As soon as I heard rumors about states issuing stay-at-home orders, I jumped in my car and headed home to the DC area. On March 30, Governor Northam of Virginia issued an order mandating that people only leave their homes for food, medical care, and exercise until June 10.

The thought of spending over two more months in quarantine made me realize that I need to create a list of things to do while stuck at home. So, I’m sharing my ideas with you, Impact readers:

1. [Google] Hangout with your friends. Whether you decide to hold a virtual happy hour or just want to video chat the old school way, I’ve found that keeping in touch through video chat helps a lot. Switch up who you talk with each day. Reach out to relatives you’ve been bad about staying in touch with. There’s seriously no better time.
2. Organize a book club. Although Amazon Prime is down for most items and you may have to switch to e-books, reading for fun is a great way to pass the days. To make it even more entertaining, organize a virtual book club with your friends. This will keep you on track with finishing the book, and gives you something new to talk about.
3. Get in shape. I am no runner, but I’ve started to become one now that I don’t have much else to do. A lot of my friends have also told me about free apps that offer good workout classes (e.g. the free Peloton app supposedly has something like Barry’s Bootcamp). Take this time to get in shape, whether that’s walking around your neighborhood, doing Yoga, playing Wii Fit (does that still exist?), or anything else that gets you moving.
4. Learn how to cook. My kitchen skills could always use some help, so I’m going to use this time to become a better cook. Now that I can’t eat out, I really have no choice. Also, this is a good time to experiment with the ingredients you have in your pantry. For inspiration, I follow food bloggers on Instagram (my favorite right now is @diningwithskyler).
5. Take online classes. I keep seeing my friends and family post about various universities that are offering free online classes. This article provides an overview of 450 classes being offered by the Ivy League schools.
6. Start a new season, watch new movies…or just rewatch your old favorites. Like many people, I’ve gotten sucked into Tiger King. But this quarantine also reminded me of how many shows and movies I had forgotten about since coming to law school. I recently watched Mean Girls for the millionth time, and have Forgetting Sarah Marshall on my list, too. I think it’s important to turn off the news sometimes and watch things that make you laugh.
7. Make far-out plans. The one thing that is keeping me sane is knowing that we will get through these times. I know it’s really far away, but I already halfway planned my New Year’s Eve, and my friends and I continue to talk about next year’s spring break. Lots of airlines are allowing you to book with no change fees for a year, so why not take advantage of it?
8. Discover a new creative outlet. Whether it’s paint-by-numbers, completing a puzzle, making friendship bracelets, or taking up a new instrument, there are plenty of ways to tap into your creative side. Not only are these activities time consuming, but you may discover a new hobby!
9. Organize your life (or maybe just your room). There are so many times throughout the semester where I promised myself I would clean out my drawers and shoe bin. Unsurprisingly, I never got around to it. Although I am no longer in my Brighton apartment, I’m still going to use this time to clear out my bedroom at home. For those of you who get to do this in your apartment, I am extremely jealous.
10. Go outside your comfort zone. For me, that would entail making a TikTok account, which I doubt is ever going to happen. But hey, maybe you are braver than I am! And plus, you’ll give your friends some entertainment, too.

There are, no doubt, so many more things to do while you are quarantining at home. However you decide to spend your time, just remember, we are in this together and will come out stronger. Stay safe everyone!

Courtney Ruggeri is a second-year law student trying to figure out how to navigate her way through the #coronavirus shutdown. Email her (seriously, do it: she’s bored) at ruggeric@bc.edu.