This year has been a strange one for all of us. Whether you have had to stay at home because of quarantine, or you’ve had to work from home, a lot of the hobbies and activities we used to enjoy simply aren’t are not able to be participated in at this time.
Within this article we will go over some hobbies and activities you can start whilst in quarantine that will hopefully help entertain you and pass the extra time you may have on your hands.
21. Build your own Desk
Due to being stuck at home, you’re probably spending a lot more time at your desk than usual. Maybe you’ve found that it’s just not up to scratch, now that you have spent more time using it and it’s flaws become more obvious.
What before may have been serviceable, now seems uncomfortable or maybe it just doesn’t have enough space on it for all your work supplies. You may have considered just buying a new one but it could be that the space you have is not something that meets the measurements of standard desk sizes.
Building your own desk will allow having the utmost customization in how your desk is constructed and let you make sure it fits with the space you have available.
It also serves as a fun and rewarding way to spend your time, having a project that will result in a product that will help you carry out any work you have to do daily.
20. Learning a Language
Trying to learn another language is probably something that you have thought about doing before, but maybe you didn’t have the time available to you. Now with all the extra time from not needing to commute and being at home, it is the perfect time to learn.
Learning another language can give you a valuable skill that will help you in many ways. It will make more jobs available to you, let you enjoy media from other countries, and let you communicate with people you couldn’t before.
It can also help you understand how your first language works better, which is a great thing to deepen your understanding of for a better everyday life and to give you more creativity in using your first language.
Click here to see online courses ranging from $19
19. Cocktail Making
One hobby that can be especially good at helping to alleviate the boredom of being stuck inside is cocktail making. Most people probably have a cupboard somewhere in their house with a bunch of half-drunk bottles of various alcohols that, with the right recipe, can become a tasty treat.
Now that going to a bar is not possible, maybe you could replicate the same experience by mixing your own cocktails at home.
There are many different recipes out there and some require very few ingredients – a Dark & Stormy for example is delicious and only needs dark rum and apple juice.
This can be a great hobby to help you relax after a stressful day or to show of your creativity to others.
Once you have learned a few recipes, and are confident in your skill, you can start to experiment with flavors and techniques to create something unique to you.
There are also loads of gadgets and gizmos geared towards cocktail making that can enhance the experience for you. Things like shakers and strainers, as well as ice cube molds that come in different shapes and sizes.
Have you heard of Kombucha? Click here to learn more
18. Set up a Home Gym
An important aspect of a healthy lifestyle than can become compromised during quarantine is keeping fit. Now that going out to gym or to play teams sports is no longer an option, other ways to keep fit and going to have to be used.
One way to keep fit at home is to set aside a small space in your home to use as a gym. Even if you don’t have much space, just having using a corner of a room with a couple of weights or an exercise bike will do the trick. You could even get exercise by simply going up and down the stairs repeatedly.
If you decide that a home gym is right for you, and you have the space, upgrades such as treadmills, rowing machines, or a bench press can allow your home gym to be more well rounded and offer you a better workout experience.
17. Bread Baking
During quarantine, most of us have come to realize the value of everyday commodities such as bread. Leaving the house simply isn’t an option for some people anymore so finding ways to be self-sufficient has become crucial.
Bread is something that most people eat every day and so is one of the best things you can learn to make yourself. It also has the benefit of being a relatively simple food to bake, so it’s quite easy to get started with. However, as you get more proficient you can experiment and try new things to keep things fresh and exciting.
There are also many different styles of bread you can make and researching new recipes and finding out which ones you want to try can be an interesting way to spend your time. You can find a whole bunch of these recipes online which full tutorials on how to bake them just the right way.
Baking your own bread will, usually, also be cheaper than buying it from a store and provide you with the satisfaction and pride of knowing you made the food you are eating.
Read our complete Guide to Bread Making here
16. Make your own Home Cinema
Going to the movies is a pastime enjoyed by so many people and an experience like no other. However, in quarantine, it’s impossible to go out to your favorite movie theater to see the latest blockbuster or any older films they may be rescreening.
A home cinema would allow you to have this movie theater experience right within the comfort of your own home, as the name may suggest. You can take all your favorite bits of going to the movies and replicate them yourself to tailor the experience to your personal taste.
With the proper space and setup, it’ll feel just like the real thing and scratch that movie-going itch you’ve probably had since the start of quarantine. Some film studios are also allowing some new releases to be broadcast over streaming services, so you won’t be missing out on some of the films you were excited about.
A projector capable of producing a 10Foot screen can cost as little as $80.
If you wonder how to properly set up a home cinema, there are plenty of guides online that will instruct you on how to do it properly – finding the right viewing angles and light levels for example.
15. Pickling
Now that taking a trip to the store isn’t as safe as it used to be, or maybe you aren’t allowed due to quarantine, making the food you have last longer is a very useful thing to know how to do.
Say you make a meal and have some leftover vegetables, or maybe there are some vegetables in your fridge going out of date, you can take these vegetables and pickle them to expand their shelf life and keep yourself fed for longer.
Most of the things you need to get started are things you will likely already have in your cupboards and there are many guides online on how to do it and different recipes to follow.
