Everyone is trying to do their part to stop the spread of COVID-19 (Coronavirus). The 5 tools to help are: wash your hands, cough into your elbow, avoid touching your face, stay 3 feet apart from others, and if you feel sick, stay home. For more info, visit the WHO website with tips and tricks. Many of us are staying at home to reduce the number of people in public and protect the greater population. This can be pretty boring. Here are our Top 5 things to do when you stay home.
5. Catch up on your watch/listen/read list
“You have got to check out (blank) on Netflix”- a friend at work. Now is the time for us to clean up those Netflix lists and finally get to those suggested shows, ones with amazing reviews, or had the cool trailer. We always put it off but if you select one, any of them, and commit to watching the first episode you can then at least say you’ve tried to watch it. If it’s good, enjoy the binge. If it’s bad, remove it from the list and move to the next.
If you’re like me, you have that pile of comics and books that sit on the coffee table. Time to knock a couple of those out. Same with the shows, first chapter or comic and see if you want to commit to the rest.
You can also take this time to discover a new podcast or catch up on an old favorite. I’m biased, but you might want to listen to Geek Freaks!
Here are some suggestions for each of these if your options are light:
Netflix
Comics
Books
Podcast
4. Try Something Out of Your Gaming Comfort Zone
There are certain game genres we tend to lean into. Personally, I really like open-world games. Over time we start seeking out these games and ignore others out of our norm. Many unique or industry-defining games can pass us by. Take this time to explore what else is out there. Try to choose games that you would normally never play. If you have a friend join you on this choice then you can share the experience. Steam and Epic Games Store both offer many free games that will get you started. The consoles will often have demos that give you the feel for a game before purchase. And then there are subscription services like Game Pass and Stadia that give you a selection of full games as part of their package. Game Pass has a fun feature called the “Surprise Me” button. Click it and a new game pops up for you to download. You never know what you like, if you never try it.
3. Join a Community
Today, communities can be found online in many different forms with different shared interests. We are a part of a podcast community on twitter where we share ideas, suggestions, and support. I’m also part of a community of gamers through Discord. We chat many nights as we play games and discuss daily life, politics, or geek topics. You can always find friends that want to talk about your interests. An emerging location for this is Facebook Groups. They exist for just about anything. There are also Discord channels and Twitter lists. To get you started, here is our Discord where we talk about all things geek.
2. Learn Something New
There are now free online courses you can take that would teach you something you have been wanting to learn for ages. Coding, a new language, maybe even freshen up on the basics. All available online and free through course sites or youtube. Even the paid courses will offer free trials so you can see if it’s worth your money. You can come out of this isolation period as a more educated person and feeling even better about yourself. Khan Academy is a FREE resource with multiple courses, all listed below.
1. Create Content!
You live in a world of content creators sharing their passions. Geek Freaks started with one guy who loved podcasts that approached his friends and said “key, let’s talk about geek stuff and record it.” Two years later we have many wonderful listeners and have made so many awesome friends. Nobody needs to give you permission to make content of any kind. If you have a passion, share. Someone has that same passion and will want to see or hear your work. It may go nowhere, but who cares. It’s all about expressing yourself. Don’t keep your joy inside, tell the world. Below are places to get started and if you make anything that PLEASE share it with us! We want to celebrate together!
Podcast: Use your phone and first and post the MP3 to a free server like Anchor.fm. If you need more help than reach out to us on the social site or our email.
YouTube: Again, your phone. Record your thoughts or a funny sketch and get it out there. You can download the YouTube Studio app to better control your youtube channel through your phone. There is also the growing TikTok. I some times kill my battery laughing at Tik Tok till the late hours.
Art: I LOVE fanart! Even if you don’t think it looks good, get it out there. Someone will like it, and you will get the opportunity to share your work. You can draw on paper and either scan or take a picture. Just share it!
Storytelling: Ever have the itch to write a book, but you’re scared. Well just put together a short story and share it with a friend. I personally have a friend that writes short stories and only sends them to me. She gets to write and I get to give feedback and express all the parts that I love. There are a few twitter hashtags dedicated to new writers that will only give positive support.
Website: WordPress offers completely free sites that are blogged based. another place to share your thoughts or work.
If you have any other ideas about passing the time, let us know!
Image from Home Alone
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