100 Things to Keep You Occupied in a Lockdown

Bored during lockdown? Read through 100 Things to Keep You Occupied in a Lockdown to cure your temporary insanity. Recall old activities you once loved and learn some new ones.

1. Knitting is a great past-time for a lockdown. If you mess something up you can go backwards and start over.

2. Paint by numbers are a fun, mindless activity to do while listening to your favorite podcast or watching TV. The added satisfaction is that you can’t really mess it up.

3. Reading may be a regular thing for you, but if it’s not, check out your local library and see if they have an app. Many let you take out e-books. You can even start a Zoom book club!

4. Jogging is a great physically distanced activity you can do alone or with friends. Set goals for yourself and start slow to make this an enjoyable hobby.

5. Cooking is necessary to survive, so you might as well get good at it. Learn to create Gordon Ramsay approved meals in your spare time.

6. Baking is another great way to pass the time, you can even learn to make your own yeast.

7. Cycling is a great way to get active, see some sights and leave the house for even a little bit. Make sure your tires are pumped up.

8. Videogames are a great way to pass the time. Join a server with friends on Discord and chat while you game away.

9. Try a puzzle, and make it a challenging one. Then see how fast you can start completing them.

10. Take up making and painting model airplanes. This task requires attention to detail and patience, and it’s great to pass the time.

11. Do you have something you’re passionate about? Blog about it. Share your blog with your friends and spread the love.

12. Writing poetry can be a great way to put your feelings on paper. The more you practice the better you’ll get.

13. Go back to some childlike creativity and invent a game. Try to think of the components from your favorite games and create the best game ever.

14. Learn to groom your pet, especially if you go to a big box store groomer. If your dog is gentle you can bond more with them over their grooming experience.

15. Flex your creative muscles and write some short stories.

16. Paint your nails, and learn to do it well. Take it a step up and do the manicure as well. I hear savings calling your name.

17. Learn to French braid. This can be a really frustrating feat, especially when you have places to be. What a better time to learn than now.

18. Learn how to make amazing PowerPoint presentations and then show them to your friends on Zoom. Your career won’t even be ready for your glow-up.

19. Learn how to Photoshop. Create logos, draw pictures, etc. if you’re any good, it could even turn into a side hustle.

20. Organizing. This might seem boring, but it’s actually very meditative. If you’re stuck at home anyways, you might as well re-evaluate the functionality of your space.

21. If you like being creative with a purpose offer to revamp other’s resumes using a fun program.

22. Sudoku is a great mindless task that passes the time and forces you to use your brain.

23. Sewing can be an incredibly useful skill, you could even learn to make your own clothing or masks!

24. Kite making may seem like an unusual hobby but could lead to a lot of fun and time spent outside.

25. Learn how to make animal balloons and share your skills online. Once lockdown is over you might have a nice weekend gig.

26. Clowning is another fun activity you can take up, from dressing up, face-painting and tumbling clowns do lots of activities.

27. Hunting is an all year activity but takes some time to learn and know effectively. Look for online courses to learn.

28. Kayaking is a really fun activity that can take you on many adventures. Use a two-person kayak if you’re adventuring with someone in your household.

29. Hiking is a great activity to keep your body healthy and your mind occupied and challenged. Try more challenging trails as you go.

30. Learn to play an instrument while you’re cooped up inside. There are lots of YouTube tutorials you could use to learn.

31. If you’re looking for gift ideas or ways to make light, candle making is a great hobby to get into. You can make them with clean ingredients and feel good about burning them.

32. Learn how to bind your own books. Book binding takes time and skill and is a creative way to occupy your hands.

33. If you spend some time making soap you’ll be good to go for add-in gifts all year round. Try your hand at different colors, shapes, and scents.

34. Do you have access to a floor-length mirror and want to get some activity in? Shadow boxing is a great way to get a sweat in from home.

35. Learning the alphabet backwards might not be a hobby, but it can definitely be hard to learn and is a unique skill once you’ve mastered it.

36. Crosswords pass the time and exercise your brain at the same time. Stay sharp!

37. Learn how to set up dominoes and create intricate patterns to drop all around your house.

38. Do you notice the changing birds with the seasons? Take this time to learn more about them. Keep a bird journal.

39. Did you have marbles as a child? Me too. And I never learned how to properly play with them. Might as well start now.

40. If you’re feeling adventurous you could always give yourself a stick and poke tattoo.

41. Run for local office. Start prepping your campaign and learning about your community. You’ll be ready for the next election.

42. Cross-stitching is like drawing with thread and canvas. You can get packages with patterns before going off with your own mind’s eye.

43. If you only sing in the shower now is your chance to really learn. Learn how to control your breath and your pitch, and maybe you’ll get a record deal when you’re done.

44. Do you remember needing to read Shakespeare in high school? Same. Why not write your own play and then act it out when lockdown is over?

45. Learning a new language has never been easier. Download an app like Duolingo and spend your free time learning. Do it with a friend to hold you accountable.

46. Learning to make kombucha involves learning how to grow a bacterial culture known as SCOBY. The whole process can be very rewarding, plus your stomach will be happy!

47. Build a computer piece by piece. Order the parts and put it together. This takes a decent amount of time and leaves you with a very rewarding result at the end.

48. Take up plant tending, you’ll learn how to care for lots of different plants and feel a sense of pride when they flourish. Apps like Planta can help you with this.

49. Foraging for mushrooms is a cool hobby. Head to a nearby forest and see what you can find. Just don’t eat the mushrooms before identifying them.

50. Geocaching is an underground hobby not many know about. There are apps to help you find caches in your area. Try to walk instead of driving to get your steps in as well.

