10 Productive Things To Do During Lockdown To Curb Boredom.

Observing the COVID-19 Lockdown orders for weeks is greatly having a toll on humanity , especially the youth and school going children. The working class are getting bored, most students are home either watching  TV series or having long naps. Boredom is becoming a key factor in the despair of the current restrictions in place due to the coronavirus pandemic.

But, hey! the devil could find work for the idle hands and minds. With so much time on your hands, why don’t you try your hands on something new, fascinating and productive?  For me, I am trying to better my skills in Graphic designing. What about you?

I have collated a list of some ten (10) productive things to do to using your internet connection or items you already have lying around to get by in these trying times.

 

1.  WRITE A NOVEL

 

 

 

 

 

Is it time for you to create rather than consuming?

If you have always wanted to write a novel but never found the ample time or inspiration, this is your chance. Apparently, the late South African apartheid freedom fighter, ex-President Nelson Madiba Mandela wrote his captivating novel “Long Walk to Freedom” in isolation during his 27 years’ incarceration in Robbin Island. So, perhaps this lockdown is when you will write your opus.

 

2. COOK SOMETHING NEW (CATERING)

 

 

 

 

 

One good thing about being home a lot is that you can finally spend time cooking dishes from the scratch. You can find great mouth-watering recipes online, even if you are on a limited budget. You can log on to YouTube or watch seasoning cooking TV shows to learn these recipes of Ghanaian dishes.

 

3. TRY A FITNESS CHALLENGE

Missing the gym? An old adage says “a healthy body possesses a healthy mind”. There are plenty of fitness challenges you can try out from home, so you can emerge as lockdown fitter, learner or stronger. You could try the 50-pushup challenge, Squat challenge, or just doing a 30-day body weight workout challenge to stay healthy at home for free. Just make sure that you do not push too hard early on, and warm up thoroughly before you do any exercise.

 

4. PERUSE THROUGH THE LATEST PUBLICATIONS

If you have always been fascinated by academia or a specific area with in it, this is a great time to read the latest publications and get up to speed on the latest developments with your country of origin. There are many eBooks online to download and read to broaden your horizon.

 

5. LEARN A NEW LANGUAGE, SKILL OR A TECHNOLOGY

If you are working on Information Technology, these are the best time to learn new technology. As the IT fraternity is continuously evolving, it is important to stay updated. There are plenty of free materials on the latest groundbreaking technologies like machine learning available on the internet, which you can start learning. Several online learning platforms like Udemy, Joy Learning have free courses on several IT related topics.

For others, perhaps it is a great time to learn a new dialect other than your mother tongue. In this era of globalization, it always helps to know an additional language than your mother tongue. There are plenty of language-learning Apps which will help you a heads-up.Not to mention informal vocational skills like beads making, hair dressing, or even how to sew a nose mark on YouTube.

 

6. DEEP CLEAN YOUR HOUSE

Between dusty framed portraits, dirty tiling and stained carpets, your home can offer days of distraction if you feel like doing that deep clean you have been procrastinating or putting off all this while. There are plenty of online cleaning guides if the task looks too big and focusing on one room at a time will assist you divide up the work.

 

7. DECLUTTER YOUR HOME

Being stuck at home can make you rethink how much of your stuff you really need. Do you really wear all the clothes spilling out of your wardrobe? Most of us have at least one dress that we know we will never wear again or a pair of jeans that just do not fit the way they used to. It is time to declutter your wardrobe and get rid of those sad pieces that no longer see the light of day. Either pass them onto friends and family, donate them to charity or at the very least, find your nearest clothing bank and recycle.

 

8.  START A BLOG

You can never go wrong with writing a blog. Whether you are using it as an online writing portfolio, a space to share your passions or as an avenue to try something new. It is time to get those creative juices flowing. You can blog about food, health, lifestyles, or even about the COVID-19 pandemic and your experience at home.

 

9.  DO SOME GARDENING

Sick and fed-up of spending all your time indoors? Transform your garden into a tranquil space so that you can venture outside a backyard garden. You can cultivate crops such as pepper, tomato, and garden eggs for domestic use.

 

10. WRITE A JOURNAL

The great thing about journaling is that you can write whatever you want, whenever you want. Jot down your best ideas, doodle, write about your day or even create a list of goals, the choice is yours. Who knows, you might even find yourself inspired.

While a certain situation of uncertainly prevails, we can surely concentrate on the positive aspects of staying put healthy at our homes following the lockdown orders instead of getting drowned in fear and panic. Reinvest the time you’d otherwise spend binge-watching into some of these productive actives which will certainly help you in the long run. Any kinds of knowledge only help, it never hurts. So, make use of this free time productively. Do not forget to observe the protocols pertaining to COVID-19 religiously. Stay home and save lives.

 

Edem Latsu Nukafu
National Youth Authority

(Public Relations Department)