Has the cabin fever started to set in yet?
With the National Emergency Coordination Committee literally telling us not to leave our houses between 4pm Thursday and 3pm on Friday, this might be the first time we’ve ever had a governmentally-backed excuse for all-out laziness... but that doesn't mean you want to do absolutely nothing with all that free time.
Now we know you're not actually going to do anything for your own job while you're at home — heaven forbid! — but you might be able to do a few bits and pieces with your time to make you feel productive, instead of simply shambling around your home and succumbing to the slow creep of madness...
Was that too dramatic? Let's dial it back a bit.
Since there isn't a whole lot you can do to occupy yourself while the whole city is on lockdown, you may as well try to do something worthwhile at home with your time. That's why we've teamed up with Griffith College —who could teach you a thing or two about getting stuff done — to show you a few ways to be more productive in the comfort of your own home.
1. De-clutter your wardrobe
We can almost guarantee that you, like most people, have wardrobes, shelves and drawers full of clothing that you haven't worn in ages which you've got no real intention of ever wearing again.
Right now is the time to purge.
Carefully go through your items of clothing, set aside the stuff you haven't worn in six months or more, stuff your unwanted clothes in black bags to give to charity and simply enjoy all the newfound space in your wardrobe.
Clear space, clear mind and all that jazz.
2. Get stuck into a good book
We'd bet good money on the fact that you've got a book lying around at home that you've been meaning to read for a while, but you've just never found the opportunity. Since you're pretty much trapped inside the house, there's really no better time to indulge your inner bookworm.
If you're more of a Kindle person, you can always go browsing the bestsellers lists to see what's hot right now, like the Trump-bashing Fire And Fury by Michael Wolff, the inspiring The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A F*ck by Mark Manson and the thrilling The Woman In The Window by AJ Finn.
You'll be entertained and you'll probably even feel a little bit smarter as well.
And if you need more of an excuse, today is actually World Book Day too.
3. Catch up on documentaries
Yes, we're counting this as productive.
This is a perfectly valuable way to spend your time because (a) you're learning, which is always a good thing and (b) you need to get your money's worth out of that Netflix subscription.
There's no shortage of enthralling docs to dive into today on the streaming site; you can learn about inequality in the US with 13th, see Leonardo diCaprio get to grips with global warming in Before The Flood, and you can even find out how to make bread (which you people really seem to love right now) with Cooked.
4. Make an elaborate comfort meal
Most of us watch TV chefs and roll our eyes when they suggest anything even remotely tricky. Leaving something to marinate for four hours is something that only the truly patient can ever manage and no one has the time to let bay leaves infuse into... whatever it is that bay leaves infuse into.
However, these snowdays should be see as the golden opportunity to channel your inner smug chef, provided you stocked up on all the requisite supplies before the panic shoppers raided your local Tesco.
So once you’ve climbed out of bed in the afternoon, but before you turn on Netflix, why not try that pulled pork recipe that's always tickled your fancy?
5. Plot to boost your career
All the time at home has made you realise something: you really don't want to go back to your job. At least, not to your current position.
Maybe, just maybe, you should start using this time to ask yourself some serious questions about where you're going in your career, things like: are you in a job you're happy with? Do you want a boost in both salary and career prospects? Are you on the right career path? Could you fit in a part-time degree at night after work, or would a blended course (where you study online but have on-campus lectures from once a month) suit you best?
They're big questions but hey, right now you've got the time to ponder 'em. If you're curious about seeing what kinds of courses could take your career in the direction you want to go — from quick courses in Excel to a full Master’s degree — you can check out Griffith College's website to see their range of courses that are designed to accommodate busy working people, as well as traditional students. And with campuses in Dublin, Limerick and Cork, their courses are accessible for students across the country.
You can do some research on Griffith College's full range of courses HERE.
