Are you staying at home amid this virus? Here are 100 things to do!
1. Complete a puzzle: The
more pieces the better! Feeling extra saucy? Take on a Rubik's Cube. More of a
word person? Crossword puzzle!
2. Start a journal or
blog. Sure, it can be about the coronavirus, but it could also be about a
specific interest from chess to cheese.
3. If it won't bother
your neighbors: Dust off that old instrument and practice.
4. Text all your exes
just in case you have one more thing you wanted to get off your chest.
5. Write
poetry. Perhaps you can craft a haiku for Mother's Day,
or something without a specific structure. Just try it!
6. Watch all the really
long movies you’ve avoided until now.
7. Download Duolingo, or
a similar app, and teach yourself a foreign language.
8. Finally read “Infinite Jest,” “Les Miserables” or even “The
Stand.” Go all in and read “Ulysses.” You got this.
9. Meditate. Try lying
down with your eyes closed, palms up and while focusing on your breath. Or
spend 20 minutes sitting crosslegged and repeat a soothing word to yourself in
your head. (The latter is more like transcendental meditation.)
10. Face masks,
moisturizer, oh my! Treat yourself to a 10-step skincare routine you don’t
have time for during a normal workweek.
11. Look at pictures of puppies.
12. Put together the most
attractive charcuterie board possible, but you can only use foods you already
have in your fridge and cupboard.
13. Take note from
"Tangled" star Rapunzel, who has an entire song about how she's spent
her days alone in a castle. Activities included in her ditty: Ventriloquy, candle-making,
paper-mâché and adding a new painting to her gallery.
14. Write actual letters
to family and friends. After that? Write thank-you notes to service people who
you remember went out of their way for you.
15. Learn calligraphy.
YouTube can help.
16. Finally read the
rules to those long and intense board games you've never played with the
family. Encourage the family to play.
17. Put on a soap opera.
Mute the sound. Create your own dialogue.
18. Have a space in your
home where all of the Tupperware goes? Organize it and actually match lids to
containers.
19. Try on all your
clothes and determine whether they “spark joy” á la Marie Kondo.
20. Better yet, go
through this process with your junk drawer and supply shelves.
21. Have a roommate
meeting about how to be more considerate of one other, especially while you
will likely be spending more time together. Bring baked goods.
22. Bake those goods.
23. Watch the films that
won Oscars for best picture.
24. Watch films that won
Independent Spirit Awards for best picture.
25. Watch films
that critics say should have
won those aforementioned awards.
26. Read all the New
Yorker issues piled on your desk.
27. Tom Hanks tribute to
his recovery from coronavirus by
watching every Tom Hanks movie chronologically.
28. Knit or crochet.
29. Use Skype, FaceTime,
Google Hangouts or Marco Polo to video chat with your
long-distance friends.
30. Try out at-home
aerobics or yoga videos. Consider downloading a fitness app with curated
workout playlists.
31. Look at yourself in
the mirror. Attempt a self-portrait with a pencil and paper.
32. Take a bubble bath
(bonus: Add a glass of wine).
33. Make a classic
cocktail, from negronis to Manhattans and Aperol spritzes. Don't
forget the garnish.
34. Coloring books:
They’re not just for kids.
35. Take time to reflect:
What have you accomplished in the last year? What goals are you setting for
yourself in the next year?
36. Write a short story
or get started on that novel.
37. Actually try to
reproduce something you see on Pinterest. Probably fail. Try again.
38. Clear out the family
room and camp indoors with all blankets, popcorn and scary movies.
39. Finally get around to
fixing that broken doorknob and loose tile or cleaning scuffed up walls.
40. Acquire a foam roller
and treat yourself to some physical therapy.
41. Pretend you're 13
years old and fold a square piece of paper
into a fortune teller you put your thumbs and pointer fingers into. Proceed to
tell fortunes.
42. Learn how to braid (fishtail,
French, etc.) via a YouTube tutorial..
43. Throw out all your
too-old makeup and products. (Tip: most liquid products have a small symbol on
them noting expirations, usually six months to a year. This includes
sunscreen!)
44. Interview your
grandparents (over the phone, of course) and save the audio. Can you create an
audio story or book with that file?
45. Go through your
camera roll, pick your favorite pics from the past year and make a photo
book or order framed versions online.
46. Go on a health kick
and learn how to cook new recipes with ingredients you may not be using
already, from miso to tahini.
47. Create a Google
document of shows or movies you’re watching and share it among family and
friends.
48. Make a list of things
for which you are grateful.
