Things To Do In Your Free Time

Aashish Mishra

Many schools and universities are currently closed for the winter, giving the students some free time on their hands. No need to rush to early morning classes, spend mornings and evenings toiling away on assignments and have little to do except bask in the winter sun eating citrus fruits. So, why not utilise this time to learn new skills and pick up a new hobby? After all, there is nothing wrong with turning leisure into an opportunity to expand one’s horizons.

One of the first, and the most popular things, you could do is learn a new language. A foreign language is always useful – it puts a shine on your resumé and will be of great assistance if you ever need to work or study abroad (And if you are a highschooler or a university sophomore from a middle-class urban family, you likely want to go abroad, given the current educational climate in the country).

On the lighter side, fluency in a foreign language or many foreign languages will also enable you to watch international shows with ease. Increasingly, global hits are being produced by non-English-speaking countries – Narcos and La Casa de Papel were in Spanish and Squid Games was in Korean – and if youths here want to consume them in their original form without the distracting subtitles, they have to learn their language.  There are a few ways this can be done. The best, and perhaps the most credible way, would be to attend classes. But if that is not an option, people can turn to language apps or online tutorials. 

Or, if you do not want to spend time and energy mastering a third language then maybe use your time to perfect your English. Having good English has no downsides. In fact, it is an absolute necessity to be able to function in today’s world. 

Ok. So, you have committed yourself to increasing your vernacular capabilities. But you still have extra time to kill. Now what? Well, you could try cooking. Go into the kitchen, turn on the stove and see what you can whip up. You could try preparing what you already know (or what you think you do) or replicate recipes from cookbooks, websites or YouTube.  Cooking is an essential life skill that every person must know because every person has to eat. Also, it is a quick way to social media fame. Posting photos of the dishes you make or videos of you flipping the pans and pots can make you a sensation among friends. The only problem though is that if you get too good, you might be asked to cook during family gatherings and feasts.

This is a huge ask, you think. You do not want to be the primary cook for your family and you are not at peace in the kitchen. Okay. Then put the ladle down and pick up a brush. Unleash the inner artist and let your hands doodle a masterpiece. Art is perhaps the easiest thing to do among the ideas suggested in this article because all you require is paper, a pencil and unbridled imagination.

You do not have to be Leonardo da Vinci or Picasso. You just have to express yourself through pictures. As long as it is a true expression and reflection of you, no art is bad, say art scholars. 

Additionally, art is a great stress reliever. It helps you let go of worries and centre yourself. Art can be a way to escape reality or find a way to convey it. A picture speaks a thousand words after all.

But if you do seek improvements, you can again go online and/or take digital courses. Google contains every bit of human knowledge ever produced, take advantage of it. 

But, despite your immense love for the visual medium, you do not think you can sketch or paint. Then maybe you can explore photography. 

Once upon a time, photography was a niche profession, reserved for those who could afford a bulky SLR or DSLR camera. Today though, thanks to smartphones, everyone has a high-quality camera in their pockets that they can use to capture the beauty of anything and everything around them.

Like painting, photography is also about perspective. So, you do not have to capture sunsets or lightning for your photos to be considered good. You can take pictures of everyday items around the house and present them to an audience of your peers on social media. Getting their feedback will help you hone your skills and also, discover new ways to see the things in your surroundings. Your phone may have hundreds of settings to help you take and edit photos. You should start checking them out.

Knowing your way around a camera is a good skill to have, especially in this age of multimedia. It will help bring career opportunities your way and establish a personal brand.