170+ THINGS TO DO while social distancing! PLUS More things to do as things reopen! ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
As the world returns to some normalcy, some places are reopening with modifications. This opens the door to more activity ideas that involve getting out of the house.
DISCLAIMERS: - This list is meant to keep you busy. It is not meant to be 100% productive. Some of the things are productive, some of them are not. The purpose is so you don’t get so bored during social distancing that you pick up gaming and get addicted again. - If your area prohibits you from doing any of these things during social distancing orders, don’t do it. If you are positive for COVID-19, please stay home and only go out for essentials. Please follow any and all rules about masks, social distancing, and what you can and cannot do in your area.
LOW RISK (At home or outdoors with no crowds, but may require items from a store or restaurant)
- Read
- Watch TV
- Board/Card Games (solo or with ppl you live with)
- Jigsaw Puzzles
- Sudoku
- Crosswords
- Learn a language
- Take an online class (try Brilliant or Skillshare)
- Travel Virtually (videos, recipes, online tours,...)
- Virtual Hangouts
- Virtual Game night (online board/card/trivia games)
- Virtual Watch party (Netflix party or TV in sync)
- Virtual Sing/Dance off
- Draw
- Journal
- Do household chores
- Get some work done
- Take a nap
- Sanitize your home
- Meditate
- Look around the house and find things to sell
- Look around the house and find things to donate
- Look around the house and find things to trash
- Yoga
- Home workout
- Take a walk
- Eat a meal on your porch or in your yard
- Cook a new recipe
- Bake something
- Plan a vacation after lockdown is over
- Get a side hustle to make extra money
- Get a basket and throw a sock or soft ball into it (play w/family or against the clock)
- Adjust your sleep schedule
- Set some goals for yourself
- Plan an ultimate party for when lockdown is over
- Stack cups (try speed stacking)
- Solve a Rubiks Cube (try speed cubing)
- Get takeout from a place you never been to
- Take a drive around the block
- Go to the park
- Watch a trivia show and try to answer questions
- Find 10 charities to give $1 to
- Invest some money into stocks
- Find cool places to visit after lockdown
- Play with your pet
- Adopt a pet
- Solve riddles or brain teasers online
- Pick up Dungeons and Dragons virtually
- Get into trading cards (sports, MAGIC, etc.)
- Buy something nice for yourself with the money you save by not going out as much
- Write lists
- Write stories
- Write poems
- Write about addiction
- Write a paper letter to a friend
- Write your own D&D campaign
- Draw a fantasy map
- Draw a self portrait
- Draw your pet
- Paint your pet
- Get a plant
- Repot a plant
- Build a miniature scene using a plant
- Build wargaming miniatures
- Build wargaming terrain
- Build a LEGO replica of your childhood home
- Build a cardboard tank for your cat
- Build a bookshelf
- Build a bear
- Make homemade pickles
- Use online tutorials to learn to juggle
- To learn to play a penny whistle
- To learn to crochet
- To learn to fold origami
- To learn to beatbox
- To learn to dance
- To learn to woodwork
- To learn to use photoshop
- To learn to do make up
- To learn sign language
- Backup your computer files
- Check all of your books for mildew
- Make a quilt out of old band t-shirts
- Organize your digital photos
- Organize your tool box/shed/drawer
- Verify your voter registration
- Hang some art
- Clean out the fridge
- Freeze some juice for juice pops
- Make a duct tape wallet
- Set up Folding at Home on your PC
- Record a podcast remotely
- Call an out-of-touch cousin
- Have a remote coffee date
- Start a movie at the same time
- Join/host/dj an online dance party
- Practice a language with someone
- Practice improv/public speaking
- Collaborate on a music project
- Write your political representative
- Learn to compose music
- Listen to your favorite music
- Find interesting things in nature
- Clean the house
- Wash the dishes
- Dust the house
- Mow the lawn
- Clean and declutter your garage/attic/basement/closet
- Watch a sports game
- Vacuum the house
- Rearrange a room
- Bulk prepare meals
- Get in the habit of brushing your teeth, flossing, and doing mouthwash 2x a day
- Do a home improvement project
- Listen to a new album
- Organize your paperwork and computer files
- Make a papedigital photo album
- Learn to program
- Learn to speed read
- Go for a run
- Go for a bike ride
- Listen to audiobooks
- Listen to podcasts
- Write a how-to article on wikihow
- Write a book (if you are ambitious)
- Start a challenge (30 day reading or exercise challenges, 52 week saving challenges, etc.)
