Beat Boredom With These Ideas of Things To Do Indoors

By popular request, here are ideas of things to do indoors for the next little bit. Here are some ways to make the most of this time 🙂 I’m personally using it to tackle my never-ending to-do list. 

Before I share things to do, make sure you’re getting your information for coronavirus from these resources: 

Ottawa Public Health

Government of Canada Updates

World Health Organization

Mental Health Support:  24/7 at 613-238-3311 

Travel Advisories

This post may contain affiliate links. They help support this blog at no additional cost to you. As always, these are my favourite recommendations 🙂  

Stay Entertained

Games Night

Enjoy a games night! Enjoy some friendly competition. Check out my list of favourite board games here.

Watch Or Listen To An Online Concert

Concerts and events may be postponed but you can enjoy plenty online! Check out some concert experiences on Netflix from Taylor Swift, Beyonce and more. Youtube also has archives of concerts from current performers and legendary bands you may not have seen before like Queen or Bruce Springsteen! 

You can also listen to concerts on Spotify. Two of my favourites are this live concert by Vance Joy (who will be at Bluesfest this summer) and this one by John Mayer. Search your favourite artist and see if they have a live recording up. 

Movie Marathon

Everyone has a film franchise they could watch over and over again whether its Starwars, Marvel, Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean or other cult classics! Whatever your favourite, have a movie marathon night complete with movie snacks and binge watch. (Tip: Craving real movie theatre popcorn? You can order it from Cineplex on UberEats!)

Happy Hour at Home

Be your own bartender and create your own happy hour cocktails! Whatever your poison, there are plenty of recipes and inspiration online. Feeling adventurous? Try making your own syrups and add your own twist to them! One of my favourites is a Whiskey Smash (perfect for spring!). Try it here.

Dance Party

Throwback 90s, new favourites, 60’s playlist, whatever it is, put it on and why not have a dance party? Be as goofy as you want. So many birthday parties when I was younger we had dance parties so why not bring it back. 

Get Creative

When’s the last time you did a craft, drew or painted? Why not exercise your creativity. Use a book like 365 Days of Creativity to inspire some new ideas. 

Pinterest is a great place to find things to create. Whether you’re looking for DIY home decor or fun activities with your kids, you’ll find endless possibilities. Connect with me on Pinterest here.

Support Local

During these times it’s important to also help and support local businesses! I’m currently building a list of businesses to support on this Instagram post. Share a business in the comments and let’s help out the small business community. There’s lot of ways you can support right from your couch 🙂

https://www.instagram.com/p/B9uEIJWgZdQ/

Travel The World Through Ottawa Restaurants Without Leaving Your House

You can order from a variety of local businesses and have food delivered right to your front door! Use this blog post to travel the world through Ottawa restaurants, pick a country and then order from the matching restaurant. With this list, you’ll be in Japan one day and Greece the next.

In my opinion, Ubereats has the best selection of restaurants and Foodora has the best delivery fees. If you haven’t used Ubereats before use code “juliaw421” to save on your order. If you haven’t used Foodora before, click here, to save on your order. 

Shop Online…Including Beer

Lots of local businesses have online shops you can purchase from! Get all the essentials and things you need from the click of a button. 

Check out businesses like Kichesippi! This local brewery has an online beer delivery service! Order amazing craft beers online and have them delivered right to your door. If you have an Ottawa address receive FREE delivery for the March/April 7 days a week when you order 12 cans or more! Get your beer here.

Discover Something New

Have some extra time on your hands? Learn something new! 

Take This FREE Happiness Course

In partnership with psychologists from McGill and Yale University, my friends at TELUS created this happiness workshop as part of their TELUS Wise program that promotes digital wellbeing. Its geared towards teens but I think everyone can draw value from it. Since doing the 60-minute workshop myself, I’ve implemented a lot of their tips. You can access it here.

Expand Your Cooking

Craving an international dish? While travel is on the decline right now you can travel the world through food in your own kitchen! Whether you’re an experienced cook or looking to begin learning there are so many resources online that can help you! From blogs, youtube videos and recipe books, there are endless possibilities. 

