Things To Do In Quarantine

You will notice that my mum will come up in lots of my blog posts. This is for two reasons. One: because she’s my best friend and has a lot of good stuff to contribute. And two: we are quarantined together, so she’s essentially the only other person I’m talking to. When I told her I was going to start blogging again, she told me that I should do a list of all the things to do whilst in quarantine.

I told her that I was sure people had plenty to do. But as the days passed and I consulted with my friends, I found that she was right; quarantine can be exceptionally boring. So, as I compiled a list of things to keep myself entertained (which didn’t involve mindless hours on my phone/laptop/Netflix), I thought I’d share it with you: 1. Read a book - we all have a “to read” pile I’m sure. Stop putting it off and just do it.

2. Watch movies that you’ve always meant to watch but never did. 3. Write a letter to yourself to read in ten years time - actually surprisingly fun. Make some approximations as to where you’ll be in ten years and you’ll see if any were right. I wrote one of these last week and I’ve got a blog post talking more about it soon. 4. Make something - whether that’s a cake, dinner, a drawing, a scarf or whatever other skill you have, make something; it’s an awesome feeling 5. Do something you haven’t done in ages - has it been years since you played a card game? Or picked up a musical instrument? Or done a word search? Then try that. 6. Board games!!! – yes, three exclamation points are needed. Board games never get old. And they’re a great way to promote family harmony in a time when you’re all on top of each other. 7. Talk - as in properly talk. If you guys are anything like me, you keep a lot of stuff to yourself. But actually unburdening yourself to someone can be helpful not only to you but to bringing you and that person closer together. Start the conversation.

8. Do a jigsaw – I love a good puzzle and it’s a great way to spend a day if you ask me.

9. Go through your clothes – either just have a random try on or see what fits or maybe recategorize. Not exactly thrilling but another great way to pass a day away.

10. Message someone you wouldn’t usually – over the last couple of days, I’ve been talking to people outside my usual friendship group and I’ve actually found it really fun. Times like this are perfect to reconnect with old friends or make some new ones.

And of course, there is another obvious one for those of us with deadlines: find some motivation to work.

I’m still working on that one. As much as I wish they would, these essays won’t write themselves.

So far, I’ve written half of one essay, three words of another and not even started the third… given most of my friends are doing a lot better than that, I guess I should get on with them.

P.S. I’ve been planning a new short story over the last couple of days that’s based around the quarantine situation. I just wondered if that would be something you guys would be interested in reading or if that’s a too sensitive subject matter for right now. I’ll have some more info for you on the story next week, but for now, like this post if you’d like to see a story based in a quarantined situation or drop a comment with some thoughts.

#quarantine #stayhome #staysafe