51. Learning to be good at hangman is a skill. Practice the game and learn the best strategies for success.

52. Camping is a hobby for many. Some people go as far as to camp in winter! With the right group and equipment, you can enjoy it year round.

53. Look for free networking events online. These can help you practice meeting new people, creating professional connections, and even public speaking from the safety of your home.

54. You could start investing spare money you’re not worried about. Start learning about the stock market and make some low risk investments to get started.

55. Learning how to budget is a great thing to start doing when cooped up at home. You’ll learn you can live without spending as much money, because you’re home, or conversely you’ll learn how to conserve your government assistance as best as possible.

56. Learn a dance! Or many. In the age of TikTok there are many viral dances, and many people teaching them for free.

57. Do yoga! This is both relaxing and meditative, which is especially helpful in such a high stress time. Some yoga classes are held online, with varying levels of difficulty.

58. Go for walks in your neighbourhood! You’re probably like me and guilty of taking the same routes everywhere. Explore and go off your normal path.

59. Visit online museums. Most museums have online events going since they’ve had to close their doors to visitors.

60. Photography is a fun hobby, especially when you have free time on your hands. Get creative and learn what you love to photograph, then get better at it.

61. Teach your pets tricks. Even cats can be taught tricks to some extent. Spend some extra time nurturing their brains now that you’re home more.

62. Learning calligraphy is an intimidating ask, but why not do it when there’s nothing else to do? You can get a head start on addressing holiday envelopes.

63. Start a Zoom fitness group with your friends and do a group workout every day!

64. Try Zoom beer tasting events. Everyone can get the same cans and you can discuss the flavors you enjoy.

65. Coding is a very useful skill and takes lots of time to learn. Now is a great time to pick up this hobby which could turn into a really profitable venture.

66. Take up interior decorating. Your space is where you’re spending almost all of your time now, take this time to re-arrange or refresh your home.

67. Learn how to super clean. When you’re home all the time you might as well learn how to clean your grout lines, or deep clean the dishwasher.

68. Vision boards are great ways to be creative while manifesting your future and deciding on your goals. If you use a pinboard you can always change up your plan.

69. Sign up to foster pets! A lot of foster animals need more hands-on care, so if you’d like to help an animal and have some extra company, this is a great option.

70. Composting may seem like a weird hobby, but it can actually bring you closer to the world around you and make you think twice about your waste.

71. Take up meteorology and learn how weather works, and why things are happening. Maybe you’ll discover your passion.

72. Stargazing is a great pastime, and space is so vast there is endless information to be learned.

73. Start collecting something. Coins, stamps, pens with your name on them? Maybe see if there are things lying around your house you’ve been subconsciously collecting.

74. Learn how to make wine or beer at home. When lockdown is over you can have all your friends over to try it out, or partake in contactless drop-offs to let them enjoy the fruits of your labor.

75. Learning how to make cheese from home may sound like an odd hobby, but it will give you a sense of responsibility while also saving you a lot of money.

76. Learn how to mix cocktails and cool drinks in your spare time. Have a cocktail party over Zoom so your friends can join in the mixology.

77. Start making your own jewelry. You can develop an appreciation for fine craftsmanship and knock out some gifts as well.

78. LEGO is not just for children. You can still have moments of nostalgia and build a LEGO design. Consider donating the LEGO after if you won’t use it again.

79. Learn your family tree. Try out a DNA kit and find out where your family comes from, and maybe discover some long-lost cousins.

80. Journaling is so important for mental health and can be a great way to look back on your life. Try to write a bit every day before bed to wind down.

81. Set up an aquarium and learn how to care for aquatic plants and animals. This is a great way to spruce up your home.

82. Become a doomsday prepper, or at least prepare for a minor emergency. Take account of what you have stocked up, is it realistic to keep you going if you had no power and couldn’t leave the house at all?

83. Edit Wikipedia articles in your spare time. This is a great way to learn more things and use your expertise to help others.

84. Leave reviews on products and businesses. Do you have a small business you love? A small review can go a long way.

85. Sign up to websites that pay you to fill out surveys and spend your time making money. You often receive gift cards, which is nice because you can re-gift them.

86. Become a penpal. You can write people in prison, other people looking for penpals, or friends who live across the country.

87. Organize a fundraiser for a charity or a cause of your choice. This is a great way to give back to the community and keep you passionate and occupied.

88. Dungeons and Dragons is a fun activity that can be started for relatively cheap. You can also play this on Zoom.

89. Start a bullet journal. Bullet journaling is a specific type of journaling that is a lot more crafty and has specific art styles to it.

90. Become a documentary connoisseur and watch everything available to you. Netflix and Amazon Prime have some great ones.

91. Learn sign language. This is such a useful tool in case you ever need to interpret for, or have a conversation with, someone who does not verbally communicate.

92. Start woodworking. You can build things, wood-burn, learn to stain furniture, the possibilities are endless.

93. Learn how to fix cracked phone screens. You can help out your clumsy friends, (or yourself), and make a little profit as well.

94. Create travel itineraries. Even if you can’t travel right now, you’ll be ready to go when you want to, and you’ll know how to plan an effective trip already.

95. Become a dog walker. Some owners still need to go to work and need their dogs exercised. You can get animal time and exercise in at the same time.

96. Start vlogging! People are nosey, and love to see what other people are doing with their lives.

97. Practice doing makeup. You could do live streams and discuss beauty and skincare and create a fun discussion group on the topic.

98. Check out the app store’s top games list and download the fun apps others are playing.

99. Join a fantasy league and make bets on sports teams to keep yourself occupied. Plus you’ll meet some new friends.

100. When all else fails, pull out an adult coloring book. There is nothing more soothing than coloring between the lines. These are also proven to help with anxiety!