Keeping Busy: Ten low-cost things to do while stuck at home forever

I’m flipping my format for this post. In the last few months, I’ve struggled to keep myself occupied. There was a series of days in late November where I languished with boredom. I wouldn’t have it though, no more funnelling television into my brain. I needed hobbies. Of course, I must be aware of health-risks in public spaces (Covid and the flu), as well as manage my own abilities brought on by side-effects of treatment. Furthermore, being on medical leave means reduced income, adding limits to certain activities. Nonetheless, there are plenty of distractions. 

I’ve compiled a bunch of activities below that I really enjoy. Most don’t require leaving the house, or even much money. Admittedly, I’m a bit of a weirdo and eccentric so they might not be for everyone. But I’m also known to partake in the acclaimed and tried and true at times as well. in the end, I hope my suggestions may help someone who finds themselves languishing on a medical leave or just bored.

1. Watch television:

I’m pretty over television at this point, but it does help to pass the time. Services that offer these shows will vary widely by region. If you’re in Canada, CBC Gem is free and hosts a surprising abundance of quality shows, including the first three on this list. Otherwise, you may have to do a bit of searching to find a (paid) service. Sorry I can’t help more.

Here’s what I’ve enjoyed recently (that’s not too depressing):

• Chewing Gum (comedy, offbeat, British)
• Pen15 (comedy, for 90s kids)
• The Great British Bake-Off (reality, feel-good, baking, British, lots of episodes)
• Westworld (sci-fi, drama)
• Fleabag (comedy, drama, brilliant, British)
• We Are Lady Parts (comedy, music, british)
• Halt and Catch Fire (drama, nerdy)
• Mr. Robot (drama, great ending)
• Atlanta (comedy, drama, music)
• Twin Peaks (crime, surreal)
• How to with John Wilson (comedy, documentary-ish, new york)
• Ted Lasso (feel-good, comedy, sport)
• The Orville (sci-fi, comedy)
• Firefly (sci-fi, adventure)
• Taskmaster (comedy, game-show, british, lots of episodes, free on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Taskmaster)

2. Play video games:

I’m not a huge video game person, but boy do I love Untitled Goose Game. It’s stealth and adventure and a good dose of humour. I just wanted to mention that. You may have to pay a bit of coin, but it is hours of entertainment well worth the buck.

3. Do citizen science:

Find projects on scistarter.org. There are lots of science research initiatives that don’t need you to leave the house, with varying degrees of commitment. None of them require much expertise so you can dive right in, have fun, and help out scientific discovery!

4. Go for walks:

If you’re not completely housebound, AllTrails lists walks you can take even in city settings! They provide difficulty and the community often leaves comments on current trail conditions. I’d be remiss not to caution you to only try for what you’re actually qualified to take on; Too many people overextend themselves and require emergency rescues from not being properly prepared for their hike. That said, as someone on medical leave, I’m personally not taking anything particularly difficult at this time.

5. Or workout indoors:

If going out doesn’t work (read: treatment side effect), here are a few sites I’ve tried that offer accessible workouts that can be done indoors and don’t necessarily need equipment or a ton of space. I’m keeping the list to the lower intensity stuff as there’s enough healing to do when on medical leave that adding the stress of intense workouts needs to be handled carefully.

• Walk at Home (light exercise, varying lengths 15-45mins)
• Fitness Blender (filters for difficulty, length and more)
• Do Yoga With Me (filters for difficulty and style)
• Yoga with Adriene (light to medium, variable length, mindful yoga)
• Isa Welly Pilates and Barre (beginner classes with some intensity, <20 minutes)

6. Read books:

First, find a library near you! Books are very accessible. My library has ebook apps as well so I don’t even need to leave the house to have tons of books delivered to me.

