Instead, I’m trying to put a positive spin on things and suggest some great things you could be doing whilst self-isolating. My sister has been doing tap classes on Zoom and my dad has been catching up on bits and bobs in his workshop. I haven't been given any university work at all yet so I've been looking for things to do at the minute.
If you’re a key worker and are currently still at work, well done to you and thank you for supporting us at this uncertain time.
1. Keep a positive lockdown diary.
I’ve started a diary highlighting some of the things I’ve done at home whilst we’ve been in lockdown and it’s been good to organise my thoughts and put them down on paper. It’s also going to be a good thing to look back on, especially when we need a reminder of how lucky we are once it’s all over.
2. Plan some blog posts.
This is something I’ve been working on over the past few days. I like to have a notepad to jot down ideas for blogs. I pick a title and theme and then brainstorm as many ideas as I possibly can. Even if you don’t use all the ideas, it’s good to get them down on paper! If you don’t have a blog and don’t intend to start one, how about doing the same for Instagram posts?
3. Write those blog posts!
There’s no point sitting with a notebook full of ideas if you’re not going to act on them! I’ve been guilty of this for months, but now I have the time to sit down and write, I’m making the most of it and drafting some posts for the future as well, when I might not have enough time. Again, if you don’t have a blog, you could draft out your Instagram captions, that way you’re ready to post straight away rather than sitting there thinking “what should I caption this?”
4. Batch cooking/baking.
This isn’t just a fun boredom breaker, it’s a practical money saver. Instead of searching for microwave meals from the shop- make your own! We like to make huge lasagnes and shepherds pies and freeze half for another time. If you live alone or as a couple- freeze into smaller portions. Your freezer is definitely your friend, especially during this time when getting to the shops is a challenge, and you can freeze more than you think. We always freeze bread, meat and leftovers, but you can also freeze milk (providing it is in a plastic container and not glass) and fruit and veg too.
It’s an obvious one- but make a date with your bestie, pretend you’re in your favourite coffee shop and sit down over Skype or FaceTime with a nice brew and catch up on any gossip. You could even use ‘Netflix Party’ and watch a film or a series over the computer with your friends! (I’ve yet to try this but my younger sister informed me it’s really good!)
6. Write a letter.
This can be to a friend, an elderly relative or to a neighbour. I feel like this has gone out of fashion quite a bit which is upsetting as I used to send letters and cards in the post all the time when I was younger. This week I have sent my Great Uncle Sep a letter, along with a copy of my article about him in the Spring Issue of Femme Magazine, as well as a card to Callum’s mum for her birthday. I’m planning on writing letters to my Granddad and two of my Great Aunties next week. Let them know you’re thinking about them and update them on what you’ve been up to at home. They will really appreciate it.
7. Sort out your wardrobe.
I did mine a while back and then last week my wardrobe collapsed (you can never have too many clothes) so I had to sort it out again! I picked out all the clothes I definitely didn’t want/wear anymore and sorted them into charity, hand-me-downs or eBay. I did also have to throw some out as they’d been worn to threads, but usually my Dad takes these clothes and uses them as rags in the workshop so they’re not going to waste.
8. Wash makeup brushes.
I washed mine last week and I’ll admit, I’m very guilty of just leaving them to get clagged up with concealer and eyeshadow. I don’t have a specific cleaner for mine, I just use whatever I can find in the bathroom and I think shower gel actually works the best! Baby oil works okay too but I’ve found shower gel or shampoo more effective.
9. Read a book.
I used to love reading and was able to read a book in one evening, but as I got older I found less and less time to sit down with a good book. Now we’ve all got more time on our hands, how about we put our screens down and pick up a good book? My favourite is Billy and Me by Giovanna Fletcher. At the minute I'm reading Wilde Women by Louise Pentland. I also really like anything by Sophie Kinsella and Jojo Moyes.
10. Have a chocolate fondue night.
We had a fondue night last week and it went down really well! If you don’t have a fondue kit, just melt some chocolate carefully (try not to burn it like I did!) and choose all sorts of treats to dip in. Some of my favourites are strawberries, marshmallows, grapes and banana.
11. Sort out your loft.
It’s the job that we’ve all been putting off for ages. I’m guilty of throwing stuff in and forgetting about it, I honestly don’t know what we’ve got up there! I’ve made a list of a few categories I can think of that we need to tackle, including my old toys (from when I was about 2!), Christmas decorations, old books and VHS Tapes (we have so many!) but I think there will be a lot more that we’ve forgotten about. My plan is to tackle the loft next week.
