18 Handy Skills to Learn in Coronavirus Lockdown

Eliot Prince

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6 min readMar 20, 2020

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43 minutes into Coronavirus Lockdown, Whatsapp dings.

— “I’m bored” — Reads the message from a friend. (You know who you are).

It looks like we’ve all got a lot of time on our hands, especially if we are confined to our homes for 23 hours a day.

So how can we while away the time?

There are two options really.

Hunker down and try to complete Netflix… or learn some handy new skills.

New skills to pay the bills or a fresh hobby to make life more fulfilling.

Think of lockdown as a firmware upgrade period.

For myself, I’ve got so many things lined up I feel like lockdown is going to be a busy time.

Which person will you be once we come out of the other side of self-isolation, social distancing and lockdown?

The one who has nothing to show for it?

Or the one who achieved something?

Here’s a selection of 18 handy skills to learn in lockdown. The useful skills listed below are perfect for learning at home whether it’s digital-based or handy life skills requiring few resources.

Digital Skills to Learn in Self-Isolation

Picking up a new digital skill is a kickass thing to do while you’ve got the time.

I think it is clear to all of us how important it is to develop new ways of working and earning money. Ways to diversify your income if you will.

The beauty of this set of skills is you require no materials or added resources, you can start learning on whatever device you’re reading this article.

Here’s a list of skills you can learn plus some courses, books, videos and articles to get you started:

Video Editing

Learn how to edit video like a boss. The two leading video editing platforms are Final Cut and Premiere Pro so you’ll want to pick up a copy of one of those to start with. Alternatively, for a cheaper option try Filmora 9.

Web Design

Everybody needs a website from global brands to 14 year old’s dreaming of becoming an annoying social influencer.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

SEO isn’t as hard as it sounds. It’s a little like the finance industry, it uses long words and abbreviations to confuse people and appear complex. You can learn most of the information from a couple of books…

Animation and After Effects

Jazz up your videos and social feeds with funky animations and graphics. You’ll need some software like Adobe After Effects or Motion to get cracking.

Coding

Why don’t they teach coding in schools? I don’t know, do you even know what ‘coding’ is? Well, find out now.

Cryptocurrency

Bitcoin is that fake internet money, right? A good way to lose all your real money, except for all those Bitcoin millionaires… may as well take a look…

Helpful Home Skills to Learn in Lockdown

Why not upgrade some of your home skills like cooking and sewing. They’re all super handy and can even help you lead a more sustainable lifestyle.

Cooking

If you’re in lockdown it’d be wise to start cooking carefully. Ingredients might be limited plus lack of exercise means you might need to watch your calories a little.

Also here’s some classic Ramsay to Get the Juices Flowing!

Sewing

You’d have been laughed at in school for learning how to sew. Now, in this brave new sustainable world, it’s a handy skill to fix up your favourite clothes.

Knitting

While away the days and knit yourself a new tea cosy, woolly hat and wonky jumper. Lockdown, more like mini-retirement.

Creative Skills to Learn in Lockdown

Time to put some more craft in your life. Take your mind off the troubles of the world, pick up a new hobby, and find a new passion.

Dance

Come on. There’s two people in this world. Those that can dance, and those wishing they could dance. Which one are you?

Wood Whittling

Fancy whittling yourself a complete chessboard? It’ll certainly wind away some time plus you’ll then have to learn how to play chess. Perfect time killer.

Origami

You can make some pretty awesome stuff from a single sheet of paper. From dinosaurs to wallets, get folding.

Drawing

You don’t need much to start drawing, just a pencil, paper and a subject. It’s about practice and muscle memory once you’ve got the basics down.

Self-Improvement Skills to Learn in Lockdown

As I said at the top. Use Lockdown or self-isolation as an upgrade period. Bring new skills into your life so once you’re released back into the world you’re a whole new person. Here’s some mind, body and soul self-improvement skills for you to learn.

Meditation

One thing great about isolation is the time to clear your head and reset. Learn how to do this no matter the situation with a spot of meditation.

Yoga

Admit it, you’ve thought about doing Yoga before but never quite got into it. Or hell, you’ve even thought about running away to be a professional Yoga teacher…

Magic Tricks

Time to amaze those around you. Thankfully the magic circle has been bust wide open by the internet so we can all learn the tricks of the trade. You’re a wizard Harry!

Language

I’m always jealous of those who learn multiple languages as a child. Trying to fit in the time to learn a new language is tricky in the modern world, Netflix is so damn distracting.

Duolingo Learn A Language for Free
Babbel Learn Languages Online
Learn Languages with Paul Noble (Highly recommended)

Instrument

Probably the first thing that pops into your head when you think about taking up a new hobby. If you’ve got a guitar sitting around then there’s no excuse. For those without an instrument to hand, try starting your musical career with the cup song…

That’s it.

There’s no more time to waste.

Time to start upgrading your skills.