With all the messages reaching us about the famous coronavirus through all the media and social networks, I was willing not to write anything about it on my blog.

But a friend from Córdoba, Argentina, put on her Facebook a list of short stories to read that I found very interesting, which I’ll share with you on the post. But most importantly, it seemed like a good task, entertainment or thing to do during quarantine.

That night I saw the list on my Facebook, I woke up in the middle of the night thinking about what other things could be done to stay entertained and make the quarantine something positive, uplifting and beneficial.

My head started to work and different ideas started to come up until I couldn’t take it anymore in bed and I went to the bathroom at 3 in the morning to make a list on my cell phone to start working the next day.

The list grew to 10 things at first, and then they kept popping up. I’ve already got More than 25 Things to Do in Quarantine. But I said to myself; This is going to take me a long time to write and research information for these 25 things, and I want to publish something now because people are getting bored at home.

So I decided to publish these 10 things first now and in a few days, I will publish the second part.

I would love for you to read and practice at least some of them, and tell me, what do you think of them, what else would you add, anyway, I hope you like them and tell me.

Thanks for your time.

Here are the first 10 things

1.   Read
2.   Read to another person
3.   Write
4.   Make a challenge to write a story
5.   Write a story in group
6.   Listen
7.   Ask open-ended questions and listen
8.   Take care of your dog or pet/s
9.   Take stock of the goals for this year
10. Make a plan to meet those goals.

1. READ

There are people like me, those who like to read and do not have enough time, and here we have an excellent opportunity to do so. For those who are not very addicted to reading, it is not necessary to read a super-thick book such as Papillon or Roots, just by reading something short and on a subject of our liking, you would be helping to escape the present confinement that produces so much anxiety while growing as a person at the same time.

With today’s technology, you don’t even need to have a book with sheets of paper on hand. Anyone with a smartphone or computer can read a book anywhere.

My friend Alejandra recommended a list of 100 short stories of world literature, but it was in Spanish. So I had to find another one for the English version of this post, and I found two interesting lists.

Here they are:

• 100-of-the-greatest-short-stories-you-can-read-for-free-online/
• americanliterature/100-great-short-stories

If you read Spanish as well, and would also like to check the list in Spanish, here it is: 100 Cuentos Cortos

If you have a card from one of the libraries in the United States, chances are that apart from having access to digital books from the same library, you will have access to www.hoopla.com which is another base with books, movies, and music in digital format. Even if you don’t like reading and prefer listening, most of these places have audiobooks. What is that, you may wonder? Audiobooks are recordings of a person reading the book so you only have to listen.

Another source of free digital books is: manybooks.net/

For those looking for a source of spiritual reassurance, the Bible can also be found in digital form and in various versions and languages. Here are two of the many sources: www.bibliatodo.com/en/the-bible, or

If you are interested in reading poetry and maxims full of wisdom in the Bible, I recommend reading the books of Psalms, Proverbs, and Song of Salomon.

For those who are more tech-savvy, the Amazon Kindler app is very good and they can find books for free and for sale. www.amazon.com/Kindle-eBooks

For audiobooks, the application www.Audible.com is very good. Some are free and some are for a small price.

Here is another free online source with several genres and languages to choose from:  www.loyalbooks.com/

2. READ FOR ANOTHER PERSON

I’m sure you won’t have to go far to find an elderly person who no longer reads because their eyes are tired, or because they don’t have enough incentive. There are also, as incredibly as it may seem in this 21st century, there are still those who cannot read.

You can also read for the children of the house, the teenagers, your spouse or partner. And if you live alone, that’s not an excuse anymore, nowadays you can get to any part of the world through WhatsApp or Skype and read to another This would be an act of love that would benefit both the reader and the listener, creating bonds difficult to break.

3. WRITE

To start writing, you don’t have to be a writer. Nor have a degree in Literature from a university. But of course, it depends on what the writing will be used for, for instance, you will have to take into account the spelling and the edition if you want to publish your writings. In this case, it is all about writing to express yourself, and let off steam. There are psychological studies that indicate that writing is very good therapy.

