Top 20 Ways to Spend Time While Stuck (or Safe) at Home
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Going a little stir-crazy? Here’s 20 ideas to make the most of your time.
1. Research Your Family Tree
You may finally have time to look up your family tree. I have used Ancestry.com off and on for over 15 years. What I love about it is that I can subscribe while I have the time, then unsubscribe when I don’t, and my information is still all there.
Click here for a 14 day trial or save 15% on any subscription.
2. Organize Your Photos
This is a great time for the whole family to look through photos and create a special photo book or canvas print.
Claim your FREE 8x8 photo book from Shutterfly and get your photos where you’ll treasure them forever. Click here and enter code: 6RJZ-8SY9-3HKP-HXY9NE
Claim $50 off ANY personalized canvas print from Shutterfly and decorate your home with your favorite photos. Click here and enter code: 7KCX-64HW-386V-D36MP3
3. Adopt or Foster a Pet
Even if you only foster a pet right now, this is a great time to help out shelters which are very short staffed right now. Many are in danger of shutting down. Please check with your local shelters to see what you can do. Please do not adopt a pet now if you cannot take care of it once life if back to normal. Fostering may be the answer!
I have always used Chewy.com for pet supply delivery, even before this pandemic. They are a compassionate company and their prices are reasonable.
4. Learn a Language
Duolingo is a free language-learning website. It works for some, but you will need to commit the time to you. I have used Pimsleur which is great if you spend a good amount of time in the car. Click here to get a free 7 day trial.
For the ultimate gift (or overachievers), Rosetta Stone offers lifetime access to 24 different languages: click here to learn more or purchase.
5. Listen to a Podcast
There are so many podcasts to recommend! Here’s just a few:
News: Coronavirus Global Update (from BBC World Service), Today in Focus (from Guardian), or NPR,
History: 1619 (NY Times), Throughline
Satire: 2 Black Girls, 1 Rose (Bachelor fans will love this)
Sports: American Fiasco (for soccer fans)
Politics: The Argument (NY Times opinion columnists debate)
True Crime: Bear Brook, The Clearing, In the Dark
6. Take an Online Course
One of my favorite, Udemy.com, offers over 100,000 courses and most are very inexpensive.
edX offers free courses from renowned professors from Harvard, MIT and more.
Join Coursera for free and choose from a variety of classes including the free Yale offering: The Science of Well Being
See our Top 20 online class sources here
7. Plan Your Garden
Time to plan that spring garden with the Farmer’s Almanac Garden Planner or see existing plans on the Better Homes & Gardens site.
8. Take a Virtual Museum Tour
Google Arts and Culture created an extensive list here.
9. Exercise Online
Yoga: Gaia
Classes: Classpass
Variety: Daily Burn
Cardio: Booya
10. Read for an Audio Book
LibriVox audiobooks are read by volunteers from all over the world. More info here.
11. Learn a New Hobby
Learn to Paint: Skillshare
Learn to Knit: The Great Courses
Other Crafts: Creative Live
12. Go to a Virtual Theater, Opera, or Concert
Check out NPR’s daily list here
13. Schedule Virtual Lunch or Happy Hours
14. Family Night: Mystery and Escape Room Subscription Boxes
Fun in a box! Here’s three subscription boxes:
If you would rather have a one-time project try one of these:
or the very timely Pandemic Game
15. New and Old Games
16. Family Style Puzzles
Get the whole family involved in a puzzle. What about a 3D Puzzle of Hogwarts?
17. Buy or Sell Gift Cards
“Many restaurants are closed across our nation. The impact on these establishments and their employees is unfathomable. We wanted to try to help so we started Save & Support. Buy a gift card from Gift Card Granny and use it when you need; you will save money, but just as importantly you will be helping to get cash immediately into the hands of restaurants and protecting our communities.” - Gift Card Granny
Click here to view all gift cards or to sell your own.
18. Travel (Virtually) Anywhere
Google Earth for Chrome offers you the ability to travel anywhere from your couch.
19. Write a Novel
Click here to take a class from one of the greats, Margaret Atwood, and finally write that novel.
20. Create a Website
Want to start a blog, create a family event site, or perhaps update your resume or portfolio? There’s many website builders available. Be sure to pick one that offers the features you need (like great SEO and SSL). Not comfortable building your own or just need help getting started? Contact me and check pricing here: Charlotte’s Web Designs, LLC.