5 Things to Do When You Are Stuck Inside

House-bound? Whatever reasons you have to stay at home, let it be an opportunity to have fun, be productive, and learn something new.

Here are 5 things you can do when you are stuck inside:

1. Clean Up. Although the start of a season - whether it's spring, summer, winter, or fall - is a great excuse to get organized, you don't actually need an reason to do a refresh on your home. Sort things out, purge what you no longer need, and find lost treasures. Bonus points for doing a physical and digital cleanse of your home office.

2. Learn. Information is everywhere. Embrace it! Choose something you've always wanted to learn, and spend time educating yourself on the topic, whether it's through videos, podcasts, or books. Even as little as 15 minutes to an hour a day will add up. Before you know it, you will master - or at least have a working knowledge of - something new!

3. Cook. Just because you can't go out to eat does not mean your taste buds should suffer. Electronic shopping has made day-of delivery of super-easy; your local store may offer delivery too. Find a recipe you want to try, order ingredients, and get cooking. It's fun, relaxing (usually), and healthier than most of what you buy from out.

4. Connect. You don't need to leave your home to be social. Spend some quality time engaging with family and friends. Pick up the phone, do a Zoom or Skype chat, or send an email to touch base. You can also check out a new LinkedIn or Facebook group, engage in a Twitter chat, or spend commenting on posts. You never know where and when you will find people with common interests and make new friends. 

5. Write. No commute means you get extra hours added to your day. Dedicate that bonus time to a writing project. Spend time on a draft in progress or revision, or start a new passion project. And have fun with it! No matter what the genre, when you enjoy the stories you are writing, your readers will love them too!

Being at home have doesn't need to feel like you are in lock-up. Embrace the pace. And get things done!

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What do you do when you are stuck at home? Please share in the comments.

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Debra Eckerling is the author of Your Goal Guide: A Roadmap for Setting, Planning and Achieving Your Goals. A writer, editor and project catalyst, as well as founder of the D*E*B METHOD and Write On Online, Deb works with individuals and businesses to set goals and manage their projects through one-on-one coaching, workshops, and online support. She is also the author of Write On Blogging: 51 Tips to Create, Write & Promote Your Blog and Purple Pencil Adventures: Writing Prompts for Kids of All Ages, host of the #GoalChat Twitter Chat, and a speaker/moderator on the subjects of writing, networking, goal-setting, and social media.

Alpha & Beta Projects for the New Year

It's goal-setting season! One of my favorite times of year. I do tell my clients and community to look at goals daily (minimum weekly) and review/re-assess them monthly or or quarterly. However, start of a new year is wildly regarded as everyone's fresh slate. Embrace it!

As you prepare to take on 2018 with full force, set yourself up for success. That means take into account your current responsibilities and time availability, before you over-commit. Brainstorm all of your goals for the year to get a sense of what you want to accomplish (see my article on using journaling to set goals). Then, choose two main projects - an alpha and a beta - for your focus.

Why Choose Two

Everyone burns out. Everyone gets stuck at some point. When that happens, you can walk away from your project - meditate, work out, do something else that's creative. Then, if inspiration has not reignited, you can work on your backup. When you have two project goals, you always have something to work on when you need a break from the other. 

Some projects work in tandem. It's not only fine, it's great when your projects complement each other. For example. if you are looking to publish traditionally, your alpha project may be writing the book, and the beta is working on the book proposal. Want to start a podcast? Promoting in via social media can be your secondary focus. And, for those who want to do more freelancing, consider writing the articles your alpha and querying publications your beta. 

Note: If you don't have a beta in mind, your second project can be brainstorming ideas for your next project. Keep a running list of ideas: stories, books, articles, promo. Then, when you find something that excites you, it can move into the beta or maybe even alpha position.

Types of Projects

This can be an endless list, but here are some ideas for starters:

Write or publish a:
Novel
Non-fiction book
Screenplay
Poetry collection
Series of Articles

Get a:
Manager or agent
Publicist
Publishing deal
New venue to publish your stories/essays/articles (newspaper, magazine, website)
New job

Start a:
Blog
Website
Podcast
Video series
Course

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While the focus is on writing projects, you can use this philosophy with personal and business projects as well. And clearly you can add more project goals. Just try to keep your main focus to only two or three. Once they are accomplished, you can promote one of your other goals to alpha, beta, or gamma status. 

Whatever you set your sights on to accomplish in the new year, remember you can do it! Just set yourself up for success and enjoy the process of setting and achieving your goals.

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What do you think? What alpha and beta goals are you planning to accomplish in the new year? Please share in the comments.

Also, set goals and join the conversation on Write On Online: Like the Write On Online Facebook Page and join the Facebook Group. 

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Debra Eckerling is a writer, editor and project catalyst, as well as founder of Write On Online, a live and online writers’ support group. Like the Write On Online Facebook Page and join the Facebook Group. 

She is author of Write On Blogging: 51 Tips to Create, Write & Promote Your Blog and Purple Pencil Adventures: Writing Prompts for Kids of All Ages, and host of the Guided Goals Podcast.

Debra is an editor at Social Media Examiner and a speaker/moderator on the subjects of writing, networking, goal-setting, and social media.