1. Bake a tasty treat
You might have seen many go getters on social media making loaves of perfect sourdough and colorful acai bowls from the comfort of their pristine kitchens. Don't worry, it doesn't matter if you have no experience, just find an easy recipe for delicious desserts like brownies and lemon bars, and get cooking!
nikkipotato tip: Start off with an easy recipe, before working your way up to tougher recipes like macarons and croissants. Brownies, lemon bars, cupcakes and meringues are all good starting points.
2. Organise your belongings
This could be organising your closet, shoe drawer, desk, even your computer desktop and storage. You've probably overlooked how messy it is, but by putting the effort into cleaning it up, it will be rewarding to see a clean closet/desk/desktop, and trust me, it's worth the effort!
nikkipotato tip: If organising your entire bedroom or living rooms seems intimidating, start small. Maybe first your shoe drawer or spice rack, and tackle the bigger projects when you feel up to it.
3. Call friends and family
In this unpredicable time, our friends and families are going through it too, so why not stay in touch? A simple video call might be a lot of fun, and can reunite you and your family and friends you probably haven't seen for a while. You could even make it a weekly event, such as a weekly Zoom book club discussion, video call game night or even watch movies together on Netflix Party.
nikkipotato tip: there are so many fun activities you can do over video call, such as heads up, scattergories online or even chess through video call! Be creative and find a way to play your favorite board game or card game over video call.
4. Explore new genres of books, music, movies, TV shows
You probably never had the time (or motivation) to do so, and I know that rewatching your favorite show for the 132480th time might be tempting. But hey, why not broaden your horizons? You might discover your next favorite genre of entertainment, whether it's rom-coms, cli-fi, thrillers or even Cyberpunk fiction (hint: it's basically dystopian fiction in it's purest form).
nikkipotato tip: If you're feeling adventurous, scroll through Netflix and find a new foreign show to watch! During this lockdown, I got really into K-dramas. I highly recommend Descendants of the Sun, Crash Landing on You and Healer!
5. Learn a language
With all this time on our hands, why not put it to good use?! With many accessible learning platforms like Duolingo and even YouTube videos, it's so easy to learn languages online. I'm currently on my 44th day streak of learning Korean on Duolingo! For extra motivation, challenge a friend to learn the same language as you, and you can share tips, notes and even study together through video call!
nikkipotato tip: Pick a language of a country you'd like to visit, so it can motivate you to learn the language well so you can go on a trip there after the situation improves!
6. Learn a dance routine
Yes, a dance routine. Even if you are extremely uncoordinated and can somehow manage to trip on air, an easy dance routine would get you up and energised. Hey, it could even be your next party trick! If you're feeling up to it, even try chorographing a dance to your favorite song!
nikkipotato tip: I'm really into K-pop, so I've learnt many K-pop chorographies this lockdown. If you're looking for easy K-pop choreographies, learn the chorus of songs like TT, Forever Young, Likey and DDU DU DDU DU. If you're already pretty good at dance, try songs like Fancy, DALLA DALLA, Boy With Luv and Solo.
7. Experiment with hair and makeup
That red smokey eye you've always wanted to try? French Manicure? Or the neon floating eyeliner? Now it the perfect time to experiment to your heart's content. I'm not saying that you should chop off 5cm of your hair at home, unless you're confident in your hairdressing abilities, then go ahead! I mean small changes to your appearance or try different hairstyles and makeup, so after lockdown you can dazzle everyone with your new appearance!
nikkipotato tip: If you want to take things the extra mile, you can always give yourself bangs or dye your hair. This might not be a very good idea if you don't have the resources or skills, but if you feel like you could do it, try it! This lockdown, I gave myself bangs and am planning to dye my hair, so I'll tell you how that goes!
8. Start a blog, YouTube channel or journal
It's a fun way to document what happened in the whirlwind of a year 2020. In the future, you can relieve the fun (and not so fun) moments of lockdown! Yes, this blog you're currently reading was a project I started right before lockdown, and I also started a Youtube Channel (mostly K-pop memes haha- called Kpop&BubbleTea) and lockdown diary.
nikkipotato tip: Your blog or channel doesn't have to be about COVID19 specifically! Make one about anything that interests you, such as food, fashion, fitness, or even your pets. It's a fun pastime, and who knows, you might even go viral (in a good way)!
9. Start a garden
Even if you live in a small apartment, growing a potted succelent or mini window herb garden could be great. It is a good use of your time, and can be really rewarding, as gardening is a calming activity. You don't need to be green-thumbed to grow plants! They can brighten up your living space, freshen the air and if you grow herbs, you can even eat the tasty produce!
nikkipotato tip: cultivating plants takes time and effort. If you don't have the time or inclination to grow a big plant, start small with air plants, herb gardens or mini cacti and succelents. If you feel up for a challenge and you have space, try growing fruits and veggies! This lockdown, our papaya tree and okra plant is in full bloom!
10. Get Crafty!
Whether it's sketching, sewing or watercolor painting, there are so many crafty things you could do at home during lockdown. With YouTube tutorials, it's so easy to learn a new craft or skill! Even though you might not have a pottery wheel or oil paints and turpentine at home, you could get crafting with even just a single piece of paper (hello there, origami!). Crafting is surprisingly calming and fun, and it doesn't take long to get good at. Give it a try!
nikkipotato tip: Don't worry if you mess up your first try. Things like origami are extremely fiddly and require precise clean lines, so it might take a few goes before you've got it down pat.