Top 24 Useful Things You Can Do While in Home Quarantine During the Covid-19 Pandemic

One of the things you should consider doing while at home is cooking or baking. In fact, cooking is an essential skill for everyone, not just for women. Don’t view cooking as a chore—prepare your favorite meals in the best possible way and enjoy them yourself. You can even find recipes for cooking and baking online, on YouTube, or through cooking apps.

To make it more fun, consider playing some music while you cook or bake. Enjoy the sound of the knife chopping vegetables, the sizzling oil in the pan, the crispy fried items, or the delicious smell of freshly baked treats. Cooking and baking are actually very relaxing activities, and they allow you to improve your culinary skills. After a long and rewarding cooking session, sitting down to savor a meal you made yourself is truly satisfying, don’t you think?

You’ve probably heard about the benefits of reading, but often feel too lazy or busy to find time for it in your daily routine? Well, the quarantine period during the pandemic is the perfect time to read a few books. This is definitely one of the top activities you should do while in home isolation. Prepare a cup of tea, coffee, or hot chocolate, sit (or lie down) comfortably, and enjoy your drink while reading a book. It will surely provide you with the peaceful break you need—a moment of calm in your busy life.

If you're not a regular reader, start with novels, short stories, or essays. You can explore popular authors like Haruki Murakami, Banana Yoshimoto, or J.K. Rowling, or dive into classics from authors like William Shakespeare, Victor Hugo, Tolstoy, and Dostoyevsky. Additionally, you can read a few non-fiction books on subjects like history, science, or philosophy. The knowledge you gain from these books will undoubtedly enrich your life and broaden your understanding of the world.

The quarantine period is also a perfect time for all the "movie buffs" to catch up on their favorite films. Thanks to streaming platforms like Netflix, you have access to a wide variety of classic movies, from TV shows to feature films, without needing to leave your home. Movies not only provide entertainment but also offer valuable life lessons, and by watching movies, you can relax while learning meaningful human stories and insights.

In addition to live-action films, you can also choose to watch documentaries. Netflix has many fascinating and educational documentaries like Explained, Planet Earth, American Factory, World War II, and especially the series on pandemics, which is quite fitting for this time.

To make the most of your free time, you can also nurture your creativity through drawing. You can choose to sketch with pencils, paint with watercolors, or any other style that inspires you. Whether you have natural talent or not, don’t hesitate to start drawing on a blank page. Play some soft music, sip a cup of coffee, and let your creativity flow.

You can recreate images you find online, sketch your favorite singer, outline a landscape, draw chibi characters, create animated characters, or design anything creative that sparks your interest. Drawing not only helps you relax and boost your inspiration, but it also sharpens your eye for aesthetics and color perception. If you’re unsure what to draw, browse Instagram or Pinterest and search keywords like "drawing", "color painting", "chibi", or "animation"—you’ll find plenty of amazing art that will inspire your own creations.

Whether you’re studying, working, or relaxing, don’t forget that your health is paramount. During the lockdown period at home, you’ll likely be moving around less and won’t have access to the gym or outdoor sports. If you neglect exercise, you might accumulate excess calories, potentially gaining weight and impacting your overall health. Working from home, online studying, or sitting at a computer for long periods can also take a toll on your back, spine, and shoulders.

Therefore, alongside the other Top 24 Useful Things You Can Do While Isolated at Home During the Covid-19 Pandemic, regular home exercise and fitness should definitely be on your list. If you have equipment like dumbbells, a pull-up bar, or a treadmill at home, you can design simple workout routines and turn your space into a mini gym. If you have a garden or enough space, you can play sports like table tennis, basketball (practice dribbling or shooting), football (practice juggling the ball), or shuttlecock. If your living space is more limited, you can still do a variety of effective exercises like push-ups, planks, squats, sit-to-stands, or crunches.

Another great option alongside home exercise is yoga. Yoga doesn’t require much space or fancy equipment—just a comfortable outfit and a mat or blanket. Practicing yoga helps improve flexibility, reduces common office-related ailments, and also contributes to a more toned and graceful physique.

There are plenty of yoga tutorials available on YouTube, so if you're a beginner, you can easily follow along with instructional videos. Yoga requires patience, perseverance, and regular practice, so make sure to keep it consistent!

Even though social distancing and staying at home is recommended, taking a solo walk outside, while avoiding crowds, is a safe activity and won’t expose you to COVID-19. Occasionally stepping outside for a 15-30 minute walk, in a nearby area and keeping your distance from others, can do wonders for your well-being.

A short walk can help clear your mind, release stress, and provide a refreshing change of scenery after being indoors for too long. Just remember to wear a mask and wash your hands properly when you're done!

If you're a music lover, why not sing and play an instrument during this break? Whether it’s the piano, guitar, or ukulele, you have plenty of options to explore. This could be the perfect time to learn a new instrument or refine your skills.

If you don't play an instrument, try singing instead. Record a video of yourself singing and playing and don't hesitate to share it on social media. If you’re good, you'll get tons of engagement, and if not, no worries! Think of it as a fun “quarantine challenge” — who knows, you might even become famous like Lệ Rơi!

If you have pets like dogs, cats, or hamsters, this is a perfect time to care for and play with your pets at home. The cuteness and playfulness of your pets can keep you entertained all day long without getting bored.

Scientific studies have shown that playing with pets helps people relax, reduce stress, and boosts their mood. So, taking time to care for and play with your pets during this period will surely make you feel happier and more at ease.

You can also make use of your free time by creating handmade items. Handmade items are usually crafted by hand in a simple way and can either serve a practical purpose or be used for decoration. Instead of buying ready-made items, why not try making your own cute and charming handmade creations?

