I've brainstormed 70 ways to keep busy at home for those bunking down during the Coronavirus outbreak. Never did I imagine I would be writing a blog post like this however I'm hoping it may help some of you as the walls start to feel a little closed in as the weeks pass by.
Clean out your wardrobe and list second hand items on Facebook market place or eBay to sell. Also don't forget to donate some of those clothes to charity.
Rearrange areas in your house such as vignettes and bookshelves.
Get out in the garden. Do some weeding, trim back those roses or trees that have become overgrown. There are online stores out there who also sell plants and delivery straight to your door. Why not order some new plants to add to the backyard or patio.
Wash linen and cushion covers which may not frequently be washed.
Clean out air conditioner and heating vents which may have a buildup of lint and dirt.
Get up to date on the ironing.
Tidy up your computer desktop and delete some of those old files taking up your computer’s memory.
Download some new songs and make happy and fun playlists.
Sign up to Netflix, Stan, Amazon Prime or Apple TV for their free trials and watch all those. shows you never have had time to see.
Wash the windows.
Clear out the medical kit. Throw out those medications that have expired.
Bake a cake or some tasty snacks that you can freeze for later.
Read a book and if you don’t have any books download one online from Audible. For those new to Audible there is a free trial on your first book.
Retail therapy. Hit the online shops and if you are super organised start your Christmas shopping.
Start a TikTok account. All the cool kids are doing it.
Download the photos and videos off your phone(s) and store for safe keeping on a USB or hard drive. Why not place an order online to have some of those photos printed so you can place them in photo albums or frames.
Clean out the junk drawer.
Call,FaceTime, email or write a letter to old friends/family who you may not have seen in a while.
Replace any light globes which may have blown out some time ago.
Replace the batteries in your smoke alarm.
Reevaluate your home, contents, car, health insurances to see if you can get a better deal and save yourself some money.
Walk around your house and capture photos or videos of everything within the house. Open every draw and cupboard. If in the wake of a fire this is an amazing tool to show proof to insurance companies of the items you owned.
Wash your car.
Do you have credit cards/loans? Why not look into ways to move to other vendors who may have lower interest rates. Canstar is a great platform for shopping around to get the lowest price.
Get moving! Check out YouTube for some amazing exercise, yoga and dance lessons.
Meditate to clear your mind. It’s a stressful time for all at the moment and slowing down by meditating is a great way to destress. There are some awesome apps or YouTube clips that can take you through a session.
For those who own a paper shredded, go through your hoarded paperwork such as old bills and bank statements and shred those you no longer need.
Grab a ladder and dust the top of your ceiling fans.
Teach yourself how to use iMovie and make a short film with a collection of all your photos and videos as a keep sake.
Start a hobby. Learn a musical instrument or start a YouTube channel.
Make your own cleaning products with vinegar, lemon and bicard soda.
Learn a craft such as braiding hair, knitting or woodworking.
Go for a walk around the neighbourhood (of course staying away from human contact) and find foliage to take home and brighten up your house. Often you will find foliage in a park which has fallen to the ground. *Please don’t steal from your neighbours yards.
Teach your dog a new trick.
Have a spa day with homemade face masks, a hot bath and painting your nails.
Research your family tree.
Restore old furniture you may have in storage.
Dust the cobwebs from the high corners of the house inside and out and wipe down your skirting boards with a wet cloth.
Mend holes in your clothes with a needle and thread.
Clean and shine your shoes.
Listen to a podcast or two.
For parents who have little ones why not sign them up with an email address. Once in a while send them an email from your own account updating them on their life. Then once they are old enough to have their own email account hand it over to them with all those amazing memories in which they can read through and reminisce on.
Varnish the deck.
Paint the fence or the outside of the house if they are looking a little weathered.
Start some of those DIY projects you have been meaning to start. Paint a bedroom, update those kitchen handles. Of course, these tasks are permitted only if you already have the items to undertake the task already on your property.
Clean out the gutters.
Check the printers in your home and order additional ink online if they are getting low.
Make a sign to read 'NO JUNK MAIL' and place it on your letterbox to limit the risk of items coming into your house that may be infected with the virus.
For the kids
Make Easter cards/bonnets or Christmas decorations with scrap paper, toilet rolls and cotton balls.
Make play dough and use kitchen utensils such as cookie cutters to make shapes and characters. Click here for a DIY recipe.
Dust off the board games and have a games night.
Print off black and white drawings that your kids can colour in.
Make some groovy characters with the leftover toilet rolls. There are some great examples on the ABC kids website.
Download puzzles, math’s problems and science experiments for the kids to get involved with.
Build a fort with blankets and pillows.
If you have lots of dried pasta stocked up why not use some to make some jewellery by threading on a piece of wool or string. Colour with food dye or coloured Texta's.
Make a time capsule and bury it in the backyard garden or the attic.
Build a Lego town.
Create a scavenger hunt. Leave little clues around the house with a prize at the end.
Paint rocks from the garden.
Make homemade bubbles with dishwashing liquid and water.
Have an indoor picnic.
Make a homemade game of bingo.
Play indoor volleyball with a balloon.
Make puppets and put on a show with socks.
Draw hopscotch and pictures with chalk on your paths.
Get out in the dirt and make mud piles.
Read books together or create your own story.
Make a bird feeder and feed the birds.
Colour some rice and create some amazing sensory play by adding milk bottles and egg cartons.
Select some old t-shirts and create a tie dye station with food colouring.
I would love to hear of any additional ways you may be spending your time at home by leaving a comment at the bottom of this blog post. Please also feel free to follow along on my Instagram stories as I start to check off some of these items over the coming weeks.