Steer Clear of Boredom: 10 Things to Do During Quarantine

The worldwide pandemic is definitely not bringing a positive impact, and a lot of people are bored staying isolated or #stuckathome. But it’s not a reason to lay on a couch all day long, being upset there’s nothing to do. The quarantine can be turned into something you always wanted – a time of self-isolation as a time for self-evaluation. What is that that you never had time for? And now when you LITERALLY can’t come up with such an excuse as no time, you can spend the quarantine differently. Like fun. Or in a new way.

1. Have a Skype party with friends

This social gathering format came from China. It’s easy to arrange: make a group call on Skype, turn on your favorite music and dance in front of your smartphones or laptops. The main bonus is that when you get tired of dancing, you don’t have to spend money on a taxi. And yes, and you can come to the party even in pajamas.

2. Visit online museum

Fortunately, in the era of the Internet, you can visit the greatest museums in the world without leaving your home. Here are just a few options:

The Louvre Museum offers a 360-degree panorama, so you can take a close look at the rare artifacts around. If you click on the exhibits, you can get additional information about their history.

On the website of The National Gallery of Art, one of the best collections of Italian Renaissance paintings in the world, you can access works of Dutch and Spanish Baroque.

Google Arts & Culture works with more than 60 museums and galleries from around the world. Using Google Street View technology, a visitor can explore the collections of, for example, the White House in the US, the Museum of Islamic Art in Qatar and even the São Paulo Museum of Street Art in Brazil.

3. Read a book

Reading is a peculiar form of relaxation, which helps to deal with stress and bad mood. You probably have planned to read some books that your friends recommended but haven’t been able to fit it in your schedule before. Well, now it’s the perfect chance to catch up on them! In case if you run out of ideas on what to read, enjoy these top books on self-improvement:

• • Whatcha Gonna Do with That Duck? And Other Provocations by Seth Godin;
  • Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets by Nassim Nicholas Taleb;
  • The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene;
  • The Attention Revolution: Unlocking the Power of the Focused Mind by Alan Wallace;
  • Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation by Daniel J. Siegel;
  • Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy by David D. Burns.

4. “Visit” opera/theater

The Vienna Opera (like other Austrian theaters) canceled all its performances until April 2. Instead, it will broadcast daily recordings of opera and ballet performances through the platform. Streams will begin at 5:00 CET and will remain available for 24 hours.

Moreover, the Bavarian State Opera will make available six live broadcasts of the 2019/2020 season, including the Snow Queen Hans Abrahamsen, Judith Bela Bartok directed by Katie Mitchell, as well as the world premiere of a video art project by Marina Abramovich The Seven Deaths of Maria Callas.

If you spend a lot of time on Instagram, diversify your feed and subscribe to Theather without Theather. In its daily posts, you can see artists reading poetry, performing drama pieces, dancing, singing and many more!

5. Workout

Don’t rush into buying a treadmill. There are tons of free tutorials on Youtube from relaxing yoga to exhausting Tabata training. Lufian recommends the following channels for at-home workouts:

• Blogilates;
• The Fitness Marshall;
• HASfit;
• Leslie Sansone’s Walk at Home;
• Tone It Up;
• jessicasmithtv;
• Fitness Blender.

6. Learn a foreign language

Quarantine is not a hindrance to exploring a different language. It is enough to register for free at Duolingo, subscribe to native speakers on Youtube or watch the series in the original with subtitles. If you seek a different language learning experience, we suggest these platforms:

Live Mocha (interaction with native speakers);

LingQ.com (the basics);

Lang 8 (native speakers correcting your writing);

Papora (grammar and vocabulary);

Memrise (flashcards).

7. Start journaling

It’s the best time to reflect on the past, define your goals for the rest of the year or simply put on paper what are you currently thinking about. According to a book by a social psychologist, James Pennebaker, expressive writing improves health, alleviates emotional pain and boosts productivity.

What things bring joy to your life? Where do you see yourself in ten years? What decisions can lead you to make your biggest dream come true? These are some questions you can ask yourself and then write down everything that is on your mind. Don’t worry about picking the right words! Not everything you write down has to be beautiful or poetic. If you feel like it, express your emotions through drawing or making sketches in your notebook.

8. Watch a movie together

Wanted to watch a movie with friends but self-isolation has interfered with your plans? Not a problem! Netflix Party, an extension for the Chrome browser, allows Netflix users to chat and watch movies together. We made a list of the most intriguing and exciting documentaries available on the platform:

• The Great Hack;

• The Unknown Known;

• The Vietnam War;

• The Mind, Explained;

• Sex, Explained;

• Oceans.

9. Take a course

Leading universities and companies in the world, including the University of London, Yale, Johns Hopkins University, IBM, Google, Intel, have opened access to 3800 courses and 400 specializations at Coursera. They will be available until July 31. You can also take a look at these online education platforms to gain a new skill and expand your knowledge at a topic of your choice for free:

Khan Academy

• Open Culture;
• Udemy;
• Academic Earth;
• edX.

10. Help others

During the times of the virus outbreak, there are millions of people who suffer due to various reasons, be it the pandemic, hunger or lack of housing. Thanks to these websites and applications, you can offer a hand by making donations:

• ShareTheMeal (a smartphone app to fight global hunger through the United Nations World Food Programme);

• Charity Miles (donate by achieving your fitness goals);

• Give 2 Charity (converts the time you spend using your phone into donations).