pandemic | Finding delight.

Boredom is something that hits a lot of us regularly, but it’s likely been made much worse during the pandemic. As we can’t see many people or go to places we’d usually go for fun, it’s made it a lot harder to find ways of relieving that boredom when it hits you. With that being said, if you’re needing some inspiration, here are some tips to relieve boredom during a pandemic.

Take Up A New Hobby

A good way of getting rid of boredom is to try and do something you’ve not done before. This is where a new hobby comes in. It could be that you want to try and pick up reading again if you always used to read when you had more free time. You might tap into your artistic side and paint a new masterpiece. Or even try out RPG with SkullSplitter. If you have a bucket list of things you want to do in life, perhaps there are one or two things that can be done within the confines of your home like learning a second language or writing the next great American novel.

Organize A Zoom Party

Zoom has been used by many around the world during this pandemic, both for work-life and to connect with friends and family. That being said, you should definitely try and organize more get-togethers with your loved ones. For example, host a zoom party. This could be especially helpful when you’re looking to spend some quality time with friends and family. There are lots of ways to make the experience engaging and fun — play a game, set a theme, or organize a blind taste test.

Try Baking

Baking can be something that’s therapeutic and delicious at the same time. Cooking and baking, in general, are two skills that are always worth building on so that you can explore new tastes and experiences with food. It might just be that you want to enjoy some freshly baked cookies or try out a family recipe that you’ve been missing over the months (since you can’t pop round to see extended family). Whatever the case may be, strap on that apron!

Focus On Looking After Yourself

Focusing on yourself is so important and all this time in quarantine could be a great opportunity to spend some quality time on oneself. For example, why not do something you enjoy and that looks after your physical wellbeing or mental health. Or both! Practicing self-care is definitely something that’s important to do right now.

What has been relieving YOUR boredom throughout the pandemic?

Most of us have been doing pretty much everything from home for the past 6+ months. Being around all our…stuff…ALL THE TIME for that long can start to feel a little overwhelming. It’s a lot easier to ignore clutter when you’re at an office 8 hours a day, exploring the city all weekend long, and traveling for vacations whenever you please. That’s just not our reality right now.

So today I’m going to share a decluttering challenge inspired by the quarantine of the last few months! Let’s get to clearing out the clutter, shall we?

Pick a week and declutter the following —

Day 1 – Your home office space.

Whether this is a dedicated room in your home or not, your living space serving double duty as your working space probably means you’ve acquired some additional stuff. For me, this means scrap paper scrawled with to do lists, meeting notes, and writing assignment outlines stuffed in just about every place one can imagine. Go through all your #WFH clutter and see what can get tossed.

Day 2 – Masks that didn’t work out.

You probably tried a few different types of mask before you settled on your go-to. This is a necessary and life-saving accessory but even still, they took some getting used to. If you have a collection of masks you panic bought that don’t actually fit or aren’t comfortable, pass them along. You know what works for you! And you’ll feel a lot more comfortable about investing in a few more of your favorite version, if you don’t have a drawer full of the cast offs.

Day 3 – Games you don’t play anymore.

Time to evaluate your board games, video games, puzzles, crossword books, etc., etc. Are there board games that could be afforded a beautiful second life if you passed them along to a thrift store for someone else to purchase and enjoy? Could you do a porch swap with a friend and trade them a puzzle or a video game you’ve already solved or beat?

Day 4 – Books you won’t reread.

If you’re like me, all this time at home has really helped you up your reading game in 2020. But also like me, you may have gone a liiiittle crazy on the book buying front. Today is the day to go through your shelves, look at each book, and really ask yourself if this is something you’ll reread or need in your collection moving forward. Books are a wonderful thing to pass along to friends and family members!

Day 5 – Impulse bought hobby items.

In March or April, faced with the prospect of many boring nights ahead, did you decide NOW IS THE TIME FOR ME TO TAKE UP knitting… ukulele playing… cross stitch… cocktail mixing… insert any number of niche hobbies that involve buying crap HERE. Did you, you know, actually take it up? If not, never fear. Today’s the time you can clear out the stuff you bought with the best of intentions. No judgement!

Day 6 – Your refrigerator.

Yes, that’s right. Today it is time to declutter your fridge and freezer! We’ve all been eating at home over the last few months which means more groceries, leftovers, and general chaos in this area of the home. Go through everything and toss anything that’s gone bad or has expired. This is also a great time to create a log of what you DO have so that you can be sure to incorporate these things in upcoming meals. Next time you hit the grocery (or the groceries hit your porch — yay delivery!), add to the log. This practice is a great way to reduce food waste.

Day 7 – Comfy clothes you haven’t worn in 2020.

If there is a pair of pajamas, yoga pants, or fluffy socks that haven’t made it on to your body in the year of our Lord 2020, it’s time to retire them. Quarantine has been the time to shine for comfy clothes! I am terrified for the day my legs become reintroduced to panty hose *shudder*… but that’s neither here nor there. Today is all about decluttering your loungewear and pajamas. Only keep your quarantine MVPs!

Bonus Day – Clothes you wouldn’t reach for if a magic wand eradicated the pandemic.

For a bonus day of clutter clearing, let’s look past the quarantine OOTDs and examine the rest of your closet. What items of clothing would you NOT be super stoked to wear if you could suddenly head to a dinner party tomorrow evening? What would you pull out of your closet if next week you were able to present at a meeting where the attendees could actually see your bottom half? What would get packed in your suitcase if we were able to travel abroad? Ask yourself these hypothetical questions and declutter accordingly.

After many months in quarantine, are you feeling in need of some decluttering? Would you take on this challenge? What clutter categories would you add to this list?