How to Stay Quarantined and Yet be Productive?

The Covid-19 pandemic has led to the suspension of classes in schools, and colleges and the temporary closure of non-essential businesses in many countries. In countries like India where the government has announced a 21-day lockdown of the entire country up till 2nd week of April, people are finding it difficult to spend time at home doing nothing. The lockdown is causing psychological pain to those who are not used to spending the entire day without any work.

Therefore, to help people, use this time productively, Student Cover brings you a list of activities that not only help utilize time properly but may also help a person to attain knowledge for use in the future. They are as follows:

1. Read Books – Ever since the internet and smartphones became a part and parcel of our lives, we have been spending more time staring at the screen than reading books. Reading is a great activity that not only stimulates your mind by filling it with new information but also helps the mind to stay focussed. This is because, unlike a movie, music, or TV show, one has to make a conscious effort to scoop information out of the book. Compared to reading text on a smartphone, reading a book is less stressful to the eyes. One can take the opportunity given by lockdown to read great classics, refresher books, or even subject-specific books to get knowledge about the world that we live in.

2. Take up a Hobby – For many, lockdown has provided an opportunity to finally take up hobbies that they always wanted to take. Whether it is learning to cook new and delicious cuisine or playing a musical instrument like guitar, piano, etc, a hobby not only helps spend time productively but also helps build one’s personality. One can take up hobbies based on one’s interests. However, during the lockdown, none should take care to only opt for those hobbies that do not require a person to venture out or mix up with people. So one should try to avoid hobbies such as fishing or surfing. If one finds it difficult to choose a hobby, one can always ask their friends for suggestions. Gardening, for example, is a good hobby to take.

3. Do Regular Exercises to Stay Fit – A healthy body is the first line of defense against germs and disease. It has been scientifically proven that those who do regular exercise have higher immunity than those who don’t. One can use the free time during lockdown to do regular exercise. This helps prevent disease and further strengthens the body’s immune system. Studies conducted so far suggest that those who are obese and suffer from conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes are more vulnerable to Covid-19 than those who are fit and healthy.

4. Take Short-Term Online Courses – One of the advantages of living in a technologically advanced world is that there is an online solution to almost every problem. Due to the closure of schools, colleges, and other academic institutions, many students are forced to miss classes. Such students don’t have to feel disheartened. If one does a Google search, one would find an online course for almost any topic, subject, or discipline. Indian students, especially those who wish to pursue higher education can take up online courses related to language (TOEFL, IELTS, etc) or any subject. From stock market trading and analysis to forensic accounting, one can take short-term courses to spend time productively during quarantine.

5. Use the Internet for Networking – As we live in a fast-paced and connected world, a person needs to build a strong network of friends and acquaintances to grab opportunities that might be useful for furthering one’s career goals. It is therefore wise to use social media sights to get in touch with old friends and acquaintances and exchange information with them. This would not only provide insight but also help one get information about any opportunity that has remained hidden from that person. It has been found that those who have a strong network of friends and acquaintances have a higher chance of doing better in their work than those who are loners.

6. Maintain Social Distance – Sometimes doing nothing can also be productive. Since quarantine is a practice of isolating a person to prevent the spread of disease through contact, one can be productive by simply following social distancing norms. By strictly adhering to social distancing, a person can prevent the spread of disease, thereby making a valuable contribution to bending the pandemic curve.

Let’s Wrap Up!

Being under quarantine does not require a person to sit idle. There are many ways in which one can spend the time during quarantine to do something productive. To begin with, if one is in quarantine, he or she can use that time to read books. This will help the pass time while gaining knowledge at the same time. Those who don’t want to read books can take up a hobby based on one’s likes and dislikes. A hobby will help build one’s personality. Other than that, a person can use the time to do regular exercise to stay fit or take up an online course to learn something new. One can also spend the time to build a network of friends and acquaintances while maintaining social distance.

Disclaimer: The content of the blog above is based on the personal research of the writer. Readers’ discretion is advised. Neither Student Cover nor the writer will be held responsible for any wrongful interpretation of the content of this blog.