In a time of such uncertainty and abnormality it can be hard to stay focused and feel like you are spending your time being productive. However, there are so many different hobbies and tasks you can try while you have extra time on your hands.
Here are just a few ideas you could try out in self isolation and possibly continue over time.
Keeping a Journal/ Diary
When life as we know it is becoming something completely contrasting to all that we’re used to it’s a good idea to write things down, not necessarily for other people but purely for yourself. Documenting the things you’re doing, thoughts and feelings can be a helpful way to make this time of life feel more real and also assist you coming to terms with such unprecedented times.
Clearing and cleaning out
With constant work and tasks to do in our normal lives we don’t often get chance to do a proper clear out of our bedrooms and any other living space. Why not try going through your wardrobe and sorting your clothes into three sections.
Section one: What you’d like to keep, the clothes you wear on a regular basis and that you love the most.
Section two: The clothes you can sell, maybe the ones that are too big or too small or the ones that weren’t quite what you expected but you never got chance to returning. You can earn some money from this while things and you could use it after isolation is over to buy some new clothes and treat yourself.
Section three: a donation pile. Charity shops may not be open at the moment but once life returns to the way we knew it, there will be lots of people in need and if you use the time now productively you could help someone who will need it.
You can do this with all your belongings that require sorting and afterwards you’ll feel so much more organised.
Trying a new hobby or skill
I am sure lots of us have a long list of hobbies or skills we have been wanting to try and experiment with for a long time but never got the chance to getting round to doing. There is no other time more fitting than now and if you’re not sure what exactly you could pick up here are some suggestions.
You could try learning a language, reading, baking, any sort of crafts, creative writing or even a new sport. There are resources all over the internet for learning anything and everything and you can try anything with the click of a button.
Keeping Healthy
Exercising along with keeping a healthy and balanced diet are an important part of maintaining a successful and productive life – at the moment it’s more vital than ever before. You can go on walks/runs, try following along to a YouTube workout routine, trying to cook new and nutritious recipes and using this time to plan how to keep on top of conserving a healthy lifestyle.
Planning and Creating a schedule
In current circumstances it’s easy to lose track of time and for the days to slip between your fingers, so it is valuable to plan what exactly you want and need to do.
Try creating a daily schedule, you could plan every night before you go to bed for what you are going to do the next day or you could make one for the week ahead. Plan realistically on what you are capable of doing, don’t be too hard on yourself and start with simple goals and gradually increase the intensity of those if and when you can. But most importantly don’t waste the time, even if it is just a couple of things you do each day it’s better than nothing.
Even though it’s important to keep doing productive things it is a difficult time for everyone and you should cut yourself some slack. Most likely you aren’t going to be able to do everything you would in normal day to day life, so take it one step at a time and do as much as you can while including breaks and time to relax and process what’s going on. That way you can be prepared but also calm and stable for when life eventually returns to normal.
