Your House Is OK: Some Ideas On How To Keep Busy While Self-Isolating

Who would have thought we’d already be looking back on 2019 as such simpler times, but here we are.

In the midst of the current COVID-19 situation it’s been made very clear from health professionals and authorities that self-isolation and social distancing are vital in “flattening the curve”, protecting those most vulnerable and generally helping the world overcome an un-precedented time of crisis.

At Perth Is OK our tune has always been to get out and see our stunning state, explore the incredible landscapes and social scenes it has to offer. But right now it the best course of action is limiting as best you can the spread of COVID-19, which means spending a lot of time around the house.

And so here’s as many ideas as we could think up about stuff to do to keep you safe and sane. And who knows, you might even pick up a new skill or 10.

For all the latest information on COVID-19, please head to the Department Of Health WEBSITE, which is updated constantly.

Watch Some Top Shelf TV

This is a pretty obvious one and most peoples’ go-to, and in the era of digital streaming we’re pretty spoilt for choice these days! That said, if you’re ploughing through all your faves on the paid services, don’t forget there’s also plenty of excellent free streaming options. ABC iVIEW and SBS ON DEMAND should be your first ports of call, with a huge range of TV shows and movies from all over the globe, along with some excellent quality homemade stuff.

Give Your Indoor Plants Some TLC

Remember how you’d march off to work everyday and look at your sad little indoor plant collection, limp leaves just begging you for a bit of attention? Well now you’ve got time to help them feel good. Most indoor plants should be re-potted at least once a year and would probably love a little does of fertiliser too. Greenery is good for the soul, now’s the chance to give yours a freshen-up.

Start A Garden

If you’re lucky enough to have a bit of yard space, there’s plenty of reasons to get a garden going. While we’re not exactly at food shortage panic stations, won’t you feel good knowing out in the backyard you’re growing a bunch of veggies to keep you fed and healthy over the journey?

Learn A New Language

It’s something we all talk about doing, but never find the time to do it. In 2020 it’s easier than ever to pick up a new language, and now you’ve got no excuse. There’s plenty of great options to get it done as well, with Duolingo the most popular and obvious start point.

Read A Book

Another obvious one, and an incredible replace for anxiety-inducing social media scrolling. The benefits of reading books are countless (although here’s a 10 good pretty great reasons to start), but it’s another thing that gets thrown by the way side in our fast-paced world. Mindlessly scrolling down the Facebook ain’t stimulating anything besides a heart attack, so dive into some classics and give yourself something to talk about when you…

Call Your Friends And Family

Funnily enough even though it’s called “social” media, turns out it’s actually making us all pretty unsocial. Just because we have a constant stream of seeing what our friends and family are up to, doesn’t mean we’re actually connecting with them in a meaningful fashion. Maintaining those human connections are going to more important than ever before in the coming weeks and months, and outside of being able to physically hang out with people, calling them up or Facetiming them is going to be crucial to getting through these tough times.

Feel The Burn And Work On Your Fitness

While we understand the temptation to sit around the house and binge watch Netflix is going to be great, that makes it all the more important to try and establish some kinda fitness regime. There’s so many online materials and apps that can help you do so in a way that suits you best, so it’s lucky you have a big old internet at your fingertips (all things going to plan). Likewise there is a plethora of yoga and mindfulness materials on the interwebs – keeping your body in shape is one very crucial step to keeping your mind in shape.

Buy Some Music/Band Merch

The entertainment and live music sectors have already taken a disastrous hit in the past week, and it’s only going to get worse in the future. Now more than ever this sector needs your support, so now is the the time to buy some merch, or purchase your favourite artist’s music (outside of just Spotify streams). Every little bit is going to count in the coming months, and if you’ve got the financial ability to do so, we’re sure there’s a heap of bands who’d love your love.

Become A Masterchef

You’re gonna be doing a lot of cooking for yourself over the next few weeks, so you may as well get good at it. Assuming you’re already stockpiling ingredients, it’s time you do them justice and cook for the future. Focus on larger meals with plenty of leftovers to chuck in the freezer. Obviously the internet is once again your friend here, but to save you a bit of time here’s 46 recipes to get you started.

See If Your Fave Restaurants Do Vouchers/Take-Aways

Similar to above, the impact on the hospitality and restaurant industries is going to be enormous, with limited ways of helping outside of rolling the dice and still going out. How long even that is an option remains to be seen, but one way you can help is calling up/emailing to see if they do gift vouchers. Call it an investment in a future night out, but it’s also a tiny little thing to help them get through the impending quiet times. A lot of restaurants are starting to work on take-away options with limited human contact, so if you’re missing your fave joint’s specials, hit ’em up to see what they’ve got on offer.

Organise Your Photos

One of those weird little jobs that you might not think of, but will give you some piece of mind and a nice little trip down memory lane. If you’re anything like us, your phone’s photo folder is scattered with thousands of snaps documenting your life in the past few years. Wouldn’t it feel good to get them organised into folders, and delete the 17 different version of the one shot you wanted from that fun thing you did?

Clean The House

This one barely needs an explanation, but if you don’t see now as the perfect opportunity to finally get your house in clean order, there’s no hope for you. Not only is it essential for hygiene, it’s essential for piece of mind that the place your spending the most time in looks and feels clean and tidy.

Get Some Fresh Air!

Just because your self-isolating doesn’t mean you can’t go outside. The virus might be airborne but that doesn’t mean it’s floating around everywhere. Make sure you get outside as much as possible, find a nice quiet park to get some fresh air and sunshine – get out and small the roses!

Take An Online Course

The internet has obviously been a pretty key feature in a number of the activities we’ve discussed here (and heaven forbid we lose that anytime soon), but it really does open the world up to you. There are online courses for literally everything these days, so if there’s a hobby or particular skill you’ve always thought you wanted to try, there is no time like the present to get to work on it.

Reduce Boredom With Board Games

We know you’ve got a dusty old box of old board games hidden somewhere down the back of the house. If there was ever a better time to brush up on your economic nous with a few rounds of Monopoly – now is it. Mousetrap and Jenga can help your building skills, or maybe a bit of Scrabble to keep the vocabulary verbose. If you’re light on, a quick trip down to the local Op Shop should help you (and them) out plenty.

Got a tip we didn’t mention here? Let us know – hi@perthisok.com