So, it’s been more than a week since Metro Manila was put on Community Quarantine because of the Coronavirus. It’s quite maddening to have our daily routines come to a screeching halt, but that doesn’t mean life as we know it stops altogether.
Here are some things we can still do at home until the quarantine is lifted.
10. Work. Work? Work!
Technically, it’s not a staycation; though we’re at home, we still have to work – or, for students, study. The home-workdays may prove to be more productive, as we no longer need to deal with the time spent on our daily commute… and every day’s Casual Friday! If your work doesn’t require you to be in front of your computer for 8 hours, it’s best to set a schedule when you can focus on work and push away the other distractions. (and oh, there are many.)
9. Educate Yourself about COVID-19 and the Latest Situation
Take time out each day to read up on the latest developments about the coronavirus and the situation around your area. It pays to be informed in these times of crisis.
The WHO Coronavirus Disease Pandemic mini-site is a good place to start, while the Worldometer Coronavirus Outbreak Tracker website provides some quick numbers and statistics about the global spread and treatment of the disease. For local updates about the virus, you can visit the Department of Health website or get in touch with your local government thru Facebook or Twitter.
8. Read an e-Book
Our favorite bookstore may be closed, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get our fix for reading.
eBooks.com is an online paid service with a HUGE catalog of titles – over 1.7M titles in hundreds of categories, ranging from Business to Learning Fiction to Self-Help. There’s an accessible Search feature that can help you quickly find what you’re looking for; just type in the title, author, subject, or ISBN of the topic or books that you’re looking for, and it’ll give you a list of relevant titles. eBooks.com provides content in several formats compatible with many popular reader devices, mobile phones, and apps.
If you’re looking for some free titles, you can try going to ManyBooks as an alternative. With over 50,000 FREE titles to choose from, there’s a wide range of content that you can download or read online on your browser. ManyBooks also provides content compatible with many devices and applications.
Both audible.com and scribd.com offer free 30-day memberships.
7. Work on a Hobby
What was that again about idle hands? Hobbies are great to keep our focus and creativity flowing – and keeping us sane in these times of being hemmed in. Whether it’s drawing, painting, crafts or cross-stitch, Lego, Gundam, or model-building, there’s a lot of online tutorials out there to help get better at our craft…and more than enough time to start a project or two.
Local artist Robert Alejandro has been holding easy-to-follow drawing classes for kids and adults via Facebook Live. Each class runs for about an hour and is quite entertaining. https://www.facebook.com/kuya.robert
6. Take Up an Online Course
Things will have to pick up again after all this is over. Now’s the time to learn that new skill set or get that certification to get us that new post or promotion we’ve been eyeing at work.
Even with schools and training centers shut down, there’s still a lot of online learning platforms available at our disposal. LinkedIn Learning, Coursera, Pluralsight, Khan Academy and Udemy all offer a plethora of short courses and training modules across a wide range of professions and industries.
5. NETFLIX!
Crash Landing on You is the hottest new series right now. But if that’s not your cup of tea, there’s still a LOT of new shows and movies to enjoy like Spenser Confidential, 100 Humans, Pambansang Third Wheel, Castlevania, Hi Bye, Mama!, and Pitch Perfect 3.
Binge on a series: Suits, Vikings, Black List; catch up with some Netflix Originals you might have missed: The Witcher, Umbrella Academy, Money Heist; or watch an older title from your younger days: Happy Gilmore, American Pie, Pitch Black.
Whatever the case, you now have the time to watch that movie or finish that series that you’ve always wanted to see.
4. Console Yourself… or Console with Friends
If you’re a PC gamer or Xbox, Playstation, or Switch console user, I’m pretty sure this was one of the first things that popped in your head when this whole quarantine began.
Death Stranding, Witcher 3 GOTY, Spiderman, and NBA2K. … Yup! That’s enough to keep me busy throughout this community quarantine. Throw in some Fallout 3 retro-gaming in there for good measure.
3. Spring Cleaning & Home Improvement
“Does it spark joy?” Now there’s more than ample time to sort out our stuff, declutter and improve our living spaces.
2. Work Out and Take Your Vitamins
Set aside 20-30 minutes each day to do some cardio and body exercises, such as crunches, push-ups, squats, and core work. If you’re unsure about what to do or don’t have a regular training program in place, there’s a lot of home workout videos available on YouTube.
It’s important to keep fit and boost our immune system to help build our resistance to Corona and other diseases. Take multivitamins with zinc to get that extra protection, too.
1. Dinner Conversations
The best thing we can all do at this time of social distancing is: get closer to the people that matter most. Put down the phones and gadgets, and have conversations with the family over dinner or while sharing one of the activities noted above.
It’s the perfect time to recoup lost time and get to know each other better – before the daily grind takes over our lives again.
P.S. If all else fails, there is always TIK…
The editors and management of ignition.ph value your dignity or sanity, and have stricken out that last part of this story.