12. Start an adult colouring book.
I got Mrs Hinch’s Activity Journal for Christmas and I’ve loved the colouring pages as well as the activities. There are lots of adult colouring and activity books available online, or if you can’t get your hands on one, why not draw a picture and colour it in?
13. Subscribe to a magazine.
I write for Femme Country Magazine, a country fashion and lifestyle magazine based in York. You can subscribe to the magazine for only £12 per year (+P&P) and get 4 beautiful seasonal magazines delivered to your door. There are also still copies of all of last year’s issues available online so if you’d like to stock up, why not get the whole collection?!
14. Write a book.
Most people will have thought of a good story idea at some point in their life. I have lots of story ideas rolling round in my head and some I’ve tried to plan out and then forgotten about. This is your opportunity to write those stories down; it could be a silly kids book or serious adult fiction. It could even be a story about your life for you or your kids to look back on in the future!
15. Sort out your books and DVDs.
I know I’m suggesting a lot of sorting, but hear me out! Just think of how good you’ll feel knowing you’ve organised and decluttered most of your house. Go through them and sort which you actually watch/read or are likely to watch/read and then donate or sell those that you don’t want. I have my DVDs sorted in alphabetical order by title and my books by author’s surname. You don’t have to go to that extent, however it does help you find what you’re looking for!
16. Facebook/Instagram cleanse.
This is something I do around every 6 months anyway. I go through my Facebook friends list and Instagram followers and unfriend anyone I either don’t know well enough or whose content doesn’t make me feel good. Afterwards you’ll feel better and will thank yourself when you’re not scrolling through random posts from people you barely know.
17. Do some painting/drawing.
This is especially good if you have children, but if it’s just you, grab some paints or a pencil and let your imagination run wild. It doesn’t have to look great, as long as you enjoy yourself! If you have children and a garden, chalk is a great idea for a low-mess activity that looks great!
18. Sort through your emails.
It’s not the most exciting task but it needs to be done. I try and keep on top of mine monthly and only keep the most important emails. You can also go through the list of retailers you subscribed to 5 years ago and assess whether you still want to be on their mailing list or not. It’s really easy to unsubscribe to those.
19. Get on top of laundry/ironing.
If you’re anything like us, your ironing pile will be waist-deep or above. I actually enjoy ironing, it’s quite therapeutic watching the creases being ironed out. I stick on a series on Netflix and crack on with it and it seems to go faster if you’re watching something you enjoy.
20. Tackle ‘the drawer of doom’.
Don’t deny it, we’ve all got one (or several) drawers where we ditch all the random bits and bobs we find around the house. Empty the drawer out completely and try to find a real purpose for the drawer, so you’re not tempted to put the same random items back in! Try and find a proper home for everything and don’t just shove things in another drawer!
21. Binge-watch a series on Netflix.
We got Netflix in November so I’m still fairly new to it, but some of my favourite series include The Good Place, Sex Education and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. I’m going to be writing another blog all about my Netflix favourites soon. I also recommend All 4, ITV Hub and BBC iPlayer for free streaming (providing you have a TV licence in the UK)
22. Sort through your phone photos.
Who else gets sick of their phone telling them they don’t have enough storage to download something? I try to go through my phone photos every month and delete all those random screenshots or accidental photos, as well as duplicates and pictures you don’t need. I also upload all my pictures into my laptop and back them up onto a hard-drive (you can use a memory stick too) so I can look back on them when I like. It frees up so much space on my phone for the important and most recent photos on my camera roll.
23. Sort through your apps on your phone.
This links to sorting photos and clearing storage. I had so many apps that I downloaded and used once or twice then never bothered looking at again! I try to go through my apps regularly and think “Have I used this in the past week? What about the past month?” If the answer is no to both- you probably don’t need the app. I really like the folder feature so I can categorise my apps by social media, entertainment, work etc.
24. Make a scrapbook/memory folder.
I must admit, I’ve tried making scrapbooks before and they haven’t been very successful- apart from the one I made my sister for her birthday one year when I was a GCSE art student! I’ve had more success organising my keepsakes by getting a lever arch file and slotting in pieces of my writing/my childhood drawings /tickets etc into plastic wallets. I have one for each decade of my life and it’s so easy just to flick to a certain year of my life and see the highlights.
