Home Alone & Having Fun - A How To Guide

No matter who you are, in one way or another, your life has been upended by the Coronavirus. Whether you're quarantining, self-isolating or social distancing, nearly everyone is likely spending a lot more time alone and at home.

So we thought it might be fun to come up with a few ideas on how to keep yourself stimulated, sharp, and entertained whether you're living with a spouse or home alone. Feel free to suggest any additional ideas you've been having fun with!

1. Watch or re-watch classic shows and movies.

• Top 100 Movies of All Time - Hollywood Reporter
• AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies - American Film Institute
• The 100 Greatest Comedies of All Time - BBC
• Top 100 Comedy Movies - Rotten Tomatoes
• 50 Greatest Comedies of the 21st Century - Rolling Stone Magazine
• Top 100 Greatest Action Movies of All Time - Rotten Tomatoes
• Best Netflix Movies of All Time - Metacritic

2. Read the books or authors you've always wanted to read, or re-read your favorites! Need ideas?

• All time Pulitzer Prize winners
• All time Booker Prize winners
• All time New York Times Fiction Bestseller
• All time New York Times Non-Fiction Bestseller List
• All time Nobel Prize Winners for Literature
• Bill Gates favorite books from 2012-2019
• Most popular required reading At America's Top 10 Colleges

3. Mind teezers

• Crossword (NY Times, Washington Post, The Atlantic)
• Soduko (NY Times Easy, Washington Post)
• Word search (LA Times)
• Brain games and teasers (Sharp Brains)

4. Learn some new recipes and make some new dishes

• Top rated and reviewed recipes (Food Network)
• 20 Favorite Recipes of All Time (Epicurious)
• All-Time Top 20 Recipes (BBC Good Food)
• 40 Best-Ever Recipes from Food & Wine (Food & Wine Magazine)

5. Start a new hobby from home (order supplies online or have someone pick them up for you)

• Knitting
• Gardening
• Bird watching / feeding
• Bee Keeping
• Writing / poetry
• Model making (trains, planes, automobiles, war figurines, etc...)
• Astronomy (the skies are clearer than ever!)

6. Stay fit!

• Daily walks
• Daily stretch
• Tai Chi
  • Tai Chi 9 Minute a Day Practice (instructional video)
  • Seated Tai Chi for Seniors (instructional video)
• Gentle Yoga
  • Gentle Yoga for Seniors (instructional video)
  • Chair Yoga for Seniors (instructional video)
• Learn some new dances alone or with your partner from home with youtube videos. Fun & uplifting!
  • Line dances (instructional video)
  • Can't Stop the Feeling (follow along)
  • Uptown Funk (follow along)
  • Temptations Cha Cha (instructional video)

7. Board games (2 or more players)

• Chess (can play with others online)
• Backgammon (can play with others online)
• Checkers (can play with others online)
• Chinese Checkers
• Mahjong (can play with others online)
• Cribbage
• Scrabble (can play with others online)
• Boggle
• Jenga
• Blokus
• Yahtzee
• Trivial Pursuit
• 5 Second Rule

8. Card Games

• Gin Rummy
• Hearts
• Solitaire
• Poker
• Blackjack
• Bridge

9. Try online dating. You may not be able to meet in person, but who's to say you can't meet someone interesting that makes you're heart skip a beat from a distance?

10. Learn a new language

11. Learn a new instrument, or take up on old one

12. Spark up some new romantic moves with your spouse!