and 10 years.
- Make a daily schedule — and stick to it. Treat it just like you would treat a typical day outside your home.
- Try some yoga or meditation. Yoga with Adriene is awesome.
- Start a virtual book club with your friends. Read a classic.
- Plan your bucket list vacation.
- Create a time capsule.
- Do a YouTube makeup or hair tutorial. No one’s going to see you. This is your chance to try out every crazy trend, even if you’re sure you’ll screw it up.
- Do you invest? Learn more about the markets. Subscribe to Investor’s Business Daily (IBD) and follow the trends. Share your thoughts with your financial advisor, if you have one.
- Build a website for fun. You can try something easy like Wix, or take a look at Codecademy. You can even try your hand at WordPress and take a Udemy course.
- Help your local economy by shopping locally online.
- Feel like a rocket scientist and take a class at Yale through Class Central.
- Build a fort — even if you don’t have kids. Get creative!
- Bake. Make those cookies you’ve been eyeing online.
- Go for a hike. This is the perfect time to explore nature!
- Bust out those boardgames. Play Scrabble, Monopoly and all the old favorites.
- Create a vision board.
- Do you really have enough “pins?” We think not. Get back on that old Pinterest and plan your summer projects.
- Join Ancestry.com and learn about your family history.
- Catch up with your family members and old besties. Now is the perfect time to call or drop them an email!
- Pick a country you’ve never been to and learn about it.
- Alphabetize your home library. It’s now or never!
- If you’re single, set up that profile on a dating app. Chat away!
- If you’re not single, write an erotic novel based on your SO and give it to him or her at your next gift-giving occasion.
- Finally go through your old purses. Clean them out!
- Give a room a facelift. Rearrange. Move things around.
- Make a homemade card and mail it.
- If you have a musical instrument that you’ve laid aside, pick it up again.
- Call your elderly relatives and ask them about family stories. Record the conversations with a cell app.
- Have “you time.” Take a bubble bath or indulge in an at-home facial.
- If you haven’t yet, make your first TikTok video and send it to your friends. Ask for one in return.
- Have a Ted Talk morning. Think of your favorite topic, and Google Ted Talks on the matter.
- If you’ve got a dog, take the time to teach your pooch some new tricks.
- Rework your household budget.
- Google daily crosswords. Try one with your morning coffee.
- Learn how to edit videos on your phone (if you don’t already know how) and send fun ones to your friends.
