Admittedly, I don’t know much about ways to be sociable … but I know all about being alone.

Those for whom being alone is novel, I have some tried and true methods for coping. I work from home and have for many years. Often, it takes a lot of discipline to keep working, especially when I don’t feel like it. Those times I don’t want to force my creativity, I fall back on some activities that I will now share with you.

When you’ve exhausted everything you can think of, but are still feeling antsy, depressed, or generally out of sorts, think about doing some of the stuff on the list below. Here are 10 things you can accomplish now that you have the time.

• Organize your Photographs. Whether physical or digital, sort through your shots and place them in folders. Delete duplicates or mistakes.  Keep it’s nice to be able to locate photos when you want to without going through a ton of them to find the one you are looking for. Besides, this has the added benefit of reliving memories you are fond of.
• Tend your Indoor Plants. You may have known for a while that this needs to be done, but didn’t quite have the time. Pick off the dried leaves. Add some new soil. Repot plants that have grown beyond the capacity of their container. (If you shop at Walmart for groceries, visit the garden section). Work on your outside garden plants too!
• File your Papers. Now you have the time to go through your piles of papers. Widdle down that pile by going through them, consolidating them by subject. Papers could include the recipes you’ve collected, useful advice about health, how-to articles about other subjects, or letters you don’t want to throw away. After sorting, consolidate and find a nice place for them.
• Clean out your Refrigerator (stove, range, microwave, or toaster oven). The necessary job of cleaning is always time-consuming, especially when it concerns large appliances. But guess what? You’ve now got the time for this chore. Thoroughly clean underneath the surfaces and where foodstuffs often fall.
• Dust off your Books and Bookcases. This means taking them off each shelf to vacuum or swiffer the shelf as well as the tops of the books. Take this time to determine if you really need to keep the book(s) or pass them on.
• Make some Bread by Scratch. Nothing is better than freshly baked bread. It’s especially great if you’ve never before done anything remotely like this. Now is a great time to experiment. There are plenty of how-tos on the internet. Who knows, you just might have a knack for this type of thing. And if it doesn’t quite work out, no one will know … plus, you can always eat the evidence.
• Dust-Off that Project. Yikes, your project has been sitting around for a while, waiting for you to get back to it. When you started the project, you really liked how it made you feel, but somehow life got in the way. Now is your time to finally finish it.
• Begin the First Chapter of Your Life Story. Come on, you’ve thought about writing one. Now’s your chance. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know anything about writing. Just start. Get some words down on paper (or word processor) and see how far it goes. If you start to lag, think about having to clean the grout from the shower tiles. That should be incentive enough to continue.
• Go through Your Closet. Look, you have clothes you haven’t worn for years just sitting there, taking up gobs of space. Sort through them. And what’s that thing at the back of the closet in the corner? Weren’t you looking for that a while back? And are you saving those shoes that are too tight for when your feet get smaller?
• Work on Your Personal Growth.  There’s no time like the present to comb out the emotional snarls in your life, those things that keep you from fully living the life you want. This doesn’t have to be hard. I have created a simple and easy means to help you work out. Check it out.

Hopefully, you’ve already found something out of the 10 activities listed above to help you with your alone-time during your quarantine. Not only will they focus your attention, but you will also feel a great sense of accomplishment.

PS- I want to add to the list: “Take care of a little kitten or puppy who needs your help” because that would be awesome.

Note: I do not have children, so I cannot easily advise those who do.