Keeping Productive During Quarantine

Maddy Thomas

Chances are that if you’re reading this article then the boredom of quarantine has gotten the better of you. Either you need a break from Netflix (no, you are no longer watching) or your parents told you to “do something productive”. Or hey, maybe you actually enjoy keeping up to date with ALHS news! Whatever the case may be, I’ve compiled a list of activities that you can do alone or with a friend that aren’t the basic ideas you’ve seen on every other self-help Instagram post. That being said, I present to you: Maddy’s 7 Quarantine Activities That Aren’t Basic.

1.) Take FREE Online Courses Through Harvard

If you’re going to stare at a screen all day (and come on, we both know that you spend most of your time on your phone) why not make it count? Harvard just released 64 new online courses with topics ranging from computer science to opera to omens and prophecies. Learning about bone burning or coding is surely better for your mental health than swiping past update after update of COVID-19, so take a break from your mindless scrolling and check out these courses. Trust me, it helps to spice up your daily routine (aka eating, playing video games, checking social media, and doing classworking) with something new. Below is the link to all of the courses that Harvard just dropped.

https://online-learning.harvard.edu/catalog/free

2.) Tour the Louvre, and Other Museums, Virtually

Ah, the Louvre. The world's largest museum, and most famous, art museum. Such a place is unattainable to many high school students, but now you can see it all from the comfort of your couch! The number of collections, concerts (yes, there are recorded concerts to view), and information to be found on the website for the Louvre is simply astounding. Even if you aren’t the most astistic person ever (if you’re like me then you envy the people who can draw a stick figure) that doesn’t mean that you can’t take a minute (I know you literally have nothing better to do) to look at the work of great artists like Picasso or da Vinci. However, if a French museum isn’t your cup of tea, there are plenty of other museums that are offering free virtual tours of their facilities. Give it a try! Don’t worry, you can thank me for this idea later.

https://www.louvre.fr/en

3.) Watch FREE Concerts on Instagram Live

Chances are that you’re spending a large chunk of your time on social media, so why not take advantage of the live music that’s come out of it? Everyone from Miley Cyrus to Natalie Weiss is using Instagram Live to fill the concert-shaped void that they’ve been left with. All you have to do is follow an artist on Instagram and then you’ll be notified when they have gone live. Better yet, if there are any musicians reading this, don’t be afraid to hold your own “concert” for friends and family. There’s no better way to keep up those musical talents than by performing for your followers! Live Nation Concerts, a music account on Instagram, hosts many bands and artists so by following them you are guaranteed to find a good show and some new music. The link for the Live Nation Concerts is below.

https://www.instagram.com/livenation/?hl=en

4.) Make a New Recipe From Disney

Churros anyone? Or maybe some Dole Whip? How about grilled cheese? Or if none of those interest you, what about a beignet? If you’re stress eating then you might as well do it in style with all of the new recipes that Disney recently released. They’re a fun distraction and they taste even more delicious than they look! Who cares about the so-called “Quarantine 15”? Now’s the time to make yourself some good comfort food, so forget about all of those annoying Instagram ads and go enjoy your solitude with some tasty treats. You deserve it! Below is a link that will take you to a list of all of the sweet treats that Disney has shared with the world. Good luck baking!

https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/topics/disney-recipes/

5.) Watch Some TED Talks

If you have never watched a TED Talk, then now’s your chance! Keep in mind that TED Talks are NOT boring lectures, instead they are meant to inspire people and to introduce you to interesting facts and opinions. Think of it more like Cool Math Games rather than Khan Academy. The topics for TED Talks are virtually endless, with videos from art and ballet to the universe and love. Stir your curiosity with these fun videos! Trust me, your brain will thank you. Taking a break from your Netflix binging is a good idea, especially if that’s all you’ve been doing for the past month. If you aren’t going to exercise your body (come on, we both know you haven't moved out of your bed in days) then at least change up your daily screen routine.

https://www.ted.com/talks

6.) Learn a New Language

Since you’re on your phone 24/7 anyways you might as well do something useful and productive with your time, so why not pick up a new language? If you’re like me and are required to take a language as a general education requirement in college, there’s no better time to get a head start on it. There are literally hundreds of free apps that can teach you almost any language, so take a break from your busy schedule of doing absolutely nothing and start being productive! The beauty of this is that you can do it all from your phone, so don’t worry about having to move out of the cocoon that you’ve made in your bed. Check out Duolingo, Babbel, Rosetta Stone, or any of the other free language learning apps in your app store. Improving your reading, writing, and speaking skills in a plethora of different languages has never been so easy!

7.) Make Food in a Cup

I know this sounds weird, but just roll with me here for a second. If you’ve ever wanted to make edible cookie dough, banana bread, scrambled eggs, or cake without the extensive cleanup (doing the dishes is the absolute worst) then these single serving treats are just the thing for you! You only need a microwave safe cup and some basic baking ingredients to create a sweet (or savory) snack just for you. All you have to do for this is walk to your kitchen, and my guess is that you already do that about 20 times a day anyways (I know, I know, it’s so disappointing when no new food has magically appeared in your fridge). You can literally make yourself breakfast in the same cup that you drink your morning coffee in (although I would recommend washing it first). How cool is that?? I’ve linked a page with 26 cup-friendly recipes that range from cheesecake to omelettes. Have fun baking!

https://www.brit.co/one-mug-recipes/