Self Care

100 Projects Our Readers Are Doing in Isolation

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One of the silver linings of a global pandemic is the sheer fact that it’s universal—despite the fact that we may all be feeling more alone than ever (guilty as charged), we’re all in a common fight against the same enemy: coronavirus and its impacts. That being said, I’ve found great comfort in the solidarity of friends, strangers, and Everygirls all around the world—knowing that we are truly all together in this situation.

Unfortunately, though, I’ve definitely fallen victim to the harmful habit of comparing “how I’m isolating” to “how other people are isolating”—when in fact, comparison is the exact opposite of how we SHOULD be interacting with each other right now (and always). Moving forward, I’m choosing to use the experiences and accomplishments of others as motivation and encouragement, taking inspiration from what has worked for others in terms of entertainment, stress relief, and productivity.

I asked our Instagram followers to share the projects/tasks they’ve been working on while self-isolating—in the hopes that we can celebrate each others’ victories (both big and small) while also gaining some insight for ourselves.

*The following answers are quoted directly from Instagram responses, but some have been edited slightly for clarity.

  1. Making handmade masks for friends and family
  2. Learning WordPress to start a blog
  3. Starting a garden from seeds
  4. Making homemade bagels
  5. Knitting a baby blanket for a friend
  6. Watching all the Marvel movies in order
  7. Taking the TEG Photoshop course
  8. Starting a regular meditation practice
  9. Building a gallery wall in my home
  10. Reconnecting with my Chinese roots and recreating favorite dishes from my childhood
  11. Purging my closet
  12. Planting flowers
  13. Learning needlepoint
  14. Canning jams (and other things like that!)
  15. Learning paper floral arts
  16. Crocheting
  17. Re-learning guitar
  18. Bullet journaling
  19. Hiring a life coach (investing in myself for my future/career)
  20. Painting my bathroom
  21. Teaching myself to give an at-home Brazilian wax
  22. Using a vibrator for the first time in my life
  23. Embroidering all my denim with daisies
  24. Knitting hats
  25. Learning to juggle
  26. Learning Spanish on Duolingo
  27. Baking cakes
  28. Sending cards to coworkers
  29. Power washing
  30. Making DIY personalized tote bags
  31. Understanding/learning more about essential oils
  32. Organizing the seasonal decor in the basement
  33. Organizing all the photos on my computer
  34. Training for my first half-marathon
  35. Building a raised garden bed (which I’ve been dreaming about!)
  36. Removing the carpet in my home (to reveal the hardwood underneath)
  37. Organizing my bathroom closet
  38. Painting
  39. Upcycling handbags
  40. Purging my bookshelves and donating ones I told myself I’d read, but know I won’t
  41. Fostering a dog
  42. Developing a morning routine
  43. Journaling
  44. Learning to make at-home lattes
  45. Deep-cleaning the entire house
  46. Fermenting! (sourdough, kombucha, and pickled veggies)
  47. Learning French on Duolingo
  48. Growing windowsill herbs
  49. Starting a creative design business
  50. Painting by number (currently painting a picture of the beach where I got engaged)
  51. Updating my LinkedIn
  52. Making a rug out of T-shirts (Editor’s note: We want to see!)
  53. Jewelry making
  54. Switching out winter clothes for spring
  55. Tie-dying!
  56. Making a DIY cork bathmat
  57. Updating my online portfolio
  58. Testing out new self-tanner products
  59. Training my hair to go longer between washes
  60. Practicing digital drawing with Procreate on my iPad
  61. Candle making
  62. Learning to sew on a sewing machine
  63. Stripping an heirloom coffee table to bring back to its glory
  64. Painting the kitchen cabinets
  65. Bartending fancy drinks to figure out what I like
  66. Painting the walls in my house
  67. Learning to macrame
  68. Keeping my kids alive and entertained
  69. Making old-school friendship bracelets
  70. Watching all of Schitt’s Creek from start to finish
  71. Unsubscribing from junk emails
  72. Basket weaving
  73. Writing happy sidewalk chalk messages
  74. Sending letters to all my loved ones
  75. Teaching myself calculus
  76. Starting a Zoom book club
  77. Playing guitar
  78. Writing a novel I started 10 years ago
  79. Sanding and staining the bar in my home
  80. Creating with clay—I’ve made a jar and tray so far (and bake in my oven to set)
  81. Learning dances on YouTube
  82. Putting down new wood floors in my townhome
  83. Cleaning out/organizing the pantry
  84. DIY projects for my (hopefully!) August wedding
  85. Playing Animal Crossing New Horizons (seriously so fun!)
  86. Weeding my garden
  87. Remodeling with subway tile
  88. Finally setting up a budget
  89. Designing my home with free FaceTime design help at West Elm
  90. Starting my side hustle
  91. Making our wedding and honeymoon photo albums
  92. Learning calligraphy
  93. Decanting everything in matching bins
  94. Making a recipe book of all the online recipe links I refer to so often
  95. Training my puppy
  96. Taking an online Excel course
  97. Practicing the piano (again)
  98. Homeschooling my kids (while also in grad school myself)
  99. Singing in two virtual choirs (Editor’s note: This is so cool!)
  100. Creating a food blog