Lockdown Life: Fun, Constructive Ways To Spend Your Time

Around the world, millions of people have been urged to stay at home. With lockdown measures in place and restrictions likely to last for a while, it’s a good idea to think about how you’re going to spend your time. Most of us complain that there aren’t enough hours in the day usually, so why not embrace change and make the most of this temporary break? If you’ve exhausted every box set, and you have time on your hands, here are some fun and constructive ways to spend your days. 

Connect with others

One of the best things to come out of the Coronavirus pandemic lockdown is increased communication with friends and family. While some of us are good at staying in touch and calling our parents regularly, for many, the outbreak has provided a much-needed wake-up call. Although we are physically further apart from our loved ones at the moment, many of us are spending more time talking to friends and family than normal. Use the time you have available to make up for those calls you meant to make weeks or months ago, reconnect with old friends and socialize together. You might not be able to hang out at a bar or watch a movie, but you can chat via video calls, play games and quizzes together and catch up. 

Discover new music and take in a virtual gig

Concerts, as we know them, m be on hold, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t indulge your love of music during the lockdown. This is a golden opportunity to organize your records and CDs, to update your online libraries and to discover new music. Look at recommendations based on the songs you already have in your playlists, read articles and get the latest information on up and coming bands and artists that are taking the world by storm. You can also spend your time learning more about genres you love using resources like Kpopping.com’s Kpop Database and you can share ideas and recommendations with friends or fellow music lovers you meet online. If you’re missing live music, you can tune into online sessions, rewatch iconic footage from festivals and events and get involved in virtual gigs. Many artists who have had to cancel concerts in the coming weeks are keeping boredom at bay and connecting with fans via virtual events on social media. 

Tick off your DIY to-do list

Be honest. How many times have you vowed to paint your living room or pledged to put the shelves you bought months ago up? Most of us have got at least a few DIY jobs to tackle. While we may use time as an excuse in normal life, if you have less work on, and you can’t leave home, there has never been a better time to check the boxes and get through the dreaded to-do list. If you’re not in a rush, and you’re not devoting a well-earned weekend to DIY at the end of a hectic week, you might enjoy DIY more, and you may even want to take on additional jobs in the next few weeks. 

Get in shape

The influx of home workout videos on social media might not be all that appealing if you’ve embraced baking and watching endless TV shows so far, but it is a good idea to try and incorporate physical activity in your routine. Being active is good for your body and mind, it can break up the day and increase energy levels, and it can be fun. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to spend hours on a treadmill or lift weights in the mirror to get in shape. You can do all kinds of workouts in the comfort of your living room. If you’re not into jogging, and you don’t fancy doing 1,000 sit-ups a day, you could try Pilates, invest in an exercise bike, take on a circuit or a HIIT session, or work up a sweat doing a boxing workout. Even if you only spend 15-30 minutes a day exercising, you should notice the benefits. 

Online learning

Although we may moan about working too much, many of us need the mental and cognitive stimulation we receive through our jobs. If you’re not working at the moment, or your workload has been reduced, you might find that you need a challenge, or you want something to do to keep your mind busy and your brain ticking over. Online learning is increasingly popular, and there’s an ever-growing range of resources, platforms and virtual courses available. You can explore all kinds of topics and subjects, which may or may not be linked to your current job, and you can also look into programs or workshops that could benefit you in your career moving forward. You might decide to learn new skills that will help you in your job, or you might be interested in trying to master skills you’ve been keen to hone for some time. Perhaps you have a passion for photography, or you’re desperate to be able to monetize a blog you’ve been working on, for example. 

Organize your home

Most of us say that we don’t have time to tidy, clean and declutter regularly, but really, the problem is a lack of enthusiasm. In reality, we don’t have the inclination to tackle these rather mundane tasks. While tidying up and sorting out rooms might not be everyone’s idea of fun, there is a lot to be said for getting organized, especially if you have more time on your hands than usual. Decluttering can be cathartic, and it gives you a real sense of satisfaction. Many of us are hoarders without even realizing, and getting rid of all the stuff you don’t want or need can make a massive difference to the aesthetic of your home as well as your mood. Clutter can make rooms look small and cramped, and it can also contribute to stress. For expert decluttering tips, take a look at this article https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/organizing/tips/g656/decluttering-tips/. If you’ve got a lovely bright, tidy, clean home void of random boxes and stacks of stuff, you can put your feet up for the rest of the day and reward yourself with another Netflix binge and some more home-baked cookies. 

Large parts of the world are on lockdown, but that doesn’t mean that life has to grind to a halt. If you have the luxury of spare time, use it wisely. Relax, have fun, try new things, indulge old passions and catch up with friends and family.