Since we're all in the same boat and, I’ve figured from all the messages I’ve received saying ‘I’m bored’ that people haven’t found many interesting activities to keep themselves busy with since we can’t go out at the moment. I thought I'd provide some activities you can do to keep you occupied for the time being:

 

Dig out that notebook you may have received as a present when you were younger and start a ‘Life in Quarantine’ diary. It’s a fun way to keep a record of all the strange things you might never have had the time to do. Or if you're not one for diary entries you could try pouring those story ideas that have been stuffed in the corner of your mind onto some paper, planting a seed and creating a motion picture in someone else’s mind. On the topic of words, maybe sit down and read some books instead of continuing to stare at the screen for the entirety of the day and night.

 

If you have an instrument lying around, maybe try and start utilising these few weeks for learning some cool songs. I’ve started attempting to play the piano properly and have already seen a huge improvement with my sight-reading, and that’s just been 30 minutes daily for 2 weeks! On the note of music, maybe try and create a music video, at the same time, you'll be able to pick up some editing skills! 

 

Maybe if you could catch up on some work and do some extra revision whilst you’ve got the time. Or you could even do something unrelated to school and try learning a new language using an app like Duolingo. It's a productive way to use your phone instead of scrolling through social media for hours.

 

Although I may be contradicting myself slightly, the TV and Netflix were invented for a reason. A film my friend Sky Millar recommended is Arthur (1981). She said:

‘I like it because it shows that love is more powerful than money because I chose to give up his wealth and family to marry the woman he loved. It's interesting because people in the movie show very different attitudes to people and wealth depending on class it may present to us problems from when it was set to the continuance of those problems in 2020 for example that being wealthy, you mean and selfish but being poor made you a thief or a nuisance and that having powerful friends makes you untouchable.

As well as all these films if you're one for theatre and stage productions, the National Theatre, Met Opera and many more arts companies are offering free screenings of a variety of productions on certain dates. Similar to this, artists are doing live stream concerts to make up for those world tours they’ve had to cancel. One of my favourite singers, Orla Gartland, snuck in an unreleased song to hers. This is amazing as it shows how people are still showing a sense of community and maybe even sacrificing some ‘surprises’ for our entertainment!

 

 

As you can see, there are many ways to keep entertained during these surreal times, so go attempt to juggle, learn a Tik-Tok dance, pull out that dusty 1000-piece puzzle and get creative. There are so many other ways to be spending your free time than with constant screen time. Everyone has hidden talents, and this is the time to discover them!

 

By Ambar Madhok