“What to do at home?!” is today’s most popular frustration. But home isn’t as boring as people make it seem!
Does your days seem to be getting longer and longer?
Are you running out of things to watch?
Do you think it’s time you get out of your sleep-eat-sleep cycle?
Well, many around the globe are facing this terrible phenomenon — Boredom. Wow, what a first world problem! But it is still a significant enough problem which is why there is literally so many results when you tell google “I am bored” or ask “what to do at home”. There are indeed a lot of lists but every time I read one, I just sigh and open a new tab to sign in to Netflix.
Learn to sow! (nope.)
Do Gardening! (nope. Just no.)
Plan a party! (yea to who? For me and my dog? Sure…)
Write a poem! (urgh no.)
Take a power nap! (We all know how this will end… wakes up 13 hours later oops)
Sorry for those gardening, sowing poets I may have offended. But really… knitting?
Additionally, in view of the coronavirus (sigh), and majority people in lockdown, we can’t do half the things in those lists anymore. So, to all my lazy folks, let me proudly present to you my list of quite-low-effort-things-you-can-actually-do-while-being-quarantined.
Ease your boredom with your Friends!
Doing something to eat!
Improving your Home-Sweet-Home
Friends
You probably know video calling with FaceTime, Skype etc. But allow me to introduce HouseParty. You can download the app on your phone or laptop. Basically, you receive a notification when your friends are online and available to group video chat. You can join any unlocked room. There are games to play with your friends too. Houseparty is simply an upgraded version of a regular group call.
But if you insist on old school, you can play these games like Plato, Scribbl.io or Psych. You technically don’t even need to be on a call.
Plato: Just create a groupchat with your friends and select one of the many games. (I recommend table soccer!)
Psych: This is a cool app my friends and I have been playing for really long. You have three decks to choose from if you are using the unpaid free version.
For example, our personal favourite is “The Truth comes out” (Get ready to ruin your friendships muhahaha). Each player has to come up with a funny response to questions such as “Why was Emma late for her date?”. Everyone will then vote for their most favourite response and you will get points if your answer got picked!
Scribbl.io: It’s basically Pictionary. It is not an app so you don’t need to spend time downloading anything. Just search it up online and share the link with your friends. Guess the word as fast as possible! The more you play it the better you will get, trust me *wink*
As you play all these games, you might be thinking how grateful you are to have such wonderful friends. Well, that is a great time to write letters for your friends! If your handwriting is trash, don’t worry. Type your message out! Then print it out, cut the borders and stick it on a colored card construction paper. Then fold the two ends to form two flaps and use a cute sticker to hold the flaps in place. Or make it any other way.
Doing something to eat!
- Cook or Bake!
Another generic item in every “im bored” list. But hear me out. A month ago, I never stepped into the kitchen much except to get chocolate from the fridge.
But quarantine got me so bored that I decided to finally try cooking or baking. And truth to be told, it was so fun! I was not that good but I definitely learnt a lot.
Nevertheless, whether you are a natural or bad at cooking/baking, it is worth spending your time to make something. If you are a beginner like I was, try Buzzfeed Tasty. It is free and there are several beginner-friendly recipes.
- Make Nut Butter
This is for the ultimate lazy people. You want to make something edible (and fancy) in the kitchen with absolutely no skills at all? Try making almond butter. All you got to do is roast some almonds (over the stovetop or in the oven whatever) then put them in the blender. Just stop every once in a while, to let it cool before continuing to blend. And that’s it. It should be creamy and ready by the time your Too Hot to Handle episode ends. Here is a proper recipe.
- Make Bowls
Yes. Bowls. I love bowls. Yogurt bowls, Smoothie Bowls, Oatmeal bowls, Salad Bowls, Hummus bowls, Guacamole bowls, etc. They are *highly aesthetic* (you can finally post something cool on your Instagram storyJ). And you get to eat something other than chips. Why would anyone say no to Healthy AND Tasty food?
Furthermore, the biggest reason why I love making these bowls is the toppings. Just throw in toppings and make art with them. Remember the almond butter you made? Drizzle it over your toppings and Voila — your Instagram-ready bowl.
Self Care <3
- DIY Pedicure
You don’t even need to have nail polish — just clean your feet! Don’t have fancy tools? Use this!
- DIY Face/Hair mask
I can talk about this all day.
Stretching
Are you not flexible? Don’t worry. I am you. You are me. But I have gotten a bit more flexible recently. Youtube has a lot of good stretching routines. Just give it a try… The stretch is SO satisfying.
- Home Workouts
Want abs? How about thinner thighs? Just try out one of Chloe Ting’s free workout programs! I also want to mention Holly Dolke’s intense arm workout for my fellow lazy folks. If you want to workout without moving much (you can literally do this sitting dude), then this is for you. You can literally feel getting those gainz in your arms. Definitely worth it!
- Journaling
This is really therapeutic. Again, I can talk about this all day.
Learn something!
- Learn a New Language
This is actually fun, trust me. I am not sponsored but Duolingo is really fun. I have tried many websites and apps but Duolingo is actually the best in learning a new language in the most fun way. So yes, this is a really good way of productively spending your time just by sitting on your couch.
- Learn to Play the Guitar or the Piano or whatever
There is really a lot of ways you can learn a musical instrument. If you have one lying around why don’t you actually finally learn to use it.
- Learn to Invest
Ok, this is quite boring to do. But if you want to earn money without doing much, then you should really try to learn this. Whether you choose to invest or not in the end, it is nice to learn something new at least. If difficult terms throw you off, then read this. You will find this quite easy to read 🙂
Improving your Home Sweet Home!
- Clean your House — Have a Clear Out
Go and walk around your house right now. Is there a shelf or table or a corner of a room that is really messy right now? What are you waiting for? Take out all the things, clean the place. Throw away all the things you don’t want (It hurts to let go I know but YOU AINT GONNA USE THAT GLITTER CROWN YOU BOUGHT FOR HALLOWEEN IN 2016 JESSICA)
- Clear Your Wardrobe While Doing A Photoshoot
Try on the clothes in your wardrobe, throw away the things you know deep down you are not gonna wear. While you are trying them on, assessorize and do a mini photoshoot 😉
Others!
- Colouring or Drawing
Colouring is NOT childish. So, go print out some drawings and start colouring right now! Aint nobody gonna judge you, darling. OR even better, draw something. But if you really insist that you don’t have any artistic genes in you, don’t worry. Do quilling! Its literally just rolling up strips of paper and pinching it. It’s almost brainless work. I know you love that 🙂
- Look through your Photo Gallery
It is time you clear some storage space. Additionally, it is really fun to look through your post-quarantine memories ;;
In a nutshell…
See, you really don’t need to spend all day watching Netflix! You really just got to try… who knows you might mind yourself a new hobby or talent! There is truly no need to wonder what to do at home because home is the best place to do a lot of things! Tell me about it if you tried doing any of the things in this list!