So, we now know what a #blackswan is. I feel like 9-11 and the polar vortex had a baby called Corona. The fear factor seems a bit like 9-11 and the shelter in place like the polar vortex (except everyone seems to be a the stores stocking up). Life certainly has been disrupted
When did you go stock up on toilet paper, canned goods and disinfectant wipes? Personally, I went out two weeks ago while watching what was happening on the other side of the world and then again this week. But it really hasn’t hit us until the past couple of days when everything is being cancelled. Since I find myself with quite a clear schedule the next couple of weeks, it got me thinking. My time discernment found me creating a list of potential things to do that are mostly not work related. I’ll work on that list next. So here is the list to help inspire your own.
50 Things to do while self-quarantining for COVID-19
1. Complete 2020 Census.
2. Binge watch Netflix.
3. Clean out your refrigerator, toss expired foods.
4. Paint that room.
5. Clean out your emails.
6. Delete photos off your camera roll on your phone.
7. Go through your medicine cabinet and throw out expired items.
8. Organize family photos/work on scrapbooks.
9. Throw out old spices.
10. Go through your closet and donate clothes to charity.
11. “Marie Kondo” your condo or house and get ready for a garage sale.
12. Find your “honey do” list and get some things “honey done.”
13. Do something artistic.
14. Wash your windows.
15. Clean your car.
16. Do yard work.
17. Go for a nature walk away from crowds.
18. Update your will.
19. Learn how to cook something new.
20. Bake your favorite dessert and share it with your elderly neighbor.
21. Write a letter to someone who hasn’t heard from you in a long time.
22. Call your parents. If they aren’t alive, call your kids. If you don’t have kids, call a friend.
23. Tidy up your garage.
24. Shred old bills and documents.
25. Do your taxes.
26. Start seeds for your garden.
27. Organize computer files.
28. Play board games with your family.
29. Rearrange your furniture.
30. Spring clean your yard.
31. Meditate.
32. Stretch, yoga.
33. Change the sheets on your bed (and wash them). It’s time to take off my flannel anyway.
34. Hold meetings and conversations online.
35. Make something.
36. Read a book.
37. Play your favorite music.
38. Update your social media profiles.
39. Sign up for an online class.
40. Order new (fill in the blank) online.
41. Update your resume.
42. Write something.
43. Learn a new language.
44. Participate in a webinar.
45. Purchase gift certificates from your favorite small businesses to help keep them in business during this downturn.
46. Write a thank you letter to your favorite coach or teacher.
47. Check-in with an elderly family member or neighbor.
48. Pull out baby pictures and share stories.
49. Water, re-pot, fertilize your plants.
50. Just “be” with the one/s you love.
So many choices. Don’t let fear rule your life right now. Take steps to be safe and keep healthy and take this time to do some things you’ve put off for weeks, months, years or even decades. We’ll get through this together. And, besides, wouldn’t it be nice to slip into clean sheets tonight and wake up to a clean fridge tomorrow?
P.S. Since the virus is spread by contact of the droplets and proper hand washing is a great way to keep yourself healthy, I made this video to share a new hand washing technique I learned last fall before I underwent back surgery at Rush-Copley. It’s not your grandma’s hand washing, so check it out. Stay well my friends.
