“If you’re lonely when you’re alone, you’re in bad company.”

It’s good that we live in an information rich society but too much information on one thing can be hazardously choking. And when that thing is about a pandemic, it’s more likely to be depressive too. For people like me, who usually like to stay in isolation, it is not too hard to self quarantine for some days. However, for people who like to indulge in parties, social gatherings, it’s coming as a difficult time to cope with. I say, don’t let this time take you down; take advantage of it instead. Start slow, take time to adjust to the new routine and follow through. Here’s how I stay productive and entertained without getting overwhelmed by loneliness:

Clean your house: By cleaning, I don’t just mean mopping and dusting. I also mean to declutter the space. It gives a great peace of mind when you let go of things which no longer serve.

“The first step in crafting the life you want is to get rid of everything you don’t.”

Finish a book: Who’s John Galt? I still need to find out. But ‘Atlas Shrugged’ might have to wait a little longer as I am reading Rujuta Diwekar these days.

Learn a new language: After I quit my job to be a stay at home parent in 2015, I had at least 5 hours to spend on myself when my husband was off for his duty and kid to school. I decided to learn a language in this free time and that’s how I picked out Español. I stumbled upon a free app and some useful channels on YouTube, and found them great for the elementary level Spanish course. I joined back my office in 2016 and recently we have appointed a Spanish teacher to learn full fledged Spanish. She actually came to me to ask how I knew my basics 😉

“You can never understand one language until you understand at least two.”

Take up a new online course: On any of the popular sites like, Coursera, edx, Udemy, you may take up a course in SEO, digital marketing, coding or wherever your interests take you. If you are not interested in something like this, try an educational app like, Byju’s to learn what you never understood back in school. I signed myself up for Physics and Math.

Write: Anything at all… a blog, a song, a poem, a short story or even a novel.

“All bad poetry springs from genuine feeling”

Grow your own vegetables: For me, it’s a preparation phase (for quarantine). Now with a few positive cases in my city, I am already paranoid about going to my local vendor everyday. It’s a good time to grow my own vegetables now. The weather is perfect and I have time too. You too can try out. I grew garlic, onions, basil, coriander, tomatoes, potatoes on my terrace. I had planted some other vegetables too, which didn’t grow well because of my lack of knowledge on farming. I will try again though. I also planted some flowers and indoor plants which are flowering and flourishing pretty well. Thanks to the fertile soil of my locality.

“We learn from our gardens to deal with the most urgent question of the time: How much is enough?”

Cook or learn cooking: I am not an ardent fan of cooking but ever since I started following Pick up lime’s blogs, I started to take an interest in nutritional and vegan food. I have always made sure to feed my family with food of their choice but I hardly considered my own taste. But not anymore. I now realised how much I love to feed myself with healthy, nutritional food. I feel more lively and energetic. Now’s the time for you too to take care of your health and boost your immunity to not just fight COVID but also for a long healthy life ahead.

“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”

Pursue a hobby: Initially, when I quit my job in 2015, it was overwhelming for me to pick one. I then started with one at a time to see which one appeals to me the most and also goes well with my routine. I started with painting but it took more time and patience than I had. So, then I switched to writing poems and songs, which worked just fine alongside other chores. I write them for myself on Facebook and keep the audience setting as “Only me”. I pursue my hobbies just to keep the creativity alive.

“The creative adult is the child who survived.”

Take care of your fitness: So, we all are aware now that Corona is not showing mercy on people with weak immunity. It’s a reminder how negligent I had always been to my health. We all learn things the hard way. Never too late though…Watch Wim Hof’s breathing technique on YouTube. Also, practice a few stretches suggested by “yoginimelbourne”. There are many Yoga channels on YouTube, choose wisely and start now. We worry so much about not being able to step outside but how about going inside now? So, for meditation, start with “Six phase meditation” by Vishen Lakhiani. Their app is called, Omvana.

“The most important pieces of equipment you need for doing yoga are your body and your mind.”

Television: I don’t enjoy watching TV much. But when I do, I watch something light which doesn’t leave me with a heavy heart or sore eyes. In the nutshell, sitcoms come handy to me. Recently, when I was on bed rest for 30 days, I had not much choice but to watch TV, so I started with something familiar to me and that’s F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Next, I picked The Big Bang Theory after which I really didn’t like anything else. Also, by the time I finished these two big series, I was back to my job and routine. Might start The Simpsons whenever I stuck with TV again.

“Good journalism, good television can make our world a better place.”

Play social online games with friends: As a child, I loved to sit around my family and friends over a round of dumb charades and cards. I have started to dedicate a few hours on weekends to play games on a social casino platform developed by my own team. I play Rummy and Poker here with my sisters-in-law on Sundays. It’s a great way to stay bonded with friends and family.

“We do not stop playing because we grow old. We grow old because we stop playing.”

Polish your skills: As I am allowed to work in flexible hours, I am working from 10:30 am till 8:00 pm. This is because I had always wanted the mornings to be mine, that’s the most beautiful time of the day. To get most of it, I wake up early and accomplish everything that I want to cover in my routine to make myself a happy and content person. My boss respects this and I too try not to let him down. So, on weekends, when I have more time, I spend time honing my skills on digital marketing. I also spend some time upgrading my English and Spanish skills. In quarantine, it’s one of the best things to do.

Productivity: Making the hours in a day go further.

Plan ahead: If you are alone all by yourself or with your family, sit down and jot down the things you would need to protect yourself and your loved ones’ future. Basically, financial planning. Like, how much money would you require to save each month if you (have to) retire early. What new insurance your family might need in such time of outbreaks. And also plan some simple things, like, when this pandemic settles down, who would you go first to meet, which place would you travel first and how much money would you need to save for that trip. I am definitely saving more these days as I have already cut my online shopping and junk food expenses to a great extent as a preventive measure from COVID.

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”

Parenting: I can say it’s my favourite. There’s nothing as satisfying as seeing your own child growing into a decent, loving and courteous person, right in front of your eyes. Take this tough time to your advantage and show your child how to be there for each other and help them whenever required. Not just this, as the schools are closed down almost everywhere, it’s a good time you help them develop an interest in reading good literature and fireless cooking. Also, invest some quality time in helping them in subjects they are not performing well at academics. There’s so much you can learn together. I can write a whole blog on this subject. For now, involve them in nurturing the family, ask them to water the plants, feed the pets or ask for any such small favours. The point is also to make them independent so they could at least feed themselves in times of emergencies like this. Hence, fireless cooking.

“Children are not things to be molded, but are people to be unfolded.”

All of the above: Why not? I took up one thing at a time and now it’s my routine. I am busy from morning till I go to sleep at 9:30 pm. It makes me feel so productive at the end of the day. I sleep peacefully and look forward to another day of self care, entertainment and work in the right proportions.

All the other little things: How could I forget to mention that I have also started taking interest in otherwise monotonous things, like ironing, folding clothes, mopping etc. All of a sudden, these chores have become just another part of my life and guess who’s appreciation I am earning these days? My mother-in-law’s. Win-win!

If you can’t entertain yourself, no one else in the world can.

Phew! Quite a long one and why not, I have all the time in the world, afterall 😉