stuck at home

Silver-lining Plusses of Being Stuck at Home

Stuck at home due to the Coronavirus pandemic or other factors?

If you are stuck at home, why not look for the silver lining and make the most of it?

Here’s some guidelines that I follow that help me stay active, refreshed, motivated, and freed from my aging to-do lists:

Keep to a regular schedule

While you can stay up late and sleep in, a regular schedule makes for a healthy body and mindset.  I stick to my regular weekday and weekend day sleep habits.  The Plus:  I feel better and get more done than when I change up my hours.

Regular (and increased) Exercise

Every weekday morning I exercise for at least 30 minutes, often 45, to an exercise video.  I started pulling out several that I rarely or never used and use a different one every day or so for variety.  Those I don’t care for, I put in a donate pile.  The Plus:  I am purging things as well as exercising.

As my husband is now working from home, we now often take walks during the time he would have been commuting.  We challenge each other to pick different places to walk.  We also now walk to the post office (about a mile away) and pharmacy (about half a mile) as needed.  The Plus:  Healthy exercise, fresh walking paths, and together time with my spouse.

We also cleared off the exercise machines gathering dust in the cellar.  My husband repaired an elliptical, which I use for a few minutes here and there when I go down cellar to do laundry. Next is the treadmill, which my husband prefers to use. If we can’t get the treadmill to work, then we can purge it, too, freeing up space.  Several plusses of being stuck at home:  Actually using exercise equipment we own, and purging those items that need to go, freeing up space.

Reaching Out & Reviving Connections

Extended Family:  My mother passed away some months ago.  Since then I realized that I have lost a connection to my past and the source of family information.  This makes those few family members remaining more precious.  Instead of just thinking I should call Aunt M, or Cousin F, I am doing so.

Friends:  There are personal and work friends that now cross my mind as I wonder who might be affected by this crisis.  I’ve started to call, email, text, or Facebook them to check in.

Immediate Family:  We cancelled plans for a family gathering and isolated ourselves from our children.  However, the phone calls, texts, and now Snapchats are frequent and have drawn us closer.  I miss puppy-sitting for my son and daughter-in-law, but enjoy the pet’s antics virtually.

LinkedIn Connections and Facebook:  I’ve started refreshing and adding to LinkedIn and Facebook connections. I’ve been  educated and enriched by their posts.

The Plusses of being stuck at home:  More personal and professional enrichment.

Virtual Enrichment

Libraries:  Public libraries, already offering many online resources, have beefed up their virtual offerings.  Some are offering story hours with their Children’s Librarian reading stories, and lists of resources accessed online. For example, the Framingham Public Library offers advice for seniors, as well as community and COVID-19 information.

Museums:  Since we can’t go to the museums, the museums are bringing some of their treasures to us, online.  Here are 12 museums that offer visual tours.

Traveling:  Since we can’t go places, national parks,  travel magazines and cruise lines are providing virtual travel experiences.  You can even stream the Northern Lights. 

Colleges and Universities:  Several are providing some free online classes or programs.

Theater, Dance, Music:  Performances of Shakespeare and other playwrights, dance, opera, and music are being made available on You Tube.

Learn a new skill or craft or brush up on one:  Bob Ross programs are now online and tool and craft stores and companies like Cricut have online instructions and project videos. 

The Plusses of being stuck at home now:  All kinds of enrichment formally not available to us online and for free.

Clearing files

I don’t know about you, but I have several file drawers and cabinets that I haven’t touched in years.  There are some articles I’ve written and photos I’ve taken that from time to time, I wish I could put my hands on.  I’ve started to go through some files looking for one item, and I found others that I had lost track of.

If you have been living in the same place for a while, you have probably accumulated papers that you no longer need.  If you don’t start to purge, it could be overwhelming, or just aggravating if you move, or if loved ones have to do the clearing.  After cleaning out the house my mother lived in for 57 years, and then her assisted living unit, I vowed to do better by my children.  How many sheets of those free mailing labels does anyone need?  

Here’s some examples of things to go through and organize or purge from your files:

Appliance and Automobile Manuals:  Sort through and recycle those you no longer need.  If you have some older ones, you might check eBay or Craig’s List and such as there is a market for them.  I discovered that there was a market for the old Ariens snowblower manual I unearthed.  The Plusses:  Not only free up your file cabinet, but perhaps make a little money and make someone who needs a manual happy.

Insurance Policies:  How far back do you really want to save?

Bank and checkbooks and statements:  Have you closed the accounts?  How far back do you want or need to save?

Tax Returns:  Check with your accountant, but if you don’t feel comfortable disposing of very old ones, why not get them out of a file cabinet and into Banker’s Boxes?