What to write about? – You can write a diary where beyond putting down what you do on a daily basis, it serves to pour into it all your thoughts, feelings and moods. Write as if you were writing a letter to a friend. If you’re concerned about someone reading your writings for privacy reasons, be sure to keep them somewhere secret, or you can also burn those letters when you’re done.

Although I am all about keeping your writings because they are documents of your history, which is unique in the universe and therefore, full of validity.

You can also write short stories, novels (which are like stories, but longer), plays, a script for a movie; and yes, believe it or not, many of the movies we see today in the big screen came from a written draft on paper napkins!

You can also write about an experience you had in your life such as an illness or condition with which you have to learn to live with, the illness or death of a loved one, a trip, or if you had to emigrate outside or within your own country. All these experiences, challenges, the good and the bad, everything, absolutely everything can be very useful to someone else who is going through the same event.

Nowadays, thanks to technology and the internet, publishing your writings, even a book, is much easier than years ago. And if it is not your intention to publish them in this way, sharing your experiences on social media such as Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube among the most popular, can also have a very beneficial social impact for you and others.

Please leave your comments below if you would like me to write an article in the future to learn more about how to publish on social networks.

Resources:

For a personal diary:

• How-to-Start-a-Diary
• Benefits-of-keeping-a-journal

To write stories:

• 5-great-short-story-tips-writers/
•  how-to-write-a-short-story-step-by-step

To write a screenplay:

• How-to-write-a-movie-script
• The-complete-guide-to-the-screenwriting-process

These suggestions are just the first step to incentivize you to research and take action. It is very important that you do not criticize yourself so much and that you are not a perfectionist. Errors and difficulties you will have and many, but that should not be a reason to stop you.

4. MAKE A CHALLENGE OF WRITING A SHORT STORY

You may be wondering, what is this guy talking about? It is very easy. There are so many new challenges lately, and some of them so stupid going around on social media, this challenge is about writing a short story involving a group of people. Whether it is the members of the household, or your friends, study partners or work. Put a time frame, let’s say a week, to write a short story. It could be with an open theme, that is, everyone writes about whatever they want. Or it could be with a particular theme everyone agreed on, for example: “My quarantine days”, or “Fairy tale for my pet”, whatever!

The idea is to share the stories when finished among the group members. This would be an activity that would keep everyone busy and it would present a challenge a the time of sharing. If the group agrees, they could even put a prize! –A roll of toilet paper, for instance! 

5. WRITE A SHORT STORY IN GROUP

This would be an interesting variant that would unite the members of the group more, be it the family or household members, or a group with virtual meetings through social networks or by phone.

It would be a matter of selecting a theme and letting the imagination work in coordination and cooperation with the ideas of the other members of the group. It is important that everyone, absolutely everyone participates in the same way and not that it becomes the work of a few.

6. LISTEN

We have mentioned Reading and Writing, but something very important that few of us do is, to Listen. Listen to what, and to whom?

On one occasion visiting New York, I was walking down the street when I found a huge sign that I always remember (and that I took a photo of) and that said: “Listening is an act of love.” As true as God gave us two ears and a mouth; and likewise, we do not stop talking and we do little to listen.

Another phrase that I always remember is: “Our worst communication problem is that we listen to respond and not to understand”

7. ASK OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS AND LISTEN

This practice would be a good challenge in this time of quarantine and it would help us put Listening into practice.

In every family group, there are elderly people; grandparents, parents, older siblings, or any other member of the family. Actually, it can even be very interesting to practice this with children or teenagers (these are others who are listened to very little).

The advantage of starting with older people is that they have more time lived and therefore more experience, that is, more to talk about. On the other hand, older people are the ones we sometimes give the least opportunity to speak.

Again, if you live alone, all these suggestions can be made with your friends by phone or through social networks.

What are open-ended questions? – They are all those questions that give the person who’s answering the opportunity to speak and speak. These are not the kind of questions they can answer with a “yes” or a “no”; meaning with a specific one-word answer.

For example, a closed-ended question would be: In what year did you marry Grandpa, Grandma?

