Stuck inside during this crazy time (btw, thanks for being a good human and member of society and staying home) and bored out of your mind? I’ve got you covered with this list of 100 things to do when stuck at home. Don’t tell me you’re bored until you’ve gotten through all of them. 😉
Here in San Francisco, there’s just been an order put out for people to not leave their homes for three weeks except for essentials, so I’ll have plenty of time to work on this list!
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100 Things to Do When Stuck at Home
1. Write in a journal. It’s therapeutic and has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety. And ten years from now it will be interesting for you to look back on your thoughts and feelings during this time. Also, a tad random but I recently went to a talk at Alt Summit all about the power of period journaling and how your hormones and cycle influence the type of work you’re best at (for ex when you’re on your period it’s more of a time for planning, self-reflection, and when you’re ovulating you’re strong and confident and ready to tackle big projects). I personally experience a lot of energy dips during the day and would love to see if it’s tied to my cycle and how I can mitigate that, so I’m giving period journaling a try and just bought this Cycles Journal!
2. Host a virtual wine night. I’m hopping on a Google Hangouts with some of my best girlfriends from high school and I literally can’t remember the last time we did that—maybe college? So, silver lining that this is bringing us all together.
3. Listen to podcasts. I’ve had so many podcasts recommended to me and I haven’t had time to listen to all of them…welp, now I do! A couple of my current favs are: The Skinny Confidential Him & Her (Lauryn and her husband Michael interview experts, celebs, and just all-around interesting people and I’ve gotten so many hot tips on skincare, diet, and more from them) and Dying For Sex (Run by two BFFs, one of whom has terminal breast cancer and upon diagnosis decided to leave her unhappy marriage and embark on sexual exploration. It sounds intense and sad, and at times it is, but they also share and talk about some of the most hilarious sexual mishaps that have me laughing out loud, like the guy with a tickle fetish…)
4. Do a closet purge. I just went through my closet and got rid of some things that I never wear and made a donation bag. It always feels good to get rid of things weighing you down that you no longer need. You could also list those items on Poshmark you’ve been meaning to sell!
5. Cook some large-batch meals. Cook up a storm and freeze some things—no need to hoard though! Chili, lasagna, stews, etc. are all great to start cooking up now so you can eat some and freeze some for later.
6. Do an at-home facial. Love a good sheet mask, but you can get way fancier! A few of my fav at-home facial tools include The PMD for microdermabrasion, gua sha tools for facial massage, my high-frequency wand for anti-aging and zapping zits, and this $5 blackhead remover tool that is just too damn satisfying.
7. Work on a project you’ve been putting off. I’m sure you have at least a few projects, whether it’s for your home, work, etc. that you’ve been putting off because you’re too busy. Now’s the time to tackle one. This could include working on a first birthday time capsule.
8. Do your taxes. I mean, lame, but you have to.
9. Work out. I personally will go crazy if I don’t get my workouts in. There are plenty of workout apps and I do use some of them, but for me nothing compares to having a trainer telling me what to do (and judging me if I give up early). I’m so excited that HIIT School is offering an online program starting this week! Classes will be live, over video conference, with a small group of people all working out in their own homes. The trainers at HIIT School are awesome (I worked out with them at Google for years and it was the best work out) so you’ll definitely be getting a great work out from home. Plus when you sign up, anyone else in your household can join for free! So Omied is going to do it with me, which I think is going to be really fun, even if we’re a little crowded working out in our living room. 🙂 I also love doing Cassey Ho’s Blogilates for at-home pilates. You can find her free workout calendar here.
10 Read. No better time to cozy up with a good book. Btw, OverDrive has an app called Libby, that allows you to borrow ebooks and audiobooks from your public library for free! Get the scoop and download it here.
11. Mani/pedis. You guys have seen me raving about press-on manis from imPRESS on Insta, and now is the perfect time to try them out! They’re so fun and I feel so fancy when I have nice nails.
12. Deep clean your home. Because let’s be honest, when’s the last time your baseboards and underneath your couch got some love and attention?
13. Plan your next trip and support your fav bloggers. While we don’t yet know when things will return to normal, eventually, it will. So why not daydream about your next vacation and support some of your favorite travel bloggers in the process? Across the board, bloggers have seen a nosedive in traffic, which means that for those of us who monetize with ads, we’re seeing a decline in revenue for that stream. Reading, pinning, clicking links, and sharing content all help to support your fav bloggers.
