With the lock down in full effect in Dubai, here are 10 things you can do at home to spend time more happily and productively.
Clean out unused stuff
Bring out your inner Marie Kondo and get cleaning and pick out unused stuff such as clothes, extra furniture etc. Throw our items that cannot be donated and pack up items that can be donated later. Clothes can be dropped off in the donation bins kept near Mosques. Enjoy a clean home and maybe you can take some nice photos of the house and share them on Facebook.
Try Cooking new recipes
Take any food item and there will be thousand different recipes available online. Think of some food item that you usually eat at restaurants and look up its recipe online. Most often you will find that the recipe is not so difficult as you imagined. Recipes are available in video format on YouTube or as a photo guide on other websites.
Listen to free Audio Books
Popular audio book service “Audible” has made a vast section of its library free to access. Install the Audible app and start listening to interesting books, be it self-help or fiction or anything you wish. Get the Audible App.
Start a Journal or a Blog
If you have always wanted to write a blog and build up your audience base, now is the time to do it. Head over to wordpress.com and start your free blog and get writing. Topics for blogging can range from your personal interests or even just be a lockdown journal. Share your thoughts with others. Who knows, it might develop into an online business that brings passive income eventually.
Connect with Old Friends and Family
Allocate 30 minutes daily to catch up with your old friends or with your family. Use this lockdown period to enrich your connections and reinvigorate friendships. Not a fan of calling people? then send them a message on FB Messenger or Whatsapp. Get talking.
Learn a new Language
Use your time wisely to pickup a new language. Duolingo, an interactive app that teaches languages interactively like a game recently added Arabic to their list of languages. Duolingo is free to use, and has languages such as Arabic, French, Hindi etc. Download Duolingo here.
Work on your financial planning and setup a Budget
Revisit your financial planning and setup a budget. Make a plan to save 10% of your income before you start spending. Create a simple excel sheet or use one of the free budgeting apps such as Mint or YNAB.
Skip cooking and order from local restaurants
Try out some new cuisines and food items from your local restaurants atleast twice a week. Call them and place a delivery order or use the food delivery apps such as Zomato or Talabat. By doing so, you are providing valuable support to the restaurants to stay afloat until the lockdown is over.
Get a free trial of streaming apps – Netflix or Amazon Prime
If you don’t already have a subscription, get a free one month trial from Netflix or Amazon Prime and start binge watching their collection of shows and movies. Remember to cancel your subscription if you have no intention of renewing them after the free trial. Both Netflix and Amazon Prime provides one month free trial.
Learn to type faster on your computer keyboard
Practise typing documents on your computer keyboard to improve your typing speed. Faster typing skills will help you for a lifetime to get things done faster on the computer. Just open up Google Docs or MS Word and start typing your story or how your day went. Alternatively, if you want to learn typing professionally, try the free interactive typing tutorials available on TypigClub.com
Remember to get lots of rest, sleep and spend time with your family.
Stay safe.