Automobile records:  Pull any for those you no longer own.  My mother had folders for all her cars.  The buyer of her final car was intrigued and happy to have a thick folder for all the receipts for oil changes, repairs, alignments, etc.  We were happy to pass it on.  Not so happy to have to deal with folders for her previous cars.  The same went for all the manuals she had for items long gone.

Overall plusses:  You may end up needing less files and file cabinets.  You may be able to find documents quicker.  And, if you need to move, you won’t be weighed down by having to quickly sort through hundreds or thousands of papers. Or, heaven forbid, move or store them.

Attacking those “when I have some time” or “when I get around to it” tasks:

We all have them.  Take a few minutes and write down what may come to mind, then walk around your house, garage, and yard for ideas.  Below are some suggestions.  Some big plusses of being stuck at home:  Save money, make something safe or usable again, can cross off “Honey-Do” list.

Leaks:  Do you have something that leaks?  Maybe you tape or tolerate it.  Leaks are a good thing to make a priority.

Something broken that’s fixable:  A chair leg, for example.  We have a dining room chair that needs gluing and tightening.  It’s needed repair for quite some time.  It’s been moved to a prominent place and bumped up on the project list.

Review Finances:  Check credit rating, balance checkbook, freeze credit, consolidate loans, refinance, etc.  Cancel subscriptions or memberships you aren’t using or have lost interest in.

Clean and perform maintenance:  on your car, lawn mower, snowblower, etc.

Emergency Preparedness:  Create a “Go-Kit,” create a family emergency plan, have a basic amount of water and non-perishable food on-hand, plus lanterns, batteries, etc.

Family History:  Start a family journal or continue it. Write information on the back of photos.  Research your family tree, and/or write down what you know about it.

Electronics:  Back up your computer files, sort and organize your cables, recycle old unused monitors, keyboards, etc. There are buyers on sites like eBay for used electronics. Staples accepts your unwanted electronics.

Selling online or starting an online store:  If you have things you’re purging that are too good to throw away, try eBay or Craig’s list, Nextdoor, or Facebook.  For handmade items and vintage collectibles, Etsy is the place to find appreciative buyers. 

Start a Blog:  There’s free and paid advice here.

Stopping at local places:  You know those places you go by and are “always meaning to stop and visit?”  Well, sit down and make a list you can refer to when you are out and about again. When not having to stay at home, just about every weekend, my husband and I pick a place to explore by car and by foot.  We are going to print out a map of Massachusetts and mark off every town that we go to.  I also use this blog to keep a record of some of the places, like the Norman Rockwell Museum, where we have been.

Organizing family photos: Sort through your Digital and print photos and place in albums or set aside to give to family members who might want them. Make notations with the photos identifying those in them. (Future generations will thank you for it.) Scan or use negatives to make prints for framing, photobooks, mugs, or other personalized keepsakes.

Professional Image and Career Advancement:

If you want to return to the workforce or kick up a notch in your position and salary, here’s some suggestions of things to work on:

Resume and Cover Letter:  When’s the last time you updated your resume?  And are you using a format that will enhance your chances of being memorable?  There are lots of new spins on resumes.  Etsy  is one place you can find some done-for-you formats that you can easily edit.  You can also get help with your resume and with interview coaching on Fiverr. 

LinkedIn:  Refresh your profile and photo.  Reach out to your connections.  Post interesting items reflecting your professional background and eye on the pulse of your industry.

Professional Image:  Go through your closet and a) pick out interview outfits and b) purge outdated and tired looking business attire, and c) mix and match items to pre-plan outfits so you don’t have to rush to dress and always present a pulled together look.  Also consider replacing your wallet or handbag if worn looking.  Polish or replace your shoes.

Learn or brush up on a skill:  Now’s the time to take advantage of all the online courses and workshops.  Whether you want to, or feel you need to know more about programs like InDesign or Excel or using Google apps, dig in.

Plusses:  You will be ahead of the curve when the positions open up that you want, and your closet will be less cluttered and more organized.

A Few More Plusses of being stuck at home:

• You can ease up a bit on the treadmill of life.
• You can enjoy spending more time with your family.  (Ever notice how many people exit a career or position to “spend more time with their family.”)
• You can use your commuting time for more enjoyable or productive activities.
• You can read those books and watch those shows and movies you haven’t had time for.
• You can work on creative and artistic projects with less interruption.
• You could adopt a pet that you have been yearning for.
• You can plan a trip to a place that you’ve always wanted to go to, but never make the time to figure out how to make it happen.   Lonely Planet has lots of resources.       

In general, you can take stock of where you are in life and where you want to go, and start drawing up steps and plans.

For more ideas about making staying home more productive and satisfying, see this ebook: Hacking Being Homebound.

For ideas for outside activities while staying at home, see this blog post: Staying Home Doesn’t Have to Mean Staying In.

What’s your plus or silver lining to being stuck at home?  What have you found to delight you, motivate you, and keep you active and healthy?