Coronavirus: Fruitful ways you can spend your time if you're on home leave

This was the staycation you never asked for but here it is, thanks to the Covid-19 virus, so you may as well make the most of it and spend the time indoors productively - that is, after you've given your home a good scrub down.

GET THAT NETFLIX/PRIME MARATHON GOING

If you've been holding off on pulling the trigger on either, there's no time like the now.

Aside from making use of Amazon Prime's delivery service - they offer a 30-day trial - there's loads of shows to catch up on - like Fleabag and Marvelous Mrs. Maisel on Prime and Narcos: Mexico Season 2, You and a number of K-dramas on Netflix to keep you home and entertained, just in case DORSCON Red gets raised.

KICKSTART THAT EXERCISE ROUTINE

The gym may not be your favourite place to be at right now but you can still work up a sweat.

Aside from using your building's staircase as a stairmaster (the fresh air will do you good), there's loads of YouTube exercise videos to check out like FitnessBlender and POPSugar Fitness or just revive your BBG Membership (she offers a free week) and get a good sweat on.

GET A HEAD START ON TAXES

Your 2020 tax bill may months away but it never hurts to do a deep dive of your potential taxable income and look to reduce/benefit from it.

For instance, you can claim up to $5,500 in course fees and claw back another $7,000 if you top up your own CPF Special Account, which earns a decent 4 per cent interest rate.

Then there's the SRS account, which you can contribute a maximum of $15,300 towards, which you can then use to invest in government-approved financial instruments like Singapore Savings Bonds, Time Deposits and certain Unit Trusts. Not only do you save on taxes, you're also growing your money in a fiscally responsible manner.

DO A GLOBAL ART TOUR

While some things are better viewed in person than on a screen, like art, for now, touring your favourite museum from a laptop will just have to do.

If you didn't already know, many world-class museums like The Lourve, The British Museum and The Smithsonian offers online and virtual access. But for an all-in-one snackable session, the Google Art Project has curated works from over 60 museums and galleries globally.

UPSKILL YOURSELF, GET THAT SIDE GIG GOING

Hence, the growing popularity of online course platforms like Skillshare, Udemy and LinkedIn Learning which hold a wealth of information for anyone to access for free, or for a very reasonable sum of money.

Set aside some time to take a few courses and then sit down and reflect if you've got skills to impart to others - a little passive income is never a bad thing.

COMMIT TO A DIET, FINALLY

Office lunches (and bubble tea breaks) have a way of sabotaging any diet plans. Now that you're home and possibly eating in more this is your golden opportunity to embark on the diet that you've been putting off, forever.

Get yourself motivated by focusing on eating well to boost your immunity, that means more veggies, more lean meats and less processed foods.

Consider adopting a Whole 30 approach, which doesn't allow sugar, grains and dairy and see how your body adapts to it. Whatever you do, don't consume loads of instant noodles, even if you've got a bunch to go through.

BONE UP ON YOUR FINANCIAL KNOW-HOW

With so much about the Covid-19 virus still unknown, it's anyone's guess where the markets will be the later part of 2020. If investing and preserving your savings is one of your New Year resolutions, spend some self-imposed indoor time to get savvy about your financial matters.

Start by digesting Are You Ready which is all about maximising your CPF monies and subscribing to Money Smart for their easy-to-digest finance and lifestyle articles. Bookmark Investopia while you're at it and when the dust settles you might be the right position to finally execute a long-term investment strategy.

RE-CREATE THE HYGGE

Embracing Hygge was all the rage last year and you might have moved onto a different decor theme by now - perhaps botanical? - but it's time to bring the Hygge back.

Think fluffy sofa throws, decorative pillows, warm cups of hot tea and a Kindle of books to entice you to stay home and just chill. Here are five books by Singaporean female authors, to get you started.

PAY BACK SLEEP DEBT

Missing 10 hours of sleep over the course of a week is considered sleep debt according to Harvard Medical Publishing. Rather than just ignoring this, use the time now to re-pay it fully.

Otherwise, it's pretty certain you'll feel any or all of the following: fuzzy-headedness, irritability, fatigue. If sleep has been evading you for years, this is your "forced" holiday.

Settle all work and personal responsibilities, turn off your alarm clock and allow yourself to wake naturally. Do this for a few days and before long, your body will automatically reset so you'll be getting the optimum amount of sleep you really need.

TUNE IN

Too much screen time and blue light exposure isn't good for anyone, or your skin. If you missed our earlier piece on podcasts to subscribe to, here it is again.

We reckon Afford Anything and Long Story Short with Bobbi Brown will teach you a few things.

Other recommendations? Project Body Love for a dose of body positivity and if you need help to pay back your sleep debt, click here.

This article was first published in Her World Online.