This is a great way to combat boredom, enhance your crafting skills, and create useful items. You may even discover a new passion for handicrafts and who knows, you could sell your creations online!

In our busy everyday lives, we're constantly on the move, leaving little time for family. This lack of time together is one of the reasons why modern family life sometimes feels disconnected, with parents and children not fully understanding each other. The time spent at home during the COVID-19 social distancing period offers a perfect opportunity to slow down and have meaningful conversations with your loved ones.

Start with familiar topics, your daily life, and take the time to ask about your parents' well-being. This will likely be one of the most meaningful things you can do during this period of quarantine.

In addition to chatting, you and your family can also play board games together. Classic games like Snakes and Ladders, Chess, Chinese Chess, Go, Monopoly, and Vietnamese card games are great for small groups.

You can also try newer board games like Uno, Exploding Kittens, Werewolf, and more. You can play with your siblings, cousins, or even the whole family. Playing board games together will definitely bring more joy and laughter than everyone glued to their own phones in separate corners.

This long break is also a perfect opportunity to clean your house. There's an old saying: "A clean house brings a fresh breeze, and clean dishes make food tastier." If you’ve been too busy to clean, now is the ideal time to tackle it. Start by getting rid of unnecessary items, sweeping away cobwebs, and wiping every corner of your home. To make cleaning more enjoyable, you can play some music while you tidy up.

Don’t think of it as a chore—embrace the process! Cleaning can be surprisingly relaxing. Along with the living room, kitchen, and storage areas, you can focus on organizing your own room. Take the time to arrange your bookshelves and work desk. You can even rearrange the furniture to give the space a fresh new look. A clean, tidy, and refreshed environment will definitely boost your inspiration for both life and work.

Have you ever been frustrated when your phone runs out of storage while you're trying to take photos or videos during a trip? Or when your computer’s storage is almost full, yet you need space for work files, movies, or games?

Just like your house, your computer and phone need a cleanup too. Take advantage of this time to clean up your computer and phone storage. Backup your data, organize files into folders for easy access, and delete anything unnecessary so your devices have enough space for what you truly need.

Just like English, computer skills and information technology are essential in today’s world. To land a good job and boost your work performance, it's not enough to just master basic office software; you also need to be proficient in various other programs. This is the perfect time to teach yourself computer skills and useful software such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more.

If you need to shop but are concerned about not being able to go out or stores being closed, online shopping is the solution. You can shop from the comfort of your home, select the items you need, and make a purchase with just a click. How convenient is that? However, make sure to buy from trusted sellers to avoid counterfeit, substandard, or fake products when shopping online.

If you're a dynamic young person who enjoys engaging with social media, consider streaming or creating TikTok and YouTube videos. If you're good at gaming, stream your gameplay, or if you're skilled at cooking, create cooking tutorials. You can also make vlogs about daily life, learning English, study tips, beauty hacks, and more.

If you're unsure where to start, TikTok offers a range of fun and engaging effects to try out. Don't hesitate to experiment—you might just go viral on social media!

In addition to activities you can do at home, you can also volunteer for local COVID-19 relief efforts, usually organized by youth groups or local community organizations, if your area has a need. During these times, working together to fight the pandemic is crucial. As a young person, don’t hesitate to step up and lend a hand.

Whether you're at home or not, during unpredictable times like these, keeping up with the news and current affairs is essential. Stay updated on the global pandemic situation, as well as any new government policies related to it. Following news and current affairs helps you stay informed and avoid falling for fake news.

This extended break is the perfect opportunity to slow down and embrace writing. You can write letters to friends or keep a journal. Feel free to write blog posts, short stories, movie reviews, or anything else that sparks your creativity. Enjoy some calming music, a warm cup of coffee, and let your pen flow.

One of the final activities you can do in the Top 24 useful things to do during quarantine is taking care of your plants. Use your free time to plant small pots on your balcony, window sill, or inside your home. Water them daily and enjoy the calming effects of caring for greenery.

Adding more plants not only contributes to a greener environment but also enhances the beauty of your living space. As the plants grow and bloom, they will bring a refreshing, green atmosphere to your home, improving the quality of life for you and your family.

Today, English and other foreign languages are more important than ever. You've always wanted to learn English but have been too busy with school, work, or socializing? If so, this break from the pandemic is the perfect time to learn English or a new foreign language. You could study English, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, French, German... Any language you choose will broaden your mind and benefit you in both life and career.

While you can't attend language classes in person right now, thanks to the internet and smartphone apps, you can easily learn English or a new foreign language from home. Download a language learning app, form a study group with friends on Skype or FaceTime, watch YouTube videos by native speakers, and practice new vocabulary every day. Who knows, by the time this quarantine ends, you could be fluent in English or another language!

Working from home (Work-from-home) has become more popular than ever during this period of social distancing. In the past, only freelancers or startups typically worked from home, but now, due to the lockdown, more and more companies are allowing their employees to work remotely. Most jobs can still be done via computer and the internet, so work can continue as usual.

If you're one of the lucky ones working from home, here are some helpful tips:

• Stick to a set work schedule to avoid mixing work with personal life.
• Stay away from distractions like social media, news sites, and games.
• Set daily deadlines and make sure you meet them.

If you're a student and not yet working, online learning is an essential task. Don't get distracted by leisure and forget about your studies, because the pandemic might last longer than expected. If you neglect your learning, you might forget what you've learned, struggle with exams, or develop bad study habits when the break is over.

Schools and universities are all shifting to online classes, so make sure to study online while you're at home. Online learning requires discipline and self-motivation, much like working from home. Though it's not as fun as entertainment, it will help you stay on track and prepare for a successful future.