How to keep busy while on lockdown

March 22, 2020

I honestly do not even know where to start when writing this blog post. It’s been a bit quiet over here after we came back from Paris. Work has been so incredibly busy lately – and not the most fun either – and it started having an effect on me. I was coming home really late hours and after dinner I either went straight to bed, squeezed in an exercise or spent some quality time with the man. It has also been a tough time for me in some medical aspects, maybe I will tell more about that someday.

Wherever you are in the world right now, I think your surroundings may have shifted so quickly due to the coronavirus. I hope everyone is staying safe and taking the needed precautions. I actually wasn’t sure if I was going to hit the subject on the blog. You currently hear and read about it everywhere, obviously. Often the information can be misleading, and I do not want to share any misinformation. But I do think it has hit a level now that we cannot ‘not talk’ about it anymore?

I am currently working all days from home and I am so so so lucky I get to keep my job (for now), I am fully aware of that. Even though I am grateful (I basically always am, I never take things for granted) for many things, I am also worried. About the elder, people at risk, the hospital staff (will they ever recover from this!?), about business owners and employees who are losing their jobs.. How do you feel about this situation?

While I do understand the serious situation we are upon, I do enjoy the relatable quarantine and ‘WFH’ memes and jokes. I think we need the humor to overcome this situation and make the best of it.

To give you a bit of information: we’re not in an official lockdown in the Netherlands yet. All the restaurants and bars are closed, all the events are canceled, a lot of stores are closed, there are still people on the streets but way less. Most of the salons are closed too, so this morning my babe touched up my grey roots for me. It was hilarious but he did such a great job! He scored some serious credit, for real. Basically, we stay home all day but I do love to take a walk outside. Especially during the weekdays when I’m working, I really need to clear my head during lunch breaks. We only go to places where it’s not crowded and responsible to go. So as long as we’re not in an official lockdown, I will go outside to go for a walk in nature as long it’s still responsible.

But honestly, I don’t really mind being at home so much. I love spending time at home. To me, there’s always something to do. So since I’m such an expert on it, I decided to make a list (I love making lists) of some ideas and some of my favorite things to do while spending time at home:

Organize and declutter your clothes, make sure to make a box for goodwill too
Read a book, or listen to one!
Make a digital photo album (I recommend to use Once Upon)
Try out a new recipe (I just got Jamie Cooks Italy and I adore it)
Get out your retro game console
Play board games, I really like Rummikub!
Give yourself a mani-pedi
Declutter your drawers and paperwork
Fix things around the house, this thing to do is basically my favorite
Sort out your makeup, maybe you can make someone happy with some unused items
Have a facemask, or 12, this one is currently my favorite
Do a workout at home (Keep it Cleaner is my go-to)
Finally go through those magazines you’ve bought and barely read (guilty!)
Take extra good care of your pets/plants
Do a puzzle
Buy an ‘adult’ coloring book, I have one too!
Spend some time gardening
Learn to meditate, I recently picked up the Balance app.
Bake some sh*t
Clean your makeup brushes
Make some wall art for your home
Treat yourself to a long bath, scented candles, and some Netflix
Remove old photo’s from your phone (my album hits about 7k pictures, I REALLY need to do this)
Find a nice DIY project on Pinterest
Get out your old skool Lego’s
Learn a makeup tutorial on Youtube