15 Activities/Goals for Quarantine

Hello all! I hope y’all are hanging in there and staying well. I’ve been trying to minimize talking about the “c-word” and everything go on in the world right now, and keep things relatively light, because I turned on the news today for the first time in a while and omg it almost made me cry. Yet at the same time, with everyone stuck in their homes, potentially having their income cut, maybe having a loved one sick, or whatever else, I feel slightly inconsiderate if I just continue posting my normal content as if nothing is going on.

So while I’ve been quiet for I while, I finally decided I would write a post about some things you can do while you are stuck in your home (hopefully while healthy!). While G and I are blessed to have jobs where we have the ability to work from home, but I know not everyone is in that same situation as us, so I tried to mostly focus on things that are either free or don’t cost a lot. Hopefully, you’re not quarantining alone, but if you are, hopefully you can find some ideas on this list to fill your time. As stir crazy as G and I are going, I am trying my absolute hardest to try and view this as a time where we get to spend more time together, get some chores done, and master some new skills.

If you have any ideas or if you accomplished something awesome so far during your quarantine, share it in the comments! I want to know what y’all are up to!

1. Run a mile/5k (or more!)

I hate running. I want to love it, I do. But I really struggle with not hating it. But now that my kickboxing gym is closed for the shelter-in-place, my workout options are more limited. Plus it does feel nice to get out of the house. G and I ran last night with our dog and I am trying to slowly work my way up to be able to run a 5k without gasping for air.

There are some great apps out there to help you work your way up to running a mile or running a 5k, but I found this tool to be helpful in college and it helped me run a 5k!

(source: All In A Day’s Work Blog)

2. Learn some new card games

You probably have a deck of cards somewhere in your house. Why not learn a new game? The Bicycle cards website has a ton of different games you can play with a regular deck of cards. Kemps, Nerts, and Spoons are some of our favorites.

3. Corona-lympics

Maybe you aren’t a fan of cards, but maybe you have a lot of board games? Have a board game championship among everyone in your house and determine who is the ultimate corona-champion.

4. Themed dinner

I’ve seen a lot of these on TikTok and I think they are SO fun! Have everyone in your house dress up for a theme at dinner. Ideas include: Tiger King, movie characters, animals, celebrities, Biblical times, 80s, the possibilities are endless.

 

@elaspringerMy family decided to have themed dinners during quarantine… enjoy the fits ##coronavirus ##covid19 ##quarantine ##foryou ##foryoupage ##fyp♬ Boss Bitch – Doja Cat

5. Master a dish or try and cook something you’ve never cooked before (HelloFresh)

One of my new year’s resolutions this year was to learn how to make sourdough bread. And this quarantine finally allowed me the opportunity to cross that off my list. I made my first batch this weekend and it turned out ~okay~. But I’m not giving up!

I also had started reordering HelloFresh like the week before everything started to get crazy. Which worked out perfectly since the grocery stores totally sold out of all meats! Having fresh food sent to our doorstep every week has been awesome considering what we have been able to get at the store has been limited. Every meal we have had so far has been GREAT and it’s kept things different (so we aren’t eating the same thing over and over again).

Here’s some polenta and shrimp I made from last week’s box!:

And if you want $40 off HelloFresh to try it yourself, you can click here 🙂

6. Learn to meditate

This is on my list next to do! I’ve had a really hard time focusing lately (hence why I haven’t been posting as much), and I really want to try meditating regularly. I’ve used the app “Calm” before and I really liked it, so now it’s just going to be a matter of making it a daily habit.

7. Read a book or listen to an audio-book

Now’s the best time to finally finish the book that’s been on your nightstand for a year (“I am Malala” has been on my nightstand for 8 months now and I am determined to pick it up and finish it now). (P.S. if you’re more into e-books than physical ones, click here for 1 month free of Kindle Unlimited from Amazon)

Or if you are like me and have trouble focusing long enough to sit down and read, why not try an audiobook? You can listen to a book while working on running a 5k or while doing the chore you’ve been putting off for 5 months.

 

8. Paint

I’m not an artist. But I had some cheap paints and painted some things last weekend and I’m not going to lie, it was the most relaxing 2 hours I’ve had in a while.

Try looking up some basic things to paint on Pinterest and have at it.

9. Try your hand at gardening

Plant some flowers, some fruits/veggies, or a tree! Just know that if you plant a tree during this time, you have to call it your “quaran-tree” (that was a bad joke and I’m really sorry).

I had bought a raised garden bed at the beginning of the year (another New Year’s resolution) and quarantine gave me some time to put it together and plant some peas and some tomatoes 🙂 We also have planted an azalea bush and some hydrangeas. And we seeded our lawn. I’m exhausted.

10. Donate/Sell your clothes you never wear anymore

Now is a great time to go through your clothes and decide what is no longer worthy. You can donate (I recommend donating to a shelter!) or maybe sell some clothes on Poshmark (I wrote a whole post on Poshmark and some tips!)

11. Make some cookies for a friend or acquaintance you know might be having a hard time

If you have a friend or family member who might be going through a rough time with this–maybe they got their hours cut or laid off, try making them some cookies. Small gestures mean a lot in this crazy time. And if you have kids, make sugar cookies and have them get involved with the making and decorating! Just make sure everyone washes their hands really well! 🙂

12. Donate blood

Blood donations are really down right now. Find out if your local hospital is doing any blood drives, they will be taking extra precautions to keep you safe! It’s a great reason to get out of the house, and you’ll feel good knowing that you could have saved someone’s life!

13. Learn a dance

G and I decided to declare a “no-television” night a few nights ago. We were pretty instantly staring at each other wondering what we were possibly going to do instead of watch Disney+, so we eventually came up with the idea to learn a dance from TikTok (I have ZERO dance skills). It was HARD and we were both sweating, but we actually had such a fun time! And if you have kids, I promise they will have a blast doing this with you!

Here’s the one we attempted (I fell on my face trying to roll across G’s back LOL):

@maya.islandSweat away the days ##fyp ##foryou ##foryoupage ##dance ##disco♬ Right Back Where We Started From – minecrafter2011

 

{p.s. you can follow me on TikTok at @saraannsutton!}

14. Work on some certifications for your job or a new skill applicable to your field

Chores and fun are a great way to spend all this free time, but building your resume is also a GREAT way to use this extra time. Maybe your area has some certifications that you could work on or study for during this time.

LinkedIn has classes you can pay for and then it adds them as a skill to your profile (ex. Microsoft Office).

There’s also a website called edX that offers classes from institutions like Harvard and MIT for FREE. This is a great way to learn something new. Like this 11 week long Intro to Computer Science class from Harvard is free! I do think you have to pay for a verified certificate (like this one from U of M on programming is $49 for a certificate), but apparently, some of these classes can act as college credit?? So that’s pretty cool.

15. Learn a new language

I personally love the app Duolingo. Fun fact about me: I minored in Spanish in college and studied abroad in Guatemala. Do I remember any Spanish now? No. I’m using Duolingo to brush up on my Spanish– and it’s coming back to me surprisingly well. Once I feel more confident with my Spanish, I’m going to try my hand at French!