10 Ways to Keep Yourself Busy and Have Fun in Quarantine

“Who has not felt bored in quarantine yet?” asked the teacher — in a video call class, of course. No hand went up, and the teacher himself wasn’t all that excited. This boredom began a few weeks ago, and none of us know for how long this shall go on, so assuming that you have your basic needs and supplies like groceries and medicines at home, why not we all get prepared to defeat the boredom we are facing?

I know I am not the first one to come up with this idea of coming up with different ideas to beat boredom, but it was like ten days ago, when a friend was complaining to me everyday, repeatedly about how bored he was that I realized that I am indeed qualified to do this: so here’s my compilation of things you can do to keep yourself entertained during quarantine!

“I have watched all these movies. I have watched all my favorite series. I used to have some fun at the gym, but the gym is closed, too. We should meet for coffee when we get back to normal life”, said the friend. I tried to cheer him up, and came with a long list of things one can do, and that is how this list was born. We will start off with the most common ones.

1. Read. The most common indoor hobby! If you are not interested in reading, if you have not tried reading yet, then try to grab a good book. Reading a good book would not only keep you occupied, but would also help you learn things you’d not have known before, would make you more proficient in the language, and increase your curiosity levels, too. For starters, choose from one of these genres — self-help, history, romance, thriller, comics, etc. Ask Google or a reader friend to help you, and go!
2. Cook. Some of the best cooks in my circle are my guy friends, so give up on the gender-related stigma! If you are already a cook, try a different variety of cuisine, maybe? I bet you are not familiar with all cuisines even if you cook regularly. In fact, cooking can be more fun than eating something tasty, believe me! Oh! Groceries an issue? Cooking daily? Okay, continue reading.
3. Sketch. We all have a Leonardo Da Vinci in us. Just kidding. Even if you intend to draw your most favorite actor and your sketch ends up looking like the politician you hate the most, who cares? Use those children’s crayons or if you don’t have them, paper and a pencil or pen should do for starters. Who is your most loved anime character?
4. Learn Skills. Many of us are not always updated with the skills we need to know, or there could be something we’d like to master but have not had the time for it yet. Use this opportunity — learning to operate a new app, or app building itself, or networking, or creating and running a YouTube channel, or defeating one of your own weaknesses … There is never an end to learning, which is one very beautiful thing about life!
5. Practice your alternate career option. If you are not (whatever you are in the present, in whichever field), what else would you have been? Many of us wish that we could have gotten into some other line of career. For example, even today, several people tell me that they would have loved to become psychologists when I say I am one. And if not for my passion towards psychology, I would have become a journalist (my mentor still wants me to give it a try!). Learn about those skills, and try practicing. Singing? Dancing? Startupreneur? Movie maker? Travel blogger? What interests you?
6. Connect with family and friends. many of us must have been used to a routine life — get up, go to work, have brunch, work, attend meetings, get back home, cook or order food, check social media or read news, and sleep an unhealthy sleep. Or add some gym and yoga and reading or driving. When was the last time you spoke to your high school friend who has changed a lot now? Grandparents are adorable, millenials! Connect better with your parents or children and peers. Wassup?
7. Try a different style. I know a few friends who have been wanting to try a different haircut or have a different style of beard or have wanted to try homemade masks and facials for long, but they have not because 1) no time, and 2) they were not sure — what if they end up looking funny? They can’t go to work the next day!!!
8. Journal. This is one of my most favorites! I am good at preaching but not practicing because it’s been quite a long time since I did it. Go ahead! Understand yourself, your situation, your feelings better, and let you be you — see what comes out. Empathize. Self-love. Become more aware.
9. Problem-solve. Too often, we are all good at being critical and can easily judge, but how capable are we to solve problems? Pick something, a global issue that you think needs attention. Stop complaining — that will take you nowhere. What will you do if you were in power? Make a list of all the factors that you should take into account. What are all the possibilities you’d have to deal with? What are the factors that act as problems? Solve.
10. Care for your environment. Last but not the least, this is more of a request than a suggestion. I personally think that this is something we all must do. It is our planet, so it is a responsibility, not an option! Consider all these; start somewhere. How to minimize the use of plastic? Plant more trees? Reduce pollution? Go vegan? Lead a minimalist lifestyle? Save rain water? Adopt stray animals? No, I am not talking about donating money — that is like outsourcing one major responsibility! And don’t tell me you are doing everything you can to protect the planet, please. None of us are doing everything possible. Today is a good day to start.