70 Quarantine Boredom Busters

As companies close their offices due to COVID-19, employees are facing new challenges. The idea of working from home right now can seem overwhelming. While this is difficult, it is in the best interest of your company and your employees.

Psychologists remind us that it is important to stick to your daily routine as much as possible. It is also important to take mental breaks throughout the day. Get outside and remain mentally active. And punch a clock, so to speak, at the end of the day.

The following is a list of 70 ways to beat boredom during this pandemic. Share these ideas with your employees and remind them they are not alone.

Whether you are 7 or 70, there is something on this list for everyone …

Outdoors

Health experts emphasize the importance of getting outdoors during times of stress. Outdoor activities and exercise have many mental and physical health benefits.

• Hike through local conservation areas or forested areas, away from other people
• Take a country drive
• Get started on yardwork
• Teach your dog a new trick each week
• Plant a vegetable garden
• Clean out your garage
• Wash and detail your car
• Ride your bike
• Paint the trim around your home
• Set up a shop and start woodworking
• Organize your tool shed
• Set up a tent and camp in your backyard
• Build an inspirational rock garden – paint large rocks and write sayings on them
• Take up jogging or running

Indoors

• Join free fitness and yoga classes on-line
• Take a virtual trip to a museum, aquarium, art gallery or amusement park! There are many places around the world offering this opportunity right now, including:
  • New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • The Vatican
  • The Washington National Gallery of Art
  • The British Museum
  • A virtual tour of Paris
• Create a family tree
• On-line learning – 190 Universities have listed over 600 courses available on-line
• Journaling
• Spring cleaning
• Foster or adopt a dog, while you’re home with time to train them
• Zoom coffee dates
• Start a 21-day challenge
• Chat with family and friends through FaceTime, Skype or Zoom
• Declutter and organize
• Paint the walls of your home
• Color, using books or on-line apps (try Happy Color)
• Alphabetize your book collection
• Learn a new language
• Master a computer program, such as Photoshop
• Sewing, knitting, cross-stitch
• Create a website
• Learn a new musical instrument
• Cooking or baking, consider delivering meals
• Clean out your closet
• Read a book or take advantage of the many free audio books available on-line
• Find a big box and fill it with donation items
• Make a scrapbook
• Write your will
• Enjoy a free concert on-line. Several celebrities are offering these from their social media accounts
• Take up photography
• Start a Blog
• Archive photos, digital or otherwise
• Clear out your fridge or pantry
• Plant an indoor garden
• Re-design your home’s interior
• Write letters to family and friends
• Consider sponsoring a child and write them a letter
• Netflix and chill … when all else fails!

With Children

Being at home with children compounds the challenge of keeping busy. Keeping children entertained is always a challenge but is much harder right now. Try some of these activities and see how much fun you have! There has never been a better opportunity to bond with your family.

• Teach your children something new, like car mechanics or cooking
• Virtual playdates with FaceTime or Zoom – do crafts together or chat
• Jigsaw puzzles
• Create a nature scavenger hunt, indoors or outside
• Journal and take photos each day to create a commemorative album of this experience
• Go cycling together
• Make and dye your own playdoh
• Read books to your children, or let these celebrities do it
• Build with LEGO
• Make a bird feeder
• Have a fashion show
• Go for a walk and pick up recyclables
• Create a movie theatre, complete with snacks, and have a movie day
• Play Olympics with several different sports
• Set up a kid spa
• Have a karaoke night
• Set up a play hospital and teach your children basic first-aid
• Re-purpose old cardboard boxes and build a play car or a stove
• Build a fort and camp out in the living room. If you have a fireplace, you can make s’mores!
• Create an art gallery on your deck or driveway with chalk
• Take your children on a virtual trip to an aquarium (Ripley’s Aquarium offers you a look inside their shark tank or Monterey Bay invites you to swim with the jellyfish!)

Many of the above ideas can be for adults as well!

Motivation

Now that you have all these ideas, how do you get started? For some people, motivation is a huge barrier to participating in activities. Just like procrastination, for getting projects completed. The key to getting motivated is to set a schedule. Scheduling provides a mindless way to start a new behavior. Build a warm-up routine to get you in the mindset for action, then that becomes part of your routine. For example: when you wake up, make your bed. That accomplishment alone is enough to get the mind moving forward. It is critical to understand the importance of momentum right now.

To get through challenging times, we have to keep moving forward. Tell yourself that getting started is the hard part. Once you get into a project or fun activity, the momentum will find you!