49. Have your own wine
tasting of whatever bottles you have at home. Make up stories about the journey
of the grapes to your mouth.
50. Work on your
financial planning, such as exploring whether to refinance your loan or ways to
save more money.
51. Perfect grandma’s
bolognese recipe.
52. Make coffee, but this
time study how many beans you use, which types, how hot the water is, how
long it brews and whether any of that makes a difference.
53. Buy gift cards from
your favorite local businesses to help keep them in business while we
quarantine.
54. Watch “Frozen 2,’
which went up early on Disney Plus.
Another new movie on the streaming service: "Stargirl."
55. Write a book with
your family. Pick a character and each member writes a chapter about their
adventures. Read aloud to each other.
56. No March Madness?
Have a Scrabble tournament. Or Bananagrams. Pictionary, anyone?
57. Get into baking with
"The Great British Baking Show,"
but your technical challenge is baking something with the ingredients you have
on hand (that you didn't already use in the charcuterie board).
58. Indoor scavenger
hunt.
59. Alternate
reading the Harry Potter series with your kids and cap each one off with the
movie.
60. Dye your hair a
new color. No one else needs to see it if you don't like it.
61. Read Robert Jordan’s
14-book “Wheel of Time” series
before it streams on Amazon starring Rosamund Pike.
62. Write a play starring
your loved ones. Perform it via a video call app.
63. Go viral in a good
way by making a quarantine-themed TikTok.
64. Rearrange your sock
drawer. Really.
65. Stop procrastinating
and do your income taxes.
66. Make lists of all the
museums, sporting events and concerts you want to visit when they finally
reopen.
67. Get into comics
with digital subscriptions on your tablet, like Marvel Unlimited.
68. Rearrange your
furniture to make it seem like your home is a totally different space.
69. Practice
shuffling playing cards like a Poker dealer. Be ready for employment
opportunities once all casinos open back
up.
70. Organize your spice
rack alphabetically or get crazy and do it by cuisine.
71. Teach your dog to
shake. Hand sanitizer optional.
72. Memorize the
periodic table. You never know when that will come in handy.
73. Order and put
together some IKEA furniture. Time yourself.
74. Get a free trial of a
streaming service and binge-watch as much as you can before it expires.
75. Apply for a new job.
You have remote work experience now.
76. Learn a new style of
dance via YouTube, from belly dancing to breaking.
77. Update or write your
will and organize your affairs. Yes, it sounds melodramatic and morbid but
let’s face it: This is a task many of us avoid because we never have the time.
Now we do.
78. The parades have been
canceled but you can still make corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick’s Day.
79. Bring out the Legos.
Build your house inside of your house.
80. Watch the "Star
Wars" movies in this and only this order: Rogue
One-IV-V-II-III-Solo-VI-VII-VIII-IX.
81. Two words:
Coronavirus beard! Grow it, moisturize it, comb it, love it.
82. Learn the words
to "Tung Twista." Get
them so ingrained in your brain that you can rap them as fast as Twista can.
Impress everyone.
83. Been meaning to get
some new glasses? Try on new frames virtually on sites like GlassesUSA.com.
84. Attempt things with
your non-dominant hand, from writing to brushing your teeth. Prepare to be
frustrated.
85. How many words per
minute can you type? See if you can get speedier by taking a typing course.
86. Prepare to verbally
duel a bully who wants to discuss the evolution of the market economy in
the Southern colonies, by memorizing Matt Damon's "Good Will
Hunting" speech.
87. Learn origami. Make
cranes for your loved ones.
88. Stretch. Work on your
flexibility. It's possible to get the splits back, right?
89. Try to speak in pig
Latin. Or, "ig-pay, atin-Lay."
90. Talk to your plants.
How are they doing? Make sure they are getting the amount of sunlight they
should be. Check the soil. Water if necessary.
91. Deep condition your
hair and put paraffin wax on your hands.
Enjoy your soft hair and nails.
92. Consider donating money to food banks to
help families struggling to get meals.
93. Write a song. If you
want to make it about your time inside and put it to the tune of "My
Sharona" and replace "Sharona" with "Corona," do what
you have to do.
94. Study the art of
beatboxing.
95. Try moving in
super-slow motion. It's OK to laugh at regular speed.
96. You know how there
are dozens of ways to wear a scarf, but you only wear it the one way? Learn the
other ways.
97. Learn Old English
words. Pepper them into your conversation. Wherefore not?
98. Try on a new shade of
lipstick. See how long it takes your partner to notice it.
99. Take deep breaths, in
through your nose and out through your mouth.
100. Sleep. Get lots of
it.