The only thing you may not have are jars to store your pickled items in but these can be easily sourced online.
Once you’ve got the basics down you can easily experiment with different spices and ingredients to express your creativity and create some delicious food that would have otherwise been wasted.
14. Card Tricks
One hobby that can be fun is to learn card tricks. Imagine the look on your friends and family’s faces when you can show off a bunch of cool tricks to them – once quarantine is over.
Card tricks has a very low barrier to entry as they only require your hands and a deck of cards. There are many tutorials online on how to perform simple or more difficult card tricks sure to impress anyone watching.
Learning to perform card tricks can also give the added bonuses of enhancing your dexterity and boosting your creativity, along with your confidence.
13. Design your own Clothes
Ever spent ages browsing for a specific kind of clothing only to have it elude you? Maybe you were looking for a jacket, sweater, or sneaker, but could never quite find what you were looking for? In that case, it could be time to consider designing your own clothing.
A good way to bolster your creativity, designing clothing can be a fun hobby that let’s you draw up the perfect piece of clothing for you. The only limit to what you can design is your imagination so don’t be afraid to make something unusual.
If you make enough designs maybe you could even try out making it a reality and turning your designs into actual pieces of clothing for you to wear. Even if you decide not to, the designing in of itself is fun and rewarding and gives you some time to flex your creative muscles.
12. Cooking
As with Pickling and Bread Baking, in quarantine, making sure you are getting the most out of all your ingredients is important – as going to the store is not something you can do as frequently, if at all.
This is why it can be rewarding to refine your cooking skills and make sure you are fully utilizing all that you have available to you.
Looking for recipes that use ingredients that you commonly use can expand the amount of options you have when deciding what to cook, and as a result will make you more likely to cook something new and interesting instead of cooking nothing and wasting food.
Getting better a cooking can improve your confidence and dexterity which are both things that will benefit you in life outside the kitchen too.
As you get better at recipes you can also start to experiment and put your own twist on recipes and even make up some of your own from scratch.
Cooking is a very rewarding hobby to take part in as you and your loved ones get to measure the improvements you make with every meal. Online you will find thousands upon thousands of recipes to get you started on the path the becoming a brilliant cook.
11. Build your own Computer
Most people will have had to use a computer for work, but even if you didn’t, you now probably have to anyway. With people working from home in quarantine, the computer has become and even more valuable tool – not just for work but also interacting with the outside world.
You may find that now you have to use your computer more regularly that it is not up to the tasks you now need to perform on.
Maybe you have a computer from quite a few years ago and it’s now showing it’s age and it’s time for an upgrade.
Whilst you can buy a pre-built computer, you would be missing out on saving some money along with the fun and rewarding challenge of building the machine yourself.
Most system builders will charge a mark-up on top of the price of the components for building the machine and often you can find the components yourself for cheaper than they advertise.
It’s also a useful skill to have and will give you knowledge to understand how the components work and what they do.
If anything were to go wrong with your computer in the future then you would be more likely to be able to troubleshoot the cause instead of having to pay somebody else to do it.
10. Online Gaming
Are you looking for a way to keep in contact with friends and family that can also be a fun and interesting experience?
Whilst having a phone call or video phoning is a good way to keep in contact, online games will allow you to actually share an interactive experience with the person/s you are contacting.
Nearly all games these days will have an online or multiplayer mode built in and this will allow you to play with people all around the world.
Quite a few games will even allow you to play with people on different platforms to you, so you can play with someone who uses a XBOX whilst you are on your PC.
Online games also help to boost your problem solving, reflexes, and even your dexterity. There is also an amazing amount of variety when it comes to online games so you can choose something you’re sure that everyone will enjoy playing.
A lot of games are free to play and so you don’t have to invest any money to get started in some cases.
9. Streaming
Now that you have more time to spend at home on your existing hobbies and maybe you want to share them with people but obviously can’t because you are locked up indoors.
Streaming can be a way for you to achieve this from inside your home. This hobby can be an excellent way to broadcast your passions and hobbies to an eager audience across the world.
From your computer you can share your passions and talents, from art, to cooking, to woodwork, to DIY, you will find that there are people out there that will enjoy whatever content it is you wish to make.
This hobby can also give you a sense of community in a time when you may be feeling a bit lonely as the stresses of quarantine get to you. Being able to share what you love and interact with other people in real-time can really lift your spirits.
There are many tutorials online that can help you get started with finding the right equipment, what software to use, and how to set up your stream, so why not give it a go and share what you enjoy with the world.
8. Learn how to code
Whilst stuck at home in quarantine it is well worthwhile picking up hobbies that give you additional skills that and can help you in getting jobs as well as projects you can do just for fun. Learning how to code is one of these hobbies.
People who can code are highly sought after when it comes to employment and it’s a hobby that can be turned into a potential money-making tool. You can learn to code from home with nothing but a computer and an internet connection so it’s quite accessible.
Coding also lets you understand how a computer works and why it works the way it does which can be really interesting and rewarding. You can also use coding to create projects for fun that can be anything from, an alarm system, a calculator, or even a video game.