- Make crafts and send them to family and friends
- Make cards for special occasions
- Make a home movie theater
- Make a reading nook
- Make a home gym (even if it’s just hand weights and a mat)
- Make an area for a hobby (crafting area, basketball hoop outside, etc.)
- Try harder in work and/or school
- Play memory games (like Simon or memory with playing cards)
- Learn to memorize a deck of cards
- Try to memorize pi (~3.14159...) or e (~2.7...) to as many digits as you can
- Apply for a game/reality show if you feel up to it (when COVID is over you will be ready for filming). Even though you probably won’t make it, it’s better to try than have no chance at all.
- Have a backyard BBQ by yourself or with family you live with
- Research ways to save money and do them (turn off the lights when you leave the room, make a shopping list when you buy groceries, etc.)
- Use the money you saved and invest it in a hobby or put it towards a larger goal like retirement or an emergency fund
- Actually read the newspaper or magazines you get if you get any
- Cancel any subscriptions you don’t use
- Watch educational/motivational YouTube videos
- Enter radio contests
- Take online surveys for money or gift cards
- Start a virtual book club
- Start a virtual hobby group
- Start a virtual workout group
- Call family and friends you haven’t talked to in a while
- Make a homemade COVID face mask
- Go backpacking
- Go for a hike
- Go camping
- Make a list of things you want to do when social distancing is over (Anything from going to the grocery store without having to wear a mask to going on a trip to Japan)
MEDIUM RISK (Mostly outdoors but with some crowds)
- Take a day road trip to somewhere close by. If it’s safe, stay at a well sanitized and cleaned hotel.
- Go to an uncrowded park and have a picnic.
- Have an outdoor social gathering (preferably a short chat session without food or drinks). Keep your mask on and stay 6 feet apart.
- Make reservations to a zoo or a small amusement park
- Go to a drive by or drive in event (drive by party, drive in movie or sports game viewing).
- Go to an outdoor exercise class
- Go to a driving range, golf course, or mini-golf course
- Race a go kart at an outdoor go kart race track
- Dine in at a patio dining restaurant
- Go to the beach (but stay 6ft apart and wear a mask when not in the water)
- Visit a farmers market
HIGHER RISK (Indoor or higher crowded outdoor activities)
- Watch a movie at the movie theater
- Take a ride on a train or bus
- Host a BBQ, but eat 6 ft apart, keep sanitary, and make sure everyone at least practices strict social distancing for a week or two before.
- Reserve a spot at a museum, aquarium, or larger amusement park
- Go to the library
- Go to an escape room
- Go to the gym
- Go to the arcade
- Go bowling
- Go to a sports game
If you live in a high-risk COVID area, please wear a mask when out in public when not eating or in the water. Stay 6 feet apart from others, and tend to the lower risk options as much as possible. Please follow all rules and guidelines in your area.
Even if you are not at risk for complications and you don’t give a ___ about other people’s health, by taking precautions now, you contribute to a faster reopening so we can do more stuff sooner. We might even be able to “unlock” (using gaming terminology there) things like international vacations and meetups with friends without masks faster if you take precautions now.
If you don’t live in a high-COVID risk area, there are no restrictions against it and you feel comfortable doing so, you can ignore the things regarding masks and social distancing.
BONUS: Help me expand the list! Can we get to 200?
READ BEFORE COMMENTING: I have gotten several comments on past list posts that say things like “Solving Rubik’s cubes and watching TV is not productive, might as well game.” Productivity is not the point of the list.
Social distancing is boring. If you are bored, you might pick up gaming again. If you do these activities, you won’t be as bored, and are less likely to pick up gaming.
Social Distancing = Bored = Game
Activities = Less Bored = Less chance of gaming
So please DON’T comment to say things like that. Contribute to the list or add comments that spur discussion or help people (I.e. hobby subreddits or websites), do not argue about something that is not even the point.