14. Organize your inbox. I’m pretty organized in my What The Fab inbox, but my personal inbox has turned into a black hole where correspondences go to die. It was mostly junk, Lyft notifications, and the occasional email from a family member or friend that I never see because it’s buried under more junk. So I took an afternoon to set up some serious filtering, and it has been freaking liberating, y’all. I really need to write up a whole post about how I did this, but two quick hacks are:
– You can add a “+” or “.” anywhere in your gmail address and it will still recognize it as your email address. This is useful for creating a spam email that you use when buying something online, signing up for a free resource, etc. and you don’t want to receive their marketing emails afterwards. So, for example, I now use [email protected] when I’m downloading a free resource. And I now have a filter set up so that any emails addressed to [email protected] skip the inbox and go to a separate junk folder.
– Set up more filters based on what’s already filling up your inbox that you can’t unsubscribe to. I now have all my Lyft, Uber, Amazon emails skipping my inbox and going to my junk folder. It’s there if I need it, but 99% of the time, I don’t.
15. Update your workflows. Now would be a great time to think about administrative tasks that are a time suck that you have to deal with that could be automated. Check out Zapier or IFTTT—I picked Zapier because it seemed a little more robust. It’s an API that helps all your other software/apps talk to each other and automate things. So for example, I set one up where when I receive a payment through paypal, the appropriate invoice in Quickbooks is marked as paid. I created another one so that when my campaign manager sends me a contract on Slack, it’s added to the appropriate Dropbox folder for that brand campaign. The possibilities are endless and it’s really satisfying to create a zap that automates your work and saves you time.
16. Take a free online class. Learn something new. You can sign up for a free two-month trial on Skillshare here.
17. Do some online shopping. Don’t go crazy here, but I’ve been having fun scrolling through pretty dresses and dreaming of when I can actually wear one outside of my apartment. ?
18. Organize the apps on your phone. Somehow my iPhone has turned into a bit of a wasteland for apps I’ve downloaded and many of them I either don’t use anymore or didn’t like. Get rid of the ones you no longer need, and pop any random ones that are lying scattered about your phone that you do want to keep into the appropriate folder. Ahh, a clean home screen.
19. Learn a new language on Duolingo. It’s free!
20. Do a puzzle. I just ordered this one on Amazon.
21. Play cards.
22. Binge a new TV show. We just started watching McMillions on HBO and it is SO good. It’s about how the Monopoly game at McDonalds in the 90’s was rigged the mob and it’s fascinating.
23. Hanky panky. That is all.
24. Leave Yelp reviews for businesses and restaurants you love. The restaurant industry is hurting right now and especially in places like San Francisco where rent is so high, it’s going to be really rough. Take some time to leave Yelp reviews on your favorite places so that when things get back to normal again, their Yelp reviews help draw people in.
25. Update your resume.
26. FaceTime or call your friends and family. Check in on them. Even the ones who aren’t usually prone to anxiety—everyone is feeling stressed and anxious. Maintaining long distance relationships can be tough, so be sure to check in on everyone occasionally.
27. Adult coloring books. They’re so meditative and relaxing. There’s a reason you can find them at spas now. I just bought this one. There are also plenty of coloring pages online, including some like these free Memorial Day coloring pages. I also LOVE these coloring sheets from Give A Sheet.
28. Watch motivating and inspiring TED Talks. A lot of the news feels very doom and gloom right now. Change up the mood with something uplifting.
29. Bake something. I’ve already decided I’m making chocolate chip cookies this weekend.
30. Move your furniture around for a new layout. It’s the only change of scenery you’re going to get for a little while. ?
31. Meditate. My two fav apps for this are Headspace and Calm. Or do some affirmations like these Sunday affirmations. You could even learn how to raise your vibration.
32. Clean up the photos on your phone. How many thousands of photos are on your camera roll taking up space on your phone? I use Google Photos and the free unlimited storage option so that I can delete stuff from my phone.
33. Start a blog. So many of you have DMed me over the years that you want to start a blog—I can’t think of a better time!
34. Do some DIYs from Pinterest. If you’re interested in drawing, you could learn how to draw a nose step by step. Or use this salt dough recipe to make ornaments that you can paint.
35. Listen to a calming spotify playlist. I’ve been enjoying Surf Rock Sunshine.
36. Start a virtual book club.
37. Take a personality test. I love personality tests and I think they’re super interesting! I love doing them for myself but also making Omied and my friends and fam do them so I can read about their personality types. Some suggestions are: Meyers-Briggs, Enneagram, Strengths-Finders, True Colors, and The Five Love Languages. You could also learn about the difference between an omnivert vs. ambivert. Or have you ever wondered what’s an empath? Now is a great time to read up on what it means to be an empath.
