Rimsha Salam

20 Productive Things to do when in Lockdown The recent pandemic has sent everyone into lockdown. The situation is critical, to say the least. Most countries have implemented extreme measures to contain the outbreak. People are confined in their homes for the safety of themselves and others. Tensions are high and people are stressed out and restless. Being trapped in one location without much work and activities can be difficult and exhausting. However, there are a lot of productive activities and hobbies that one can take up and utilize this time. It is important to stay positive and keep moving forward. Lend a helping hand where possible and stay safe. Here’s a list of all the things you can do to keep yourself occupied and entertained through this tough time. Read Books, Articles, Blogs Reading is one of the best hobbies out there. It is economical, beneficial for your mind, boosts knowledge and is overall a fun past time. You can start reading some helpful Non-Fiction. Or take a dive into the exciting world of Fiction. If books are too much for you, you can also pick up comics and short novellas. Then there are also a ton of great articles and blogs online as well. Medium is one of the best sources for well-written articles as well. Learn a New Language You could always take up something ambitious to do in your free time. One such great example is learning a new language. While time-consuming and effort-requiring it will be very rewarding. Learning a new language gives you a different perspective on things. It also opens doors to all kinds of new opportunities as well. Start Writing or Creating If you have the knack for writing, you could spend this time quite productively. Start writing or creating something. There are endless possibilities, you can write for yourself, or for others, professionally or just as a pass time. Your options include writing blogs, reviews, stories, articles, poetry, journal, diary, biography, and many more. Take Online Courses You can always utilize this time to learn something new. There is nothing more productive than acquiring more knowledge. There are countless courses available online that are either free or at a very low price. You can explore sites such as Coursera, Udemy, Khanacademy, Codecademy, and more. Explore the Internet The internet is full of endless possibilities. There was a time, before the dawn of social media, when people spent hours just browsing the web, exploring all that it has to offer. Browsing can be quite fun and informative when done right, you can go read Wikipedia articles, read news stories, look at ancient websites, and discover some pretty cool stuff. Learn a New Life Skill Life skills are essential for survival. Sadly our schools tend to ignore such things and so do most parents. These skills are necessary for survival and especially crucial in emergency situations such as the recent pandemic. So learning them should be a must for everyone. Take this time to learn a few life skills of your own. One of the main ones being cooking. Nothing beats a home-cooked meal and this skill will never let you down. You can also learn how to do basic chores, fix stuff around the house, housekeep, gardening, etc. Do Spring Cleaning When you are locked inside your home with nowhere to go then one of the best things to do is clean. So schedule a long and thorough spring cleaning day and get to work. Sort through your stuff, dust off those spider webs, and polish that fine china. You can also set aside things like extra clothes, supplies, blankets, etc for the poor as well. Renovate your Home Remember that home renovation you had in mind. Or that window you wanted to fix. Or how about that shelf you always wanted to build but never had the time. Well now is the best time as any to start on those home renovations. Gear up with your tool bag and get going. Work on small projects and be sure to check for supplies before you start renovating. Start doing DIY Projects Remember that Pinterest board full of DIY’s that you have been dying to try but never had the time to? Well now’s the time. So dust off those brushes, ready the glue gun, sharpen those scissors and get to work. DIYing is a great hobby to pass the time and you can build some pretty nifty things while you are at it too. Start doing Arts & Crafts Were you a little Piccaso as a child? or were you more and analytical type. Either way, take out those brushes and start painting your heart out. Sketch something or fish out those pretty color pencils that you were saving when you were a child but never got to use them. Learn to Recycle, Reuse, Refurbish Learning how to recycle and reuse is always a good idea. However, in recent times it has become even more important. Due to the lockdown supplies are in high demand, commodities and goods are getting scarce. So recycling is crucial. Recycle cardboard, plastic bottles, papers, and other items. Reuse glass jars and containers. Try to reduce waste as much as possible. Learn recycling techniques online and avoid buying and using plastic. Take-up Gardening Need a feel-good activity that will boost your mind and body health? Take up gardening. If you are among the lucky few with a backyard start building a garden. Plant some vegetables, flowers, and fruits. If you do it right you can have fresh organic produce. Or if you are like me and are not lucky enough to have a garden in your home then do some indoor gardening, plant a coffee plant, a cactus, or and aloe vera. You will feel good and having something to take care of will keep you happily occupied. Spend Time with your Family Considering how fast-moving and busy our lives have gotten we barely have any time for family and loved ones. Now that we have been forced to slow down we should utilize this time to reconnect. If you live with your family spend some time together, do some family bonding activities, talk, joke around. If you don’t then call them, ask how they are and connect with your loved ones. Listen to Music, Watch Movies or TV Series Remember that long list of Movies to watch you have on IMDb. Or how about all those TV series your friends keep telling you about. Then their also the huge list of music that you haven’t listened to. So what are you waiting for? Log into your Netflix account and have a guilt-free binge party. Do it alone or invite your housemates for extra fun. And while you are at it turn up the speakers and have a little dance party to the latest hits of 2020. Start New Physical Activities Due to lack of movement and activity, you are bound to get restless and impatient. Not moving for long periods of time will also be detrimental to your health. So start working out at home. Take up a physical activity that you like. Do Cardio, Yoga, CrossFit, Zumba, or any other exercise you are found of. You can also start indoor sports like table tennis or snooker. If you have a nice backyard you can play Cricket, Basketball, Soccer, and anything you can think of. Keeping active and exercising will also release endorphins and better your health which will automatically boost your mood. Play Video Games Oh, how time passes by when playing video games. Remember when you were a freshman and used to game 11 hours straight a day. Well take out your controllers and bring that gamer back. Join a LAN party or an online one. Buy games online, play shooters, RPGs, MMO’s and see how the time flies. Play Chess, Card Games, & Board Games Dust off those board games, take out that old ludo, and set up the Monopoly cause now is the best time to do so. Now that we are locked up in our homes, spending our time having fun and connecting with our family is the best route to take. And nothing says family bonding more than a bunch of board games. So ready those dice and get going. Call, Chat, & Connect with Others While we are always talking and communicating in this hustle and bustle of a world, we are never really connecting with others. In the high-speed day to day life, we rarely have the time to sit back and have a nice relaxing chat. The recent isolation has fixed this, however. Now that we have time take some out to connect with your loved ones. Check up on them regularly, have some fun chats, and joke around. This will improve both your and their mood. Groom yourself, Invest in Personal Care Now that we have a lot of time on our hands, it is time for some well-needed self-care. Invest in the wellbeing of both your mind and your body. Develop a skincare routine, do yoga, groom yourself. Take some time to think about life, about how you want to move forward. Work on your weak points and your strengths. Have a nice relaxing spa day. Pray, Meditate, Reflect With the hustle and bustle life that we used to live it was hard to find a little time for ourselves. This recent lockdown has forced us to do so. Therefore, it is the best time to reflect, pray, meditate, and have some me-time. Relax a little, unwind and calm your mind and body. Hopefully, these tips will keep you entertained and occupied. The activities listed above will allow you to spend your time productively. Being isolated in our homes can be difficult, but if we stay positive and don’t lose hope we can easily get through this. These are difficult times but we must be patient, stay safe, stay in our homes, and try to help others as much as we can.