Here are two cookbooks I love that make cooking simple by Jamie Oliver: 5 ingredient recipes and 15-minute recipes. Take this time to find your new favourite recipes. 

You can also try some recipes from your favourite travel destinations or places you want to go to. Here are some cookbooks to start your off: Italy, Mexico, Thailand, Argentina, India, Japan, China, Malaysia, Turkey, Germany, International Street Food and more.  

Learn a Language

Challenge yourself to learn a new language! There are plenty of resources from apps on your phone to online courses to begin learning. Duolingo is a great app to learn a new language for free. You can also watch movies with subtitles or listen to music in other languages to enhance your experience. 

Take a Virtual Tour Of Famous Museums

Be a tourist from the comfort of your own home and take a virtual tour through museums and exhibits. Courtesy of Google Arts & Culture you can browse exhibits by time, colour, collections, artists, history, themes and more! Check it out here. 

Read a Book

Grab a cup of tea and get lost in a good book. It’s a great way to take some time out for yourself and detach from everything around you. Learn about something new or dive into a story. Looking for a new book? Here are some of my favourite books that I recommend.

Take An Online Course

Now is the perfect time to sharpen your skills. You can learn free skills on Youtube, Skillshare or Udemy. You can also access free Ivy League courses here.

If you have kids, here are some free resources you can access free at-home resources from Scholastic. 

Listen To A Podcast

I’m a huge fan of podcasts and I’ve learned so much from them. Whether you’re looking to learn new skills, widen your perspective or be entertained, there is something for everyone. I usually listen on Spotify. My favourite is School of Greatness. There’s a wide range of guests and I always learn something new. Earn Your Happy was the first podcast I ever listened too and it gave me the confidence to quit my full time job.

Practice Self-Care

With all the recent changes, don’t forget about yourself! Make sure to carve out some time for self-care. 

Journal

Make notes on your day or start a gratitude journal. It’s a great way to get your thoughts out. I start my day with this 2-minute gratitude journal. A few years ago I bought my boyfriends this popular 5-minute journal. It’s the perfect way to start and end your day. They’re a great way to focus and find something to be grateful for every day. 

I love the notebooks above to guide my journaling but you could also take a blank notepad and write 3 things you’re grateful for and a quick summary of the day.

Have An At-Home Spa Day

Have a relaxing day to yourself with some spa essentials. Order everything you need for the perfect spa day from Purple Urchin and Boogie + Birdie. Boogie + Birdie also has free delivery by bike on weekdays within the downtown core and shipping across Canada.

Indoor Yoga

The great thing about yoga is you can do it anywhere! Don’t have a yoga-mat? No worries! Move some furniture around and make some space to do some free-flow yoga or find some videos online to follow. I love Yoga with Adrienne. She has videos for every level and lots of fun challenges you can try. 

Meditate

Between our phones, work, friends, and responsibilities it can be hard to quiet our minds and fully relax, especially with all the panic you see. You can download an app like headspace or calm to start meditation. I use this free playlist on Spotify to meditate. You can shuffle through and find one that fits your current mood. Your mind will wander but it’s all about bringing yourself back to your center.

Peace Room on Sparks Street is offering free live meditations on Instagram.

Be Productive

Spring Cleaning

It has to get done at some point so tackle your spring cleaning now! Everyone has a closet they’ve been meaning to organize, a car that needs cleaning or a phone that needs decluttering. Whatever it is, why not start now? Throw on your favourite podcast or playlist and get started. You’ll feel so accomplished after. 

Tackle That To-Do List

We all have that one task (or many) that we keep putting off. Something that can “wait until later” and never seems to get done. Whatever it is you’re procrastinating, now’s the time to do it! 

Write Out Your Goals

Once everything is back to normal, what are some things you want to accomplish? I know this is going to be a tough time for my business so I’m using this time to learn new skills and get organized so I can’t hit the ground running later on 🙂

I would love for you to join my 21 Day Wellness Challenge on Instagram. Each day I’ll post a new focus. I’m hoping it can add some inspiration, fun, and positivity during this time 🙂