A lot of working professionals have had to make a big transition recently – moving from the office to the home. Maybe their hours have been cut – less time required for work. Also, time saved by not commuting.
Now I know those with kids will not be bored. Balancing at-home learning, general childcare, and your day job will be plenty enough. But 54.2% of women from 25 to 29 don’t have kids and 33.6% of women from 30 to 34 don’t have kids, so there are a lot of individuals and couples who will be at home with time to kill.
I’ve never been one to be bored. Maybe I can attribute it to spending my free time as a child on my grandparent’s dairy farm. One thing you learn working on a farm is there is little idle time.
For those who find themselves with a lot more free time than they are accustomed to, I assembled a list of 32 things to do while you’re stuck at home (for the 32 days in March). Hopefully, you find this list helpful or at least it sparks some ideas of your own.
- Catch up on laundry.
- Learn to cook new meals (and do this with your partner if you have one living with you).
- Finish that 800+ page book you’ve been reading for five-plus years now (Titan by Chernow for example).
- If you need a schedule – set yourself a schedule like you would have if you were commuting to the office.
- Call your neighbors or local elderly (or immunocompromised) family and see if they need groceries or household staples.
- Move the furniture and vacuum underneath.
- Go for a daily 30-minute walk (staying 6 feet away from people).
- Write thank-you notes to those who have helped you in the past but you never got around to thanking.
- Shop your insurance policies to ensure you’re not overpaying.
- Google a home workout routine that works for you – and do it regularly.
- Actually write a plan for the business idea you’ve had for years – could it actually work?
- Call your mom.
- Hang those pictures or paintings in your home that you’ve been meaning to hang for years.
- Dust in those places you know you should dust but haven’t in years.
- If you are in a position to help those in need financially – research the charities or causes that resonate most for you and give.
- Give your pet a bath.
- Learn to play chess or another board game (with a spouse, if applicable).
- Review your expenses – any subscriptions you can cut? Any service you need to shop around to ensure you’re not overpaying?
- Organize your pantry.
- FaceTime/Zoom with a friend or group of friends.
- Clean out your garage.
- Pick up that old hobby you put down years ago (guitar, woodworking, knitting, etc.).
- Pump up your tires and go for a bike ride.
- Make sure to tip your delivery drivers.
- Revisit your asset allocation. Are you 29 years old and your 401k is 100% allocated to a money market fund?
- Vacuum out your car.
- Make sure you’re getting refunded for the travel you have to cancel.
- Watch Sopranos (or another series you’ve been meaning to get to – just not all in one day).
- Start planning that epic trip you want to take (for 2021 of course).
- Check-in on friends and family regularly (especially those whose jobs/lives have been affected).
- Do whatever it is that helps you get through tough times – meditate, read about stoicism, practice your religion, etc.
- Call your mom.
Great reading. Cool list!
Hi there, nice post. Do you have any newer posts since April 2020? Would love to read.
If not, curious what happened to the production? I’m seeing other bloggers and podcasts ramp it up since they have more time at home. What have you been doing?
Thanks
Curious what happened to this blog? Are you not writing anymore? I see a lot of Twitter comments by you but nothing significant or substantial. What happened?
Is this your latest post? Says April 2, 2020. If so, what happened? I see you tweeting everyday, so why neglect this site?
Call your mom should be #1!