25. Have a ‘night in’.
Get all your friends together and organise an evening where you can Skype and grab a few drinks to pretend you’re going on a night out! You could have a Netflix Party- I haven’t tried this yet but apparently it’s a good way to chat to people whilst watching a good film/ series. If you like, you could even get dressed up nicely- wear some lovely clothes and do your hair and makeup.
26. Download TikTok.
At some point during lockdown you'll cave and download TikTok. It takes up hours of your time and you'll possibly sit there working out ways of becoming TikTok famous and trying to film some videos (I may or may not have done this....oops)
27. Create a feel-good playlist.
Whilst you're completing all those odd jobs around the house, why not have a playlist of all your favourite feel-good songs that will make you want to sing along and put you in a great mood? I always love belting out 'Can't Fight the Moonlight' by LeAnn Rimes and 'A Thousand Miles' by Vanessa Carlton.
28. Get moving around!
There are so many online workouts at the minute- lots of people have been recommending The Body Coach, and there are lots of free apps too. I'm lucky as we live in the countryside so I can have my daily walk in peace and quiet in the beautiful rolling fields. We also remembered about our trampoline so I put that up a few days ago (jumping definitely counts as exercise!)
29. What are you grateful for?
Come up with a list of things you're grateful for during these times. You can keep it for yourself or you can put it on your Instagram stories to encourage other people to see the positives. I'm really grateful for my family, boyfriend, the internet and living in such a rural area.
30. At-home spa evening.
You can do this by yourself or with whoever is in your household. I like to have a nice bubble bath and use a lovely bath bomb and some nice bubble bath. You could do your hair and use a lovely mask or deep treatment, paint your nails or try out some new moisturising products.
31. Homemade pizza night.
Pizza is my all-time favourite and even in normal circumstances they don't deliver takeaways to my house anyway, but I do miss driving up to the pizza shop with Callum on a Saturday night (oh yeah- I miss Callum as well as pizzas haha!)
If you're not particularly into cooking, you could get some plain pizzas and add extra toppings (like the controversial pineapple!) to customise.
32. Check up on your friends.
It takes no time at all to send a little text round your friends to check if they're doing okay. Some people might not have anybody with them during lockdown, and everyone is bound to be feeling mentally isolated as well as physically isolated at the minute. It will put a smile on their face and make them feel like they're not alone.
33. Online window shopping.
If you're missing days out shopping with your friends, how about organising a Skype or Zoom call with a few whilst doing some online shopping? That way you can ask for their opinions and feel like you're spending a bit more time
34. Clean your jewellery.
It sounds boring, but it needs to be done-we've all got some silver that's been tarnishing in its box over time. I put some bicarb and white vinegar in a little bowl and leave my jewellery to soak for a few hours, then dry gently with a towel. I leave them to sit for a while then polish with a cloth and they look brand new!
35. Start gardening.
I've always loved plants and have many cacti and succulents around my room (I think I'm up to about 40ish now!). They're a perfect alternative if you haven't got a garden, or just a great addition to the house! We do have a garden and we built some raised veg patches last week ready to start growing some vegetables soon!
36. Begin a new craft.
There are loads of tutorials online teaching you how to start crocheting/knitting or sewing as well as lots of patterns. I'm not particularly great at crochet but I can do a bit of sewing so I've been mending some bags and jeans that were full of holes!
37. Do some puzzles.
These don't have to be the traditional jigsaws- you can download lots of crosswords and sudoku puzzles online or even try making your own! You could even have a family quiz night if you fancy! I love pub quizzes, even though I'm not very good at them.
38. Movie marathon.
How about you watch the whole Harry Potter franchise in one go? I haven't actually managed todo this yet but I think it would be great! I'm having a High School Musical marathon on Monday with my sister which I'm looking forward to!
39. Have a BBQ.
If you have a BBQ in the garden, that's great! If you're like us and don't have one already, you can just cook everything as normal in the oven but add some BBQ sauce and maybe eat it outside! Our BBQ favourites are burgers, chicken kebabs, hard boiled eggs, salad and lots of cheese!
40. Keep positive!
I know it's tough, but we've got to keep positive and just remember that we are lucky to still be here. My thoughts go out to everyone who has lost a family member or close friend during this time.
Lockdown won't last forever, and before we know it, we'll be back to shopping normally and spending time with friends in the pub.
Take care,
Charlotte x
