9 Projects to Start During Isolation (and how to actually do them)
Let me start this off by saying you are not required to do anything during this period of isolation. Other than keep yourself safe and healthy , you will not be any less of a person if all you these next few weeks is sleep in and read this blog.
However, if you’re feeling a little restless, and have the emotional capacity to do something of some meaning or purpose, or even for pure entertainment, here’s a little list I made for myself. I’ve seen lots of lists and posts about “Things to do while in isolation” and I’ve even made a few of my own before this. The problem is a lot of the things on these lists sound fun or interesting, but when I actually turn my mind to doing one of them, the effort or time involved in doing the activity doesn’t seem to quite match what I might get out of it.
I’ll use the example of painting. I love being creative, and I love crafts. However, without much inspiration to put anything on a canvas (not to mention not owning a canvas) the idea of spending so many hours bent over a palette doesn’t spark me with joy. My good friend on the other hand LOVES painting, and has found lots of enjoyment from getting back into this passion of hers during this period of isolation.
Moral of the story: don’t make a list of all the things you COULD do at home right now- rather, make a list of all the things you WANT to do, that give you some sense of satisfaction or productivity or meaning.
So this is my list of things to do when I feel like uttering the b-word (that’s “bored” -FYI). While I will likely not get around to doing all of them, I now have no excuse to complain about being bored. There’s a difference between doing nothing and being bored, and doing nothing, and LIVING for it.
Anyways once you feel that you’ve gotten your fill of doing nothing, give some of these things a try:
9 Things to do at Home (That I will actually do)
Undertake a Photo/Picture Project. Whether that’s printing photos and making scrapbooks or albums, ordering photo books or gifts online (Mother’s Day is around the corner!), or even making some digital albums and collections to share with family and friends. I came across an old scrapbook I made of my cat who passed away when I was in elementary school. It’s a little childish looking (I was 11, folks), but still being able to flip through the pictures and pages and remember my sweet little Samantha so many years later is such a gift. My canine furbaby is entering her senior years and I’m thinking this might be a good time to start making a scrapbook or photo collection dedicated to her.
I feel like I am always overwhelmed by the sea of pictures on my devices, and even on google photos. SO many golden nuggets that sadly get forgotten with every automatic sync and upload. I’m hoping to spend a couple days going through these pictures, and organizing them maybe into albums according to celebrations, holidays, pets, travel, etc… And maybe even be inspired to create a mother’s day, father’s day or christmas gift in the process.
Learn a new language. If you are one of those people that thrives from making new neural connections, and constantly feels the need to be learning, why not take advantage of one of the countless free language learning apps available? As a teacher, I always kick myself for never having stuck out grade 12 french. I started re-learning the basics on duolingo over the summer, but as the school year picked back up, I let my french practice fall to the wayside. Regardless of your profession, you can tie your language learning endeavour to other rewarding and motivating outcomes that can help you see the light at the end of this isolated co-vid tunnel. Dreaming of a carribean beach vacation? Start learning spanish so you can cobble some coherent sentences together on a trip to Costa Rica or Puerto Rico or wherever else your heart desires when borders open up again.
Start a Vegetable Garden. There’s nothing better than cherry tomatoes, warmed by the sun fresh off the vine. And with the craziness and anxiety associated with grocery stores at the moment, becoming a bit more self-sufficient by growing your own food is a great reason to try out your green thumb. Even if you don’t have a lot of space, a planter of fresh herbs, a small bed for various lettuces, and a pot or two of cherry tomatoes will nourish you in more ways than one. You can even order some seeds and soil to get yourself going on Amazon, so you never need to step foot in a store.
Learn how to handstand, do the splits, or some other feat of yoga or acrobatics. There’s all kinds of free tutorials on youtube, and even online live classes on instagram and other places online. If you’re really serious about making some real progress, lots of studios and instructors are offering virtual classes, including one on one instruction through Zoom. Right now, I am working on my press-up handstand, following along with the daily live PWYC classes offered by a fantastic Toronto-based teacher Rachel McLean through her IG account (check out @rachel_mcln). I’m also making a point of doing some stretching while watching Netflix just so I’m not back to square one with my splits when I get back into the studio.
Start watching Game of Thrones (or any other long running series you’ve missed the boat on). I was threatening to jump on the GoT bandwagon for a long time… but the longer the seasons went on, and the more complex the story became, I felt like I was much too far behind to ever catch up. While the last episode already aired last year, and the hype has died down a little, I was still intrigued. So was the rest of my family. And so movie nights have now become GoT nights. And what works out so well is that while most of my family have never seen it before, my brother and cousin have been religious watchers of all seasons, so that watching it together, we have some extra commentary that helps make sense of all the characters and action that honestly I still haven’t quite got straight in mind mind, two seasons in.
Dance. Even if people are watching. Seriously. Not only is it a good way to get moving, but it’s a way of engaging the creative and sensual side of your brain, energizing you and lifting your spirits. Whether its trying a barre class or ballet inspired workout on youtube, joining a virtual zumba class, or committing yourself to learning the renegade dance and joining the tik tok universe, you’ll find the kind of movement that speaks to you. Also, there’s nothing wrong with impromptu dance parties though your house when the moment sparks. After I was stuck inside after a few days of rain last week, I did exactly that and danced it out for an hour, and it was EXACTLY what I needed.
Start Meditating: Meditation has always been one of those things for me that I know is so healthy and important, and good for every aspect of your life. And yet it is one of those things that I always manage to write off as “unnecessary.” In an effort to stay on top of my mental health during this quarantine, I made a commitment to renew my meditation practice, first thing in the morning, before it got buried under the rest of the day. Some mornings I sit for 20 minutes or even half an hour, lost in my breath, chanting a word or a feeling over and over again. Other Mornings, I have only the attention for a few minutes, before I transition into a moving yoga practice. Either way, it’s quickly become my new favourite way to start the day. And the more I do it, the quicker I am able to settle into meditation, and the more power I find in this practice.
Make and Share a Spotify Playlist: Are you always bragging to your friends about your taste in music? Time to put your money where your mouth is. And if you are really the exquisite curator you say you are you’ll be doing us all a favour by treating us to some worthy sounds to get us through our spring cleaning sessions or at home workouts… or dance parties.
Start a Website. Or a Podcast. Or a Youtube Channel. I started a blog. This project was something that I have been threatening to do for awhile, but there was always some excuse not to… It is time, money and energy, and working full time it feels like the last thing you want to do is go home and figure out how to embed code and format an idea that’s been running through your head, even if you’re passionate about it. Even though I am still teaching virtually, it’s opened up a lot of empty space in my day, and I feel like I finally have the energy and motivation to dedicate to a blog. This endeavour has probably the best surprise gift that has come out of this quarantine.
this is the perfect time to start growing an herb or veggie garden.
take some time to meditate in the morning.
So there you have it. 9 creatively productive ways to keep you busy at home in isolation and safe from the b-word. Which one of these might you be inspired to do? If none of them float your boat, what would be on your list?
Let me know in the comments!
Jordan
xox
