How to stay quarantined and yet be productive?

The Covid-19 pandemic has led to suspension of classes of schools, colleges and 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 spend time at home doing nothing. The lockdown is causing psychological pain to those who are not use to spending the entire day without any work.

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

1. Read Books – Ever since the internet and smart phones 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. As compared to reading text on a smart phone, reading a book is less stressful to 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 play a music 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 interest. However, during lockdown one 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 suggestion. Gardening, for example, is a good hobby to take.

3. Do Regular Exercises to Stay Fit – A healthy body is the first line of defence 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 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 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 the time productively during quarantine.

5. Use Internet for Networking – As we live in a fast paced and connected world, it is essential for a person to build a strong network of friend and acquaintances in order 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 to 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 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 valuable contribution in 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 on 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 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.