I don’t typically get bored or feel stir crazy when I stay home. Before the pandemic, I actually stayed home quite a bit, or so I thought. Now that we aren’t supposed to go anywhere, I feel the urge to go do things all of the time and go everywhere.

So to pass my free time productively, I started to do a few things and are planning to do a few more. Sometimes I need to reach out to friends, sometimes I want some me time, sometimes I feel productive and want to do house projects, and sometimes I want to improve myself, so here is a list of some great things to help you feel connected and to keep refining your life!

Start a Book Club
Blow the dust off of the cover of the book that has been sitting on your nightstand for a year and knock it out and text some friends to find out if they have that book too! If they don’t, and you’re feeling generous, you could always find a used book on Thriftbooks or AbeBooks and take advantage of their stellar prices and shipping prices and mail it to them. Or go digital and all get the kindle version, or save a buck and ask everyone to check it out from the library!
Work Out
Exercise and I have a complicated relationship. I never want to exercise, but as soon as I do, I like it, especially when it doesn’t feel like I’m exercising. I have found some amazing videos on YouTube and my gym was kind enough to give all members a free membership with Openfit until they reopen and I’ve enjoyed a lot of those classes. Take this quarantine time to finally get those abs you’ve dreamt of!
Visit a Museum or Monument
There are so many amazing virtual tours of museums, National Parks, and monuments! Some of our favorites are:
-The Louvre
-The Vatican Museums
-The Great Wall of China
-The British Museum
-Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park
Create those photo albums you’ve been putting off
Shutterfly has some crazy easy online photo books you can put together, or you could put together that scrapbook you bought all the materials for and now it sits in your closet, and you could totally knock one out and feel accomplished and get to take a trip down memory lane!
Clean out your closet
Marie Kondo needs to take a trip to my house. I pulled all of my clothes out and threw them on the bed, determined which pieces gave me joy and put the rest in a bag that I will take to Goodwill when the Stay at Home orders have been lifted.
Do a puzzle
Better yet, do a puzzle that can become a framed piece of art! Redecorating and finding some zen, yes please!
Learn to Dance
YouTube has become a great way for me to learn new skills. For date night, the hubby and I are going to learn how to two step, salsa, and waltz. Maybe not all in one night though!
Bake something
I say bake, because to me, sometimes cooking feels like work, but baking feels like a treat. I definitely sample my way through whatever it is but I’m baking, and these days, I have had to take a long, hard look at the pantry to get some inspiration, but there’s nothing wrong with trying a tried and true recipe! Here is my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe!
Paint a wall
This is probably one of the easiest home improvement projects you could do! Choose a wall, choose a color and get to work!
Self-pamper
Take a long bath. Give yourself a mani/pedi. Do a deep condition on your hair. Do a face mask. There are tons of DIY ways to do a little refining on that wild body.
Take a walk
Disconnect. Leave your phone at home and just take a walk. Here, our public parks are open (the equipment is closed off but the actual park part of the park is still open), and we like to walk the dogs. Most people are very respectful of social distancing, but don’t forget to keep that 6’ space between you and other park goers.
Connect with a loved one
To me, nothing speaks more volumes of love than handwriting a letter, but I will text, email or call loved ones and friends every week. I intentionally set build time into my schedule every Sunday to connect with my family and we get together with friends virtually for happy hour or to play a game once a week. Time slips by so quickly, and carving out a tiny piece of my week to connect with someone precious to me seems like a no-brainer!