Thinking of things to do at home after actually staying inside your four walls for more than two weeks? You might have done many projects now, tidied up every nook and cranny and still you find a lot of time on your hands. It’s probably a predicament many of us face. While we work at home as of the moment, there are still a lot of hours left that we spent before on routine outside the home. Take also the hours spent going to and from work, say that’s an extra 1.5 hours, what do you do now that you have spare time?
Here are some of the things we have done and would be doing. We hope you pick out some useful ones.
Table of Contents
Declutter
Cleanliness is next to godliness. And not just symbolically, being clean all around has a wonderful effect to a person’s disposition. To declutter simply means removing unnecessary items from an untidy place. So your home may look tidy, but in your dresser, or in the bathroom cabinet, there could be so many things you don’t need that can be rehomed or just thrown out.
Decluttering also detaches you from the emotional attachment you might have with material things. And the more you throw out stuff, the easier it will be for you later to think before buying. In the process, this will help in not accumulating stuff and there’s no need for decluttering again later.
When your home has a clutter-free feeling, it is easier to focus on other things.
Get tips on Keeping a Clutter free House in 2020 from Anna, interior blogger over at Don’t Cramp My Style.
Spiritual Provisions
With all that has been happening since the year started, you might have wondered: will things get better soon? Not to scare you, but Luke 21 says, “10 Then He continued telling them, “Nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes along with famines and epidemics in various places, and there will be terrors along with great signs from heaven.” So does this verse hold bearing? Written 2000 years ago, many Bible prophecies have already happened and are now written in our history books.
It’s the best time for you to look for God, while he can still be found. (Isaiah 55:6)
– Bible Reading
Devote a few minutes to read at least two bible chapters in a week. Starting from January, this week’s reading should be Genesis 29 and 30. You will finish the whole bible by the end of the year. Everyday, meditate on a topic that interests you, this will keep your spirituality nourished.
Creative Endeavors
Have you always wanted to do things at home to make it more minimalist? Now is the time to do so. You can also spend time to finally learn how to sew, to knit, or crochet.
– Paint the wall
Or install the wall paper you’ve always wanted. Assuming you have a can of paint or a roll of wallpaper, it’s time to spruce up the look of your interior. If your better half is at home, ask for help to make the job done in half the time.
– Finish those Mandala Pages
Now you have time to sit down and color the pages of that mandala book you bought in 2017. 😉 You can also dab your fingers into some paint and have some abstract masterpieces to later mount on the wall you painted earlier. If you have kids, you can do these things with them to keep them interested in art.
– Learn to Knit
Or crochet, or sue, or even cross-stitch. Maybe you found some cloth trimmings while decluttering and wonder what to do with them? You can even knit your cat a shirt for the winter! (Or have your cat’s face printed on your shirt too.)
Make DIY face masks (here’s our tutorial) for the whole family. Face masks have been in demand lately, and if you can put some effort to it, you can give them out to friends, neighbors, and even health workers later. For knitting tutorials, you can learn a lot from Nimble Needles, an online, free knitting school.
You can also get free patterns by subscribing to Yarnie’s newsletter. Yarnie is a needlecraft newsletter that delivers all kinds of free patterns including free knitting patterns for beginners once every two weeks.
– Continue Writing
Or blogging. You now have time to write about the trip you had last summer. Kidding, use this time to write about your everyday life, like Anne Frank did. Kidding again, but in some true sense, what you write today will be tomorrow’s history. People in the future will look back to what you have to say about the events today. So keep on, write down to practice and to record. If you run out of juice, here are 170 parenting blog post ideas you can choose from.
– Refresh Your Know-how of Photography Rules
How long ago have you set your camera on manual mode? Do you still remember what an f-stop is? Or what do you call that nowadays? It’s time to get to know your camera and its settings deeper. You can do still photography of things at home and even learn photoprocessing coz you finally have the time.
Intellectual Activities
1 Peter 5:8 says “Keep your senses, be watchful! Your adversary, the Devil, walks about like a roaring lion, seeking to devour someone.” Reading the bible doesn’t only make us learn about God, it gives our mind a lot to think of and learn about how we can flee from the obvious enemy. Perhaps that is why a proverb says, “The Devil finds work for idle hands to do.” Instead of having to do things at home that you will regret later, why not spend your extra time training your mind to always learn.
– Learn German (or any other Language)
There are a lot of free apps, even youtube tutorials where one can learn a language. I do refresh my German by singing German songs, and talking with the kids in German at some point. They learn Japanese bits from animes, and an old book that we have. In any case, make use of technology well on this matter. You can now easily learn a language or better your speech even when you are at the confines of your home.
– Practice Sudoku
Übung macht den Meister – says a German proverb. Literally: “practice makes the master” or what we in layman’s term say “practice makes perfect.” This is not just for language learning, but with puzzles, sudokus, and other mind games. You pick out a method that best works for you, and this will later on be useful in a practical manner. Your things to do at home can also be principles that can be adapted in life.
– Master the Rubik’s Cube
How long ago have you had your cube? If it has been sitting there unfinished, it’s the best time to go and learn the algorithm for it. It doesn’t only make you develop patience, it’s fun and a good challenge too!
– Refresh Chess Strategies
Chess is one of the ways to exercise your brain and your concentration. Before this situation of our staying at home happened, you might have been like me: scattered-brain, can’t comprehend a movie sentence, and can’t be without a phone in one hand. Playing chess will give you a sense of focus, the more you play it, the better your concentration will be.
– Finish that Book
Have you bought books from the last book sale but never got the chance to finish each and every one? Probably just left two chapters but was too lazy to finish it? (Oh, I’m asking myself here.) Well then, put on your socks, have a mug of coffee ready, and finally finish that book (or those books).
Physical
With the restriction of going out only when necessary, it could be a bit difficult for our body to not be able to move as much. Walking, which has a lot of benefits for us that we give credit for, is not as enjoyable when done in a 76 sq.mtrs apartment. So try to at least do a little bit of exercise while at home.
– 100 Squats
A squat is the ultimate exercise targeting the back, glutes, tummy, arms, and every little part of the body especially when you hold a kettle bell or dumb bells along. Do variations of squats with 10 counts each, and you’re good to go. You can also include jumping jacks, and push ups if you’re up for the challenge. You can also add zumba to your list of things to do at home.
– Cook LowCarb Dishes
Buying grocery supplies is not as easy as it is when we have the liberty to go out. It is wise to keep a meal plan, and have meals that will make you full longer. And that’s a lowcarb diet. Eating carbohydrates can make you feel full easily, but also makes you hungry sooner. Eating more fat and protein, on the other hand, will make you full longer. While there would be side effects if you try to switch to this kind of diet, being on lowcarb can benefit your body and your pocket positively.
– Learn to Bake LowCarb
Hey, being on a lowcarb diet means you can have cheesecake without getting fat. Substituting your sugar with erythritol, for example, will make you feel full but the sweetener won’t be absorbed by your body, so you just enjoy a sweet treat without the extra baggage.
Other Things to Do at Home
There are still a handful of things to do at home that probably didn’t make this list. Play with the cats, bathe the cats, take photos of the cats, make a pretty cat toilet, and make a cat bed are probably some of those. We will be taking in your suggestions and update this post as it progresses. What other things to do at home have you? Let us know in the comments.
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