38. Declutter your home. Full blog post on how to declutter your home fast, here!
39. Sell your old tech. I have a box of random old tech (including a Jawbone speaker, Fitbit, and GoPro) that I’ve been meaning to sell. Planning on getting those listed, sold and outta here soon! Here’s a list of different places where you can sell your old electronics and make some extra $$.
40. Do a hair mask. You can buy hair masks but my personal fav is to just slather my hair mid-way down in coconut oil and throw it up in a bun all day. Shampoo/condition as normal to rinse it out, and you’ll have soft, silky hair afterward.
41. Organize your kitchen cupboards. I have way too many free water bottles in my life that I need to get rid of. Also adding a few more of these to maximize space.
42. Clean out your fridge. Sometimes I’m ashamed to admit the things I find in the back of my fridge.
43. Play a board game. We’re pulling out Scrabble tonight. And wine. Including some of my fav two person games below. You could also play “Would You Rather”. If you have kids, check out these Would You Rather Questions for Kids!
44. Learn how to knit. Honestly, knitting is meditative. I knit (knitted? knat?) Omied a scarf in college (apparently I am 90 years old) and he still wears it today, because he’s cute like that. It’s not hard and it’s definitely something you can learn on YouTube. You could also buy a knitting machine to help get you started if doing it by hand isn’t your thing.
45. Organize and back up your computer files. My desktop is overrun with random stuff right now. Going to be cleaning all that out and also putting together a better file organization system for myself and my business.
46. Play a video game. Omied and I are pulling out our old Nintendo for some old school Mariokart and I can’t even wait.
47. Watch a YouTube tutorial and learn some new dance moves.
48. Go for a walk. You can still go for a walk in non-crowded areas. Just make sure you stay at least six feet away from people.
49. Make a fancy cocktail. Making Manhattans is Omied’s thing. I need a cocktail that’s my thing. I’m thinking it should be a Grasshopper.
50. Play candy crush and don’t even feel bad about it. Or any other phone games, for that matter. I’m playing Two Dots, Threes, and my sister really, really wanted me to suggest Neko Atsume which is kinda like a modern-day Nano-pet where you collect and play with cats. It’s as silly as it sounds.
51. Make a vision board. Just because it feels like the end of the world doesn’t mean it actually is. Set your intentions and goals for the rest of the year, or the next five or ten years.
52. Write a book. Shakespeare wrote King Lear while he was quarantined during the plague. Just saying!
53. Clean your makeup brushes. If you’re anything like me, I’m sure those could use some attention. I like to use this makeup brush cleaner solution—it’s magic!
54. Write letters/cards for friends and fam who could use a bright spot in their day.
55. Plant a garden.
56. Restyle your coffee table or bar cart.
57. Send a care package. I just put together a bunch of self-care packages that I sent out to followers, and it made me feel so happy to do something nice for them!
58. Practice daily gratitude. Write down three things you’re grateful for each day.
59. Look through old photos. I have a shoebox that I’ve kept random things from my relationship over the last 15 years—things like notes he’d leave on my car when we were first flirting and I was 16, to Xmas cards, to the dried boutonniere he wore to prom. Going through this box is making me smile so hard.
60. Sudoku. There are Sudoku apps but I personally like a physical book like this one.
61. Offer help to friends or fam in need. Things are changing so quickly. Friends in other areas might not be able to find things like a thermometer, toilet paper, etc. If you have extra, offer to ship them some.
62. Learn how to give a massage on YouTube and then give your partner a back rub. Obviously, then it’s your turn for a massage next.
63. Learn about wine. Check out Wine for Dummies. Then when we can travel again, go wine tasting and impress all your friends with your new wine knowledge.
64. Brew beer.
65. Set financial goals and budgets. Read my budgeting and saving hacks here.
66. Learn how to cook/bake something new and fancy that you’ve never made before, like cheesecake.
67. Watch a documentary. The RBG documentary is on my list.
68. Have a virtual dance party. Follow @mkik808 on Instagram. A former backup dancer for Lady Gaga, he is just a ray of sunshine and he’s been hosting virtual dance parties on Instagram Live. As my cousin said, he’s a national treasure.
69. Do a full-body scrub.
70. Make a cozy drink. Here are a few recipes! Chai tea, hot chocolate, matcha latte, and coconut oil coffee.
71. Take a bubble bath. I love taking bubble baths but hardly ever feel like I have time. Now that’s not really an issue.
