Most of the US (and the world) may not be on the strictest phases or levels of lockdown anymore but a lot of us are still spending our free time at home. Maybe you’ve graduated or on summer vacation. Perhaps you’ve been laid off, or are working from home and have a few extra hours now that you’re not commuting. What can you do with all of your free time? You can be working on better developing your mind or body.
Take some online classes in a subject that interests you
There are some wonderful (and free!) classes available online these days. Not only can you take an introduction to art history, archeology, or calculus course at home, you can learn at your own pace and you don’t have to pay for it. Learning new things keeps your brain sharp and you never know when any of this information will come in handy.
The Open Culture website has a lot of great links to free classes from top universities. IVY League universities (like Harvard and Yale) offer free introductory courses as well! If you want something a little less academic but don’t mind paying a little bit of money, you can find classes on nearly anything on websites like Coursera, Skillshare, or Udemy.
Find a hobby where you can create something
As a society, we have a tendency of focusing on external, instant gratification. We can buy absolutely anything online and we can get it shipped within two days. When we do go out, we can go through a drive-thru and get impatient if we have to wait any longer than five minutes for food. This is one of the reasons why creating something from scratch is so important.
Learning and experiencing the time, effort, and patience which goes into making something is both rewarding and eye-opening. It also gives you a sense of accomplishment while also giving you a visual, tangible thing which will remind you what hard work and diligence can produce. You will learn new skills you can utilize in other situations too. Bonus!