Open-end questions examples are: What was the place like where you spent childhood, grandpa? – What did you do for fun when you were a child, grandma? – How did you meet dad, mom?

For a child or a teen; How would it be the perfect vacation for you?; What would you like to be when you grow up and why?

And “sit down” and listen. Listen with your full attention. Listen and learn. Do not listen while you watch television, send messages on the cell phone. Don’t interrupt, or judge. Not like that.

Listen remembering this:

“Listening is an act of love”

and this:

“Our worst communication problem is that we listen to respond and not to understand” 

8. TAKE CARE OF YOUR DOG OR PET/S

In general, everyone who has a dog or pet is because they love him/her and take care of him/her, or at least it is what it should be.

Unfortunately, this is not always the case and I know dog owners, who think that because from time to time they put some food and water on them, they already complied with the dog-owner commitment.

I mention particularly dogs because as you probably know by reading my About page, I am crazy about dogs and, also because of all pets, they are the most sociable and attached to its owner.

It is very sad to see dogs that never get a bath, nor the attention and love from their owner. Dogs that are tethered with chains or in cages all day long, or most of it.

It is very simple, if you cannot take care of your dog, it is preferable that you do not have it. It is preferable that you look for another owner and leave him/her in good hands.

That being said, there are also the ones who do love their dogs or pets and make them part of the family. Still, sometimes, we struggle to find the time to give them all the attention they deserve.

Now, this is the time to give her/him a good bath, a good haircut and lots of love.

I have two dogs and I had to learn how to cut their hair because it was a lot of money to pay a groomer for both of them. If you are interested in learning how to cut their hair, here is a video that gives general instructions. If you have a dog of a specific breed, search on YouTube and for sure you will find the instructions for that breed.

• This is the video to cut your dog’s hair: How to Cut Your Dog’s Hair at Home
• This other video teaches you how to bathe them. Tips to make giving your dog a bath EASIER

9. TAKE STOCK OF THIS YEAR’S GOALS

We are ending March, which means, the first quarter of the year is almost over and the question is; What’s the status of those goals and resolutions that we made at the beginning of the year?

In most cases, many have forgotten about them. Others started with momentum the first few days, but little by little that momentum was weakening until it died completely.

Then November comes and we go back to remembering the goals and want to do the work that should have taken a whole year. By then, with frustration, we come to the end of the year with very little, or nothing accomplished.

The good news is that we are 9 months away from the end of the year and we can still do a lot to achieve our goals.

One of the secrets to achieving our goals is to write them down. Do not trust that little voice in your head saying; “I have everything in my mind”. There are studies that probe most people who achieve their goals are because they have them in writing.

• Buy yourself a notebook and write down your goals on one page.
• Then dedicate a few pages to each of the goals to write ideas of things you could do to achieve each one of them.
• In another section of the notebook, arrange these ideas and in the chronological order that you think they should be according to your logic. You may have to make adjustments later on, but having the steps in writing will help tremendously.

10. MAKE A PLAN TO COMPLETE THOSE GOALS

Someone once asked; “How do you eat an elephant? – Bite by bite, is the answer.

Somebody else said; “A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step,” and I add; “And you reach the end step by step!”

It is very normal to feel overwhelmed when we realize that in order to reach a goal we desire so much we have to do so many things, not to mention the inconveniences we will find along the way! But the solution to that is to divide the goal into tasks, some bigger than others or more difficult than others, but when we divide our goals into segments, the tasks become easier to complete.

This quarantine is special and best to spend time planning how to achieve those goals that we long for. If you are interested in receiving more information on how to achieve your goals, leave me your comments or questions below so I can dedicate more time to the topic and thus be able to deliver more content on the subject.

Now, we do have the time to put in all these things! Do not waste it! If you use this quarantine time well, it is possible that instead of being a burden, it turned out to be one of the most productive stages for your life and personal growth.

It’s all up to you! Don’t stop!

If you have found these suggestions useful, please do not hesitate to share them on your social media or by email. When you do so, you will be helping me to reach more people.

I would also appreciate your comments below and do not forget that in a few days I will publish the rest of the things to do in quarantine.

Until then!

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