72. Ride a Disney ride virtually. This is really silly but I feel like it would be fun if you have kids. I didn’t know this until recently but people post the full ride experience on YouTube. I just “rode” Indiana Jones. ?
73. Paint your cabinets a new color. Really dying to paint ours white but unsure how our landlord would feel about it.
74. Yoga. Stretching and breathing are important right now. Corepower Yoga is offering a collection of free online classes during this difficult time. Super cool of them.
75. Watch some makeup YouTubers and play with new makeup looks.
76. Organize and clean your jewelry.
77. Do an at-home peel or retinol treatment. My thing with starting up using retinol is that for the first week or two it makes my skin dry and flaky, which is esp annoying when I’m trying to put on makeup and go out. Won’t be going out any time soon so it’s the perfect time to start up my next retinol program! If you don’t already have a prescription-strength retinol product at home, try Dear Brightly, which allows you to get derm-grade retinol without going into a doctor’s office. For over the counter options, try The Ordinary’s product with Retinoid 1% or Differin, which is a also topical retinoid using Adapalene. If you’re looking for an at-home peel/facial, I love Drunk Elephant’s TLC Sukari Babyfacial Mask!
78. Do a virtual museum walkthrough. Google Arts & Culture has made a lot of museums’ works of art available to see and learn about online. Travel + Leisure did a nice roundup of museums you can “visit” here. I loved the Musee d’Orsay and Uffizi exhibits!
79. Print out all your fav recipes you’ve found on Pinterest and make your own cookbook. These days I find a lot of my fav recipes online, but I always prefer having a printed out recipe so I don’t have to keep pulling out my phone. I started a three-ring binder that I continuously add new recipes to.
80. Do a crossword puzzle.
81. Go through your social media and unfollow accounts that no longer spark joy.
82. Make a bucket list.
83. Do your Christmas shopping online. Future you thanks you.
84. Edit old photos. We can’t travel anywhere right now (at least, we shouldn’t), but we can revisit past trips and edit photos taken. I use Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop to edit my photos.
85. Redecorate. Pick a spot at home (living room, bedroom, bathroom), get some inspiration on Pinterest, put together a whole decor mood board, and change up the decor in your space.
86. Increase your brainpower with Luminosity.
87. Learn food photography. Who doesn’t want to take better food pics? I find food styling to be really hard, but there are plenty of tutorials in blog posts and YouTube videos to learn from.
88. Start an uplifting email chain. I had one sent to me recently around International Women’s Day that asked me to send an inspiring/motivating quote to the next person in the email chain. I thought this was such a fun idea, and we could definitely use some uplifting messages in our inbox right now.
89. Start a capsule wardrobe. I’d love to be a minimalist, but I just don’t think I’m cool enough. I do love the idea of having a few high-quality fashion items that I can mix and match and wear over and over again. Check out my friend Kelsey’s guide on how to build a capsule wardrobe.
90. Learn origami. Or take it way back to elementary school and learn how to make a cootie catcher AKA a fortune teller.
91. Learn how to arrange flowers. There’s an actual art to it and plenty of tips and tricks.
92. Make greeting cards. Make some greeting cards by hand or digitally, that you can use for upcoming holidays like Easter, Mother’s Day, and Father’s Day. Here are some first Father’s Day quotes if you need inspo!
93. Make a photo book from a special event or trip.
94. Research your family tree.
95. Do a decade in review. Take time to review everything you’ve accomplished over the last decade, and set goals for the next ten years. I shared some exercises we did at the beginning of the year in this post: How to set goals for the new year.
96. Feng Shui your house.
97. Do some pickling/canning. We use this book and there are some great recipes in there!
98. Set up your profile on a dating app.
99. Learn a musical instrument. My sister learned how to play the ukelele on YouTube and you can too.
100. Write a letter to yourself to open in 10 years.
Ok, that was a massive list! Let me know if you try some of these, and please share any other ideas for things to do when stuck at home! Stay safe and healthy out there and stay the f*k home! xo
Elise Armitage is an entrepreneur and founder of What The Fab, a travel + lifestyle blog based in California. At the beginning of 2019, Elise left her corporate job at Google to chase her dreams: being an entrepreneur and helping women find fabulous in the everyday. Since then, she’s launched her SEO course Six-Figure SEO, where she teaches bloggers how to create a passive revenue stream from their website using SEO. Featured in publications like Forbes, Elle, HerMoney, and Real Simple, Elise is a firm believer that you can be of both substance and style.
