Things to do when you are stuck at home

With all the lockdowns and social distancing no matter where we are in the world right now, most of us have been spending a little more time at home than we used to. While you can totally choose to chillax, you can also try to be a little more productive and get some stuff done so you emerge from the whole pandemic experience with an expanded skillset and a more organized home *hopeful music plays in the background*

1. Home improvement projects.

I wallpapered one wall in my room, wallpapered one wall in my sister's room, then helped her paint the rest of her room walls + patch and painted her ceiling. The both of us also painted the walls and ceiling of my dad's study. These were the larger scale projects we did. My sister also decluttered and organized the different areas of the home (my parents are notorious for wanting to keep everything and my sister can be very persuasive...*LOL*). I guess we got rid of more than 1000 things...trashed if it was old and recycled if it was possible. It took 3 weeks for the actual stuff to leave our premises because the recycle truck only comes by once a week.

If there is a home improvement project that you have been putting off for years, now is probably a good time to get cracking because it's not like you are packing to go on vacation any time soon. *fingers crossed that we can all get to travel in the second half of 2020*

2. Start using stuff you already have.

Of course, in the midst of decluttering, one would find "new" and unused appliances. Or is it just me? *winks* Yep, I found my multi-pro food processor. It was one of those things on my wishlist and when I spotted it on sale, I bought it. And never used it. That was 2 years ago. Well, I just used her to make some pie dough. And wondering why I didn't use her sooner. Silly me.

And I also found this novelty silicone ice tray that I never used in my pantry....which was perfect for freezing the custard filling I made for my custard buns. 

It feels nice to finally use up the stuff that's taking up space in your home. So maybe give a little love to your appliances during this time. Or find them a more loving home.

3. Declutter and organize your art supplies.

Since my craft space is always a work-in-progress, I also spent some time trying to reconfigure how to organize my art supplies to save space and make them more accessible.

I finally got all my coloured pencils organized by brands. Previously I was housing them in clear jars that were so pretty to look at but collected a ton of dust. I bought one of these pencil organizers before the lockdown and ordered another 5 more to house my coloured pencils. Each organizer holds about 150 coloured pencils. I filled 5 of them up with a spare one for new pencils to join Yvonne's Art Supply Club...you know, sometime down the road. Hahaha.

I love that I can see all my coloured pencils at once and the case folds neatly for storage.

I also did a massive overhaul of my "someday I want to upcycle" stash that I have had for years. Anything big and bulky went into the recycle bin...whatever that can somewhat be compacted I still kept because I'm an upcycler at heart. 

4. Engage in a little self-care.

You know those skincare samples that I've been accumulating whenever I went shopping? Well, I've used half of them up. *Yay..go me!* It's the best time to try products, see what you might be allergic to, what works best for your skin etc etc.

They say it takes 6 weeks to form a habit. So now is a good time to start some healthy ones. I've been pretty disciplined...I work out every morning, take a cold shower and do a 16/8 intermittent fasting on most days. The only thing I haven't done that I really want to do is meditate. I find it extremely hard to focus...and tend to get sleepy. Definitely something I need to work on.

5. Fuel your creative side - learn new things.

You must also spend some time doing fun things that you enjoy. I've been having fun using my new photo printer ...the square format is a great way to stretch my creativity and use up my stash in line with My paper goals for 2020.

I've also been trying a ton of new-to-me recipes. Things that I always thought were too difficult or time-consuming. Suddenly these became personal challenges for me to "conquer".

I try to mix it up so that I make something simple and something complex every day. Got to say I'm a little addicted to the dopamine hit each time things work out. And you know me, I research extensively before I even embark on something so as to increase my chances of a successful attempt. Especially these days when food supplies are erratic and we have to make do with whatever is available. 

I've baked so many different breads, grilled steaks, made pasta and meat buns from scratch, baked fruit pies and savoury pies, made my own salted egg yolks, baked so many different cakes and tarts, tinkered with so many chocolate chip cookie recipes and made pancakes in all forms. Who knew my cooking/baking repertoire would expand exponentially just from staying home for the last 60 days?

We can't control what's happening in the global world but we can control our mindset. I choose the growth mindset. To learn as much as I can with the extra time that I've been gifted.

Tell me, how have you been spending the little bit of extra time you have now that social distancing is the new norm? And what else do you think I should attempt in my kitchen?