As we enter Week 2 of quarantine, many of us have found ourselves at a loose end. Compelled by the appeal of doing nothing, we have taken to lounging around, only to find ourselves exacerbating our own boredom. Here are some suggestions to entertain yourself while in quarantine.

  • Try new hobbies, or pick up a new skill

This free time is the perfect opportunity to try something new. We live in a world with easy access to the internet, and tutorials to make an origami crane, play guitar or speak German are only a Google search away.

  • Spring clean

You’re confined to your house for the foreseeable future - it may as well be tidy. Clear out your wardrobe, get rid of the memorabilia lying around the house, rearrange your furniture – do all the little things that you have been repeatedly putting off to do “when I have more time.”

  • Try new outfits

Why stop at tidying your wardrobe? With the limitations on social interactions, it is a wonderful time to stay at home and wear anything you want to – this could mean anything from baking in a prom dress to sending emails wearing a pyjama top, joggers and a tie. Alternatively, you can put together nice outfits for when quarantine ends.

  • Do garden work

Gardening is one thing people always think about before dismissing as “too time consuming” but now that there’s not much else to consume our time, sorting out the garden is as good a pastime as any. As we enter the late spring to summer months, the sun is coming out more, making time spent in the garden even more enjoyable.

  • Experiment with new habits

Have you always considered doing yoga in the mornings, but were unsure if getting up that bit earlier would be worth it? With the entire day free to deal with any unfortunate side effects of doing so, there has never been a better time to try it out.

  • Start working through your To Be Read or Watch Later lists

Many people have a list of books they’ve wanted to read or movies they’ve wanted to watch for a while, but the presence of other commitments resulted in a very slow progression through the list; it is currently an excellent time to make good headway on ticking off items. For those who don’t already have copies of the books they want, there are many reputable free online libraries which have extensive collections of literature.

If you ever find yourself irritatingly free of time during the next few weeks, try one of the above and see if you enjoy it – you may find that yoga in the mornings, or gardening is something that stays with you in the future.

 

by Sanga Arivanantham, Newstead Wood School