Many of us are confined to our homes because of the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic. These circumstances could leave us feeling trapped without exciting things to do at home. But social isolation is a fantastic opportunity to do great things or perform some soul searching. That is why I’ve made this shortlist on productive things to do while staying at home — plus some free tools that can help out.

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Do a digital declutter

If you can work from home — it means your computer is your work tool. This means that a good clean up — both hardware and software — will be paramount to your success and productivity. Plus, with the ongoing crisis, cybercrime activity is on the rise, which means that some extra security measures will go a long way to keep you safe.

Organize your folders

Your desktop is the first thing you see when you boot up your machine, so do some file management and make sure that it is neat, well organized, and understandable at a glance. Ideally, you would need only a few shortcuts to your frequently used folders or programs. You can categorize them by purpose and then figure out which files or documents are crucial to you and need extra security. A good encryption software will keep your data secure from potential leaks and will ensure its safety when using email or cloud storage. I would recommend checking out NordLocker for securing individual files (let’s you encrypt up to 2GB for free), or Veracrypt for securing entire disk drives.

Clean up your hardware

So you organized your desktop for peak efficiency, but your machine is still a stuttering mess? That means you need to clean up all the accumulated dust inside it. It’s easier to do if you’re using a PC and not a laptop, but that should not discourage you from looking up a tutorial on how to dismantle your machine and do some tinkering. If not — at least disinfect the surfaces that you touch most often — after all, a pandemic is terrorizing us out there!

Clean your inbox

Your digital mailbox is getting bombarded right now with news about COVID-19 and how everyone is managing it. Nothing wrong with that, but it is a good idea to eliminate some of the white noise going on right now, as well as cleaning up some of the previously accumulated junk. You can utilize Clean Email for this.

Unsubscribe from unwanted emails

Most email providers give only a limited amount of storage, and unsubscribing from unimportant notifications will provide you with more time to focus on things that are relevant to you.

Listen to a podcast

Working on your computer all day can strain your eyes — so try listening to something instead. There are loads of podcasts covering a wide variety of interesting topics. You can always look through the podcasts on Spotify, or you can check out Audible and their selection of audiobooks that is currently available for free.

Watch a documentary

If your eyes don’t feel tired after a day’s work, then go ahead and watch some documentaries instead — it’s great to stimulate you both visually and mentally. You can find plenty of options here. If you already have Netflix though, you could utilize a VPN to expand your library from other regions as well. For this you could use NordVPN, VyprVPN or ExpressVPN — they have 30 day money back guarantees so you can try them and see which works better for you.

Optimize your browser

If you’re like me — then you love leaving multiple tabs open all the time. Well, maybe it’s time to get rid of that habit and switch to bookmarking your favorite pages instead. And this goes for online profiles too — do you need that many? Delete some for improved online privacy and change passwords for better security instead of reusing the same ones everywhere. This would be easier with a password manager — it’ll help you create strong passwords and to store them securely. You can try out NordPass for this — it’s free and has a browser extension for easy log-ins. Alternatively, you can use KeePass for a less convenient, but arguably more secure option, as it encrypts and saves your passwords locally.

Learn new skills

Perhaps you prefer active learning — then tutorials or lectures are a great thing to try out as well. Platforms like Udemy, Skillshare, and Pluralsight are filled with high-quality learning material from professionals.

Learn a new language

Did you have some big plans to travel before the pandemic? Unfortunately, they have to be postponed, but you can prepare for the future by learning a new language instead — locals are always happy when the tourists know some phrases in their native language. You can try out Duolingo, Memrise or Babbel to gamify the learning process for free.

Practice a musical instrument

If you have a musical instrument lying around — now’s the perfect time to bust out some tunes! However, this might be tricky if you don’t have any instruments at home and, sadly, musical shops are not an essential service. But improvised drums are always an option. You can also learn some music theory instead for free right here.

Spring clean your house

Cleaning up digital workspace is excellent, but your physical environment is just as crucial to your mental well being and productivity. But don’t just limit yourself to your workspace — clean out every single room in your home — you might have to work from here for quite a while. You can also clean out your wardrobe because now is a great time to assess it critically when you don’t have to go out so much.

Workout

Home workouts are a necessity when all the gyms are closed. Plus, you don’t need any gear to make progress. I would recommend watching this video for a good home workout routine without any equipment, but you can choose something more fitting for you.

Start a blog

You can write blogs about pretty much anything, and starting one is relatively easy with tools like WordPress. Everyone is stuck at home so they’ll have no choice but to read what you have to say.

Plan for the future

Companies are seeing a negative economic impact from the pandemic. Thus your job security could be in peril. It’s better to be prepared for the worst and to update your resume.

Learn how to invest your money

The stock market is crashing hard right now, but on a positive note, investing now could be a viable option to prepare for the eventual growth when this all blows over. It could be a while, but investment is all about taking bold risks.

Meditate

Meditation is the perfect way to calm down and deal with stress during this chaotic period. If you’re unsure on how to do it properly, check out Headspace for free to use their guided meditations.

Try out some DIY projects

One of the most productive things to do by yourself is to try out a DIY project. You can find plenty of ideas on this website.

Photography

Social distancing is still essential, so try out photography that doesn’t involve other people — nature, landscapes, animals, architecture.

Try out some new dishes

You’ll have to do a lot cooking yourself during these upcoming months, so why not try out some new recipes? Alternatively, you can look into meal prep so you don’t have to worry about cooking every day and can prepare for the whole week in one day.