While it might be different in your part of the world, here, we are still in a complete quarantine phase. As a result, It’s becoming harder and harder to find things to do while still following the local rules. Therefore, I have put together a list of 20 productive things to do while social distancing. What constitutes productive may be up for debate by some but I think doing anything that gives you some semblance of normal fits the bill!
Learn something new
There have been so many times that I have seen an article somewhere about some obscure country I’ve never heard of. I’ve always thought I would like to know more about that. Never got around to it. So many times I’ve caught the last 5 minutes of a TV show that I thought looked really interesting and then forgot all about it. Figure out what that thing is for you, research it, and learn!
- Look at a map, look at a globe, look online. Find someplace you have never heard of and know nothing about. Learn! Challenge a friend to do the same and share.
- Find something in the house that’s broken. Fix it! Think You Tube people!
- Learn a new recipe. The one you’ve always wanted to try. Maybe one that comes from the place on the map you’re learning about.
Organize
How many times have you said “I would be more organized if I just had the time!” Well, now that that excuse is out the window, try not to look for another one. Just start organizing! You will be amazed how far you can go once you take that first step!
- Clean out a closet. Then another one. It’s addictive. Don’t disturb the cat though! Photo by Ayla Verschueren on Unsplash
- Organize the pictures on your phone. Remember when you used to have pictures in nice little albums? And now there are 1000 in recent photos and 1000 more in mobile uploads? Fix that!
- The garage or the shed, the shed or the garage. Eeny, Meeny, miny, moe. Pick one!
Set aside a “Me day”
This one is super important! Any expert will tell you that mental health is such a big problem during these times. “Me days” are not selfish endeavors. They are critical therapies! Photo by Dingzeyu Li on Unsplash
- Meditate – if you don’t know how…learn. There are hundreds of apps, you tube videos, and tv shows to teach you. It’s a mental health check. Use it!
- Do your hair, do your nails, try a skin care mask. Make today all about “me!”
- Read that book, watch that show, listen to the podcast. Hang a do not disturb sign around your neck. Everybody will survive a day without you!
- Put together a file of the funniest quarantine memes and laugh all over again
Tell someone they matter
This is one of the greatest ways of all to be productive right now! Everyone out there needs a little pick me up these days. Especially our service members. I cannot even begin to understand how hard this is for them! A card or letter from home would mean so much right now. It is such a small thing that will have such a big affect on someone somewhere!
- Send a card to the armed forces. They are still out there, doing everything they always do to keep us safe. http://supportourtroops.org
Up cycle
This could be so much fun with the right attitude!
- Find a white elephant gift in one of those closets you organized. Leave it on a friend’s doorstep. Rhonda! You are so getting this! ( I’m embarrassed to say that this was on my counter for a month last fall before I realized the problem! )
- Fix something that no longer works. Again….You Tube people!
Help our environment
Is it a loved ones birthday? A friend’s anniversary? How about a virtual gift? One that keeps giving after their special day. Do they love elephants? Adopt one for them. It’s time to stop ignoring the planet.
- Adopt a wild animal for someone http://gifts.worldwildlife.org
- Clean a park on your walk
- Plant a tree, it’s almost Earth Day 4/22/2020. http://earthday.org
Give back
If we learn nothing else from this pandemic, I hope we’ve learned that we are all connected. What we do ourselves, affects others, affects our country, affects the planet. I don’t think there is anyone, anywhere, that will come out of this as the same person they were before. My hope is that we all come out of this better. I hope we are more tolerant, I hope we are more empathetic, and above all, I hope we are kinder to one another. Here’s some ways we can start right now.
- Find your community websites, food banks, next door, churches. What do they need and how can you help
- If your neighborhood doesn’t have a way to honor your essential workers…take that on. Organize through social media. My neighborhood heads outside at 800pm to yell, howl, or clap, to let our first responders, hospital staff, and essential workers know that we appreciate them
- Create a virtual act of kindness you can do every day and follow through. Share it on social media to get others involved.
- Be a porch pirate for a day. NO! Not that kind! A good one! Bake a pie. Bake two. Deliver one to a neighbors porch. (Don’t forget to call and let them know it’s there before the squirrels find out! I have it on good authority that they’re hungry!)
Someday this will all be over. Someday it will just be a bad memory. Until then, I hope we can all be productive in one way or another. Remember, creating a warm and welcoming home for your family is productive.
My house is decked out for spring at the moment so I am working on creating a backyard oasis since that could be where we spend our summer vacation this year Therefore, it is not too early to start creating the atmosphere. Check out this cool patio lantern!
You can find the instructions to create one of your own in last week’s post Spring Patio Lantern.
For those of you with graduates this year, you will need to be productive in ways you never even dreamed of. You will need to produce some sort of a celebration for those whose graduations have been cancelled. I feel so bad for our 2020 Seniors! I have added a few new printables to the library to honor their achievements. If you are already a member, you can click here and enter your password to print anything in the library. If you haven’t joined us yet, please sign up below, confirm your subscription, and a welcome email with your password will be sent to you within minutes!
Hang in there everyone!