On the internet, you can find a whole bunch of free resources that can teach you the basics all the way up to the most complex uses of code, so if it interests you then get stuck in.
7. Yoga
Do you often find yourself unable to relax or struggling to focus? Maybe you also want a hobby that can help keep you flexible and physically fit? Yoga may be just the hobby for you.
Yoga is an excellent hobby that can be done with minimal equipment and doesn’t require all that much space to perform either. All you need is a space large enough for you to lie down and stretch out unobstructed.
What yoga allows you to do is keep yourself flexible as well as use your body to either force your mind to focus or let your mind wander freely. Lots of people often try yoga and don’t keep up with it because it they don’t think it works for them but the more likely answer is that they just hadn’t found the right kind for them.
There are many different kinds of yoga and it is worth experiment with them all the find the type, or combination of types, that work the best for you personally.
You can find tutorials online with ease, so it’s worth looking into as it only costs you time. Even if you find at the end that it’s not for you, at the very least you will have helped yourself stay nimble.
Read more about starting Yoga as a hobby here
6. Home Improvements
Spending more time at home during quarantine may have brought to light issues in your home that previously went by unnoticed. Maybe your faucets are a bit loose or your cupboard doors are squeaking. It could be time for some Home Improvement.
This can be a great hobby to get into as it will have a direct impact on your daily life, however small (and at the moment it is the little things that matter the most).
Try making a list of all of the things you’ve noticed around your home that could do with a bit of attention and formulate a plan to get things pushing in the right direction.
Once you’ve started to get through your list you will probably find out you are having a bit of fun sprucing up the place and maybe find some more things to add to your list along the way. This hobby is great as you get to see the results of your work in real-time and it can be extremely rewarding.
5. Learn an Instrument
One hobby that people often say they are interested in taking part in but just don’t have the time for is learning an instrument. But now that you are in quarantine you will probably have found some extra time available to you, so why not start now?
With such a wide variety of instruments to choose from, you can really take the time and do your research to find the instrument that is just right for you and suits your style the best.
The good thing about learning an instrument nowadays is that there are many resources available online that can do the same job as an actual music tutor, meaning you can learn an instrument yourself during your quarantine.
Whether it be an app or a video tutorial, you should be able to find a resource out there to help you get started and learn a new skill that is fun, creative, and rewarding.
Online music lesson prices here!
4. Brewing your own Coffee
When we talk about brewing your own coffee we’re not just talking about the instant stuff, what we mean is taking your coffee all the way from the beans to the delicious piping hot mug itself.
A lot of people will grab a coffee on the way as they commute to work. In quarantine however this is no longer possible, and so you have to get creative.
The good news is that it’s surprisingly easier to get that barista-style coffee at home, with the right kit.
Making your coffee at home instead of buying it from a store is also more environmentally friendly and you can even go further to reducing your impact by using reusable filters and Fairtrade coffee beans.
There are lots of videos and articles online that’ll show you what gear to get and how to put them to use properly.
Ultimately, brewing your own coffee is a way for you to be creative, have a rewarding daily ritual and reduce your impact on the environment, that also has the bonus of granting you a delicious beverage.
3. Catch up on Movies & TV
Being in quarantine provides you with an amount of free time you may simply have not had in years. There probably dozens of great TV shows and movies that your friends and family have been telling you to start watching for years, so why not get started now?
Watching TV and movies can be a great way to unwind after a stressful day or simply an enjoyable way to pass the time.
Allowing yourself to be transported away to another world lets you ignore whatever problems have been going on that day and just be immersed in an amazing story.
This hobby can also offer a boost to your own creativity and provide you with inspiration for your own creative pursuits.
One other positive aspect is that it gives you something to talk about with friends and family which is always a nice thing to have.
3. Restoration Projects
You’ve probably got a few items around that have a sentimental value attached to them but lost their functionality a while ago. Maybe it’s an old bit of technology that’s seen better days or an old piece of furniture that was passed down to you.
Starting a restoration project will help you to breathe new life into an old or broken belonging to bring back its functionality and give it purpose once again.
Restoration projects are rewarding as they allow you to see the difference you can make when you give something a bit of TLC and you can see your work pay off in the end result.
You also help to reduce your impact on the environment as you can use this restored item instead of buying a new one. If you have such an item and are interested in seeing what it would look like fully restored then why not start up your own restoration project?
1. Origami
Are you looking for a hobby that will let you show your creativity as well as give you some beautiful new decorations for your home? If this is the case then Origami could be a great new hobby for you to start.
Origami is a great hobby to start as it doesn’t take much to get into, all you really need is some paper and a bit of creativity. You can of course get special origami paper to help you out a bit.
There are so many different origami designs that you can find and try to replicate. You can find a lot of these online accompanied by video tutorials that will help you get to grips with what you have to do.
This is an excellent hobby as it can help improve your creativity, dexterity, and can allow you to decorate your home for very little cost.
Summary
To conclude, in quarantine you may find extra time on your hands and there are plenty of hobbies that you can start to fill this spare time with meaningful activities.
Whether they help you make your supplies last longer, give you an outlet for your creativity, or give you a valuable life skill, you will be able to find a hobby that has just what you want.
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