These are some books that have really stuck with me over the last few years (in no particular order):

• The Gift: How the Creative Spirit Transforms the World by Lewis Hyde (nonfiction, arts, philosophy)
• Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino (fiction, fantasy)
• Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler (fiction, sci-fi, dystopia)
• Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (fiction, sci-fi, dystopia)
• Split Tooth by Tanya Tagaq (fiction, poetry, canadian, adult)
• Life of Pi by Yann Martel (fiction, fantasy, adventure)
• Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void by Mary Roach (nonfiction, science, humour)
• Far From the Tree by Andrew Solomon (nonfiction, psychology, parenting)
• On Looking: Eleven Walks with Expert Eyes by Alexandra Horowitz (nonfiction, observation)
• Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer (nonfiction, nature, science)
• Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates (memoir, race, culture)
• Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (fiction, historical)
• The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (fiction, young adult, social justice)
• The Five Invitations by Frank Ostaseski (nonfiction, philosophy, self-help)
• The Body Is Not An Apology: The Power of Radical Self-Love by Sonya Renee Taylor (nonfiction, feminism, self-help)
• The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline (fiction, sci-fi, young adult)
• How to See by Thich Nhat Hanh (nonfiction, spirituality)
• From The Ashes by Jesse Thistle (memoir, canadian)
• Tree: A Life Story by David Suzuki and Wayne Grady (nonfiction, nature, science)
• The Break by Katherena Vermette (fiction, canadian, adult content)

7. Learn something:

If you know me, you know I’m a learning fiend! So naturally I’ve tried a lot of different learning platforms:

Coursera and edX have a wide selection of courses and excellent platforms to inspire learning. Their courses are free, with the option to pay for a certificate and other features (like unlimited access). These sites offer courses mostly from universities so focus on the sorts of things you might find in a university: science, business, health, literature, philosophy, etc.

There are lots of resources online to help you learn to code, including the two sites above. There are also dedicated sites like FreeCodeCamp and Codecademy. Also, game-making tools like Unity (used to build hundreds of games like Untitled Goose Game and even Pokémon Go) have tutorials so you can create an app/game in no time at no cost (if you want to get more complex though, you’ll need to start purchasing additional tools and collections) . Compared to Coursera and edX, these are more casual and open ended.

You might have access to kanopy (i.e. through your library); This streaming site has several courses made by The Great Courses on a wide range of subjects from history to cooking, science to self-help. The courses are a little less interactive than the previous suggestions, but they are full of content and if you choose to follow along with their suggested activities in a class like cooking, drawing, or meditation, it can be really engaging.

For more creative-oriented learning there are lots of subscription and pay-per-class sites like Skillshare, Udemy, Domestika, and CreativeLive. I’ve used the first two and turned out some interesting projects from the classes I’ve taken and grown my skills at things like Photoshop, hand-lettering, writing, and storytelling.

8. Socialize:

Even thought it’s challenging to do big events when managing a compromised immune system, not all hope is lost. Sites like EventBrite.com and Meetup.com offer easy ways to find happenings in your area and beyond (seriously, don’t limit yourself to local when the world is available via these amazing wire networks). Both allow you to filter for online and by price. You can even subscribe to hosts that appeal to your interests to get updates when they open a new event.

If you just like chatting with people, the Clubhouse app offers real-time voice conversations around various and wide-ranging topics. It’s pretty cool to both eavesdrop and participate with people around the globe.

9. Do crafts and make art:

There are several relatively low-cost crafts to keep someone busy. Of course, there is some money needed for supplies, whose cost will depend on how much you want to dedicate to it. That said, you can learn almost any craft for free through YouTube and other online resources (see the learn something category above). I’ve tried a lot of these hobbies over my time, and have added what seems to be a good resource for learning each. A quick search online will turn up many results if the one I provide isn’t your jam.

• Needle Felting (learn from Philippa)
• Amigurumi crochet (get free patterns)
• Watercolour painting (learn from Alan Owen)
• Gardening (try container gardening, see if there’s a local gardening club in your area that has online resources too)
• Journaling and scrap-booking (learn from Amber K.)
• Knitting (learn from Sheep & Stitch)
• Card making
• Upcycling your clothes and linens (Check out life hack’s suggestions)
• Cooking and Baking (learn from the New York Times)
• Blogging. vlogging, and podcasting (I use WordPress and they have lots of resources to help get you started)

10. Learn a language:

I’m sure everyone’s heard of this by now, but if you haven’t, get yourself over to Duolingo and learn how to say “I want a sandwich” in Klingon.

BONUS. Volunteer:

I’ve found volunteering has really helped lift my spirits while being stuck at home. It lets me apply my skills to help others without the pressure of it being work. The people I’ve volunteered for have been really understanding and flexible to accommodate my needs. I used a very local-specific platform (Volly) to find volunteer opportunities, but the Canadian government website seems to offer some help in this domain.