Staying Busy While You’re Stuck at Home

Social distancing may seem disruptive, but health professionals say that this simple act can save lives during a pandemic. Let’s all do our part to help our loved ones and fellow community members.

We’re all figuring things out as we go. But being “stuck” at home is an opportunity to get creative. Below are some things that I’ve brainstormed to break up the monotony of home routines.

Occupy Your Mind

Flex your creative muscles. Do you know about Canva.com? It’s a design site where you can make brochures, newsletters, flyers, etc. for FREE! Professionals contribute templates, pictures, and images that you can customize. You have more access with a full membership, but there are plenty of options with the free account.
Canva’s design can spice up an email to friends or help you connect with clients. One of my friends sends a monthly Creativity Love Note that goes out to her writing friends. I always look forward to that note. I love the excitement of non-spammy virtual mail.
Set up a blog. Set up a blog for FREE on SquareSpace or WordPress.com! Write about your experiences during these strange times. What are you doing to stay connected to others? Are you pursuing hobbies? What unique sources of entertainment have you found
Alternatively, you can write that blog that you never had time for. There are ways to monetize blogs too if you want to be strategic about it. But it’s okay if you just want to journal or share information that’s important to you.
Blogging is good writing practice. I bet you have family and friends who would look forward to reading what you have to say. You can send it to me too! 😊

Update your resume. Even if you’re not job hunting, it’s a good idea to regularly update your resume (or your CV). I always suggest that you keep a master list of all your projects, accomplishments, awards, etc. Try to update that list every two to three months.
Reviewing your calendars will remind you of how you’ve spent your time. And you’ll feel accomplished reflecting on how much you’ve done. When you’re ready, you can select the relevant pieces to feature on your resume/CV.

Educate Yourself

Learn a language. There are so many wonderful resources out there for language learning. Duolingo and Mango are two popular options that offer an array of languages. Duolingo is a free app that you can download. And some library systems have subscriptions to Mango, so you just need your library card to access it!
Did you know that you can read BBC news in multiple languages? This is a good exercise to apply your language knowledge and explore the world from another perspective.

Take a free class. Many library systems offer access to platforms like Lynda.com or Gale Courses. Using your library card, you can take classes in a variety of topics from design to personal development, and business to photography. Again, those are FREE resources!

Connect with Others

Collaborate on a viewing list. If you have a friend with similar tastes in TV series or movies, you can share recommendations with each other. My fabulous local library system has a comprehensive list of books that producers have adapted to the silver screen. Pick some books and movies of interest, so you can enjoy the reading and viewing with friends. 😊

Join an online book club or writing group. You can use video conferencing to keep up with your book club meetings or writing groups. Zoom is an easy-to-use tool that offers free 40-minute sessions for three or more users.
Here’s how to get around paying for a longer session—set up two meeting links on Zoom. Participants disconnect when the warning appears close to the 40-minute mark. Then, you use the second meeting link to continue again.
Check out this list of book club questions that could be applied to any group’s selection.
And mark your calendar for the writing group meetings that I’m hosting. No strings attached. It’s just accountability for putting pen to paper.

Lower Your Anxiety

Color to de-stress. It’s been proven that coloring can help you to de-stress. And we all need some techniques for that right now. This website has tons of FREE coloring pages that you can print when you’re ready to escape from your screens (and the news).

Flex your muscles. Any exercise you do can boost your mood and your health. Without gym equipment at home, you can still be active. This is a comprehensive list of 30-day workout challenges that focus on different areas of the body. You can pick a challenge to do with a friend or two, sending reminders to each other every day.

Explore the World

Tour museums. You can see awe-inspiring exhibits in world-class museums all from the comfort of your couch. Look at famous art and artifacts from the British Museum in London to the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City.

Stroll the streets with Google Earth. Have you ever picked a random city or spot to explore on Google Earth? Choose a place of interest, roam the streets, and soak in the landscapes. If you can’t decide where to go, Google can decide for you (see the “Feeling Lucky?” option). Perhaps your exploration will become a source of inspiration for your writing or creative projects.

Find a book set in a dream vacation destination. Tale Away provides an excellent curated list of books from across the globe. The host, Ash, is an avid traveler and reader who shares World Book Challenge lists and organizes recommendations by continent. You could check out most books from your library or order them on Amazon.

Of course, there are several other options to keep you occupied. Do you have any that you’d like to share?

Stay well and take care, everyone!

Val Cervarich

Writing Help KC, LLC