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If you’re stuck at home for too long you might start to feel bored and unproductive, the best thing to do is always have a man-project to do around the house, that you can continue with whenever you have your next bit of free time.
This keeps you always busy and occupied with your time, a simple idea can keep you busy for hours or years on a single DIY project.
What to do if I am stuck at home for a long time? Always have 2 or 3 DIY projects on-the-go this will give you something to always think about and work towards. If you’re finding you have too much spare time, its because you don’t have enough DIY projects going on.
Here is a list of DIY ideas that you can use to keep you busy and productive at home and never board.
1. Pull-apart your motor bike
If you don’t have a motorbike yet, why don’t you buy a motorbike? If you have a motorbike and you are stuck at home, there is always work that can be done on it. Give your 2 stroke, or 4 stroke motorbike the love that it finally needs for once. That being said it is more fun to ride it.
2. Think of a woodworking project that will sell
So you are already a keen DIY’er and woodworker. Maybe it has been on the back of your mind to build something that you can make a profit from and sell on the side. If you want to make a decent profit from a woodworking or DIY project, you need to first pick a good design. Keep the design simple, unique, and practical, then mass produce it. Don’t try to sell only one thing. Commit more make 20 to test it out, then build 100 if it works.
Something that might take a day or a week to build and design for the first time, could instead be reproduced much faster when you make templates, and cutting lists. You can also switch to the most efficient tool set-up and further optimize by tweaking your design to be easier to build.
When you have a good idea, you have simplified it and you are mass-producing something without having to think about it. You can sell, for a profit and have gifts for the family for when it comes around to Christmas.
3. Re-paint the house
In your house emergency kit, you should have enough paint to keep you going for days. If you are ever stuck at home for a long period of time, why not re-paint your house, its low physical effort, it keeps you busy, and you get a practical job done that will save you money from getting in a professional later. First, have a read on my guide “how to remove paint” and make sure you have a good orbital sander ready to go.
4. Build a table straight from a tree
If you haven’t built your own table yet, it is a must-do project. You know what they say a man isn’t a man until he has a chainsaw, why not build your table straight from a tree using a gas chainsaw, cut some timber slabs freehand or use an Alaskan mill to guide your chainsaw, then run the chucks of timber through the best thickness planer and start putting your tree-top-table together. Read more on how to build a table straight from a tree here.
5. Cook a feed
Maybe you have a big spice collection that you might not know how to use, but its bold display impresses the ladies when visiting. Why not actually try to use some of it before it expires. Sprinkle it in a pot and mix it in with some of your secret supply of beef jerky. After making a good spicy paste, put it on some rice. Or, you could make some pancakes put the whisker on the end of your Makita drill, get some eggs, and don’t forget the ice cream and bacon.
If you don’t like my ideas, invest in a quality cookbook, but don’t forget to use your old cordless drill with the clutch disengaged for fast pancake makeing.
6. Organize the boat
Will if you have a boat it should already be clean right… but you could optimize the setup, reposition or add some rod holders, think of a new seating arrangement, or think of a DIY project that could really help your fishing trips to reach the next level.
You could give your boat a maintenance check, for any holes, check the wiring, and that the trailer is in top condition.
7. Build a chicken cage
If you haven’t yet got chickens, and have been thinking of eating free-range eggs for a while now, to go with your pancakes, building a chicken cage is the first step. You can build a nice place for chickens to go when they are laying. This makes the collection of eggs an easy quick process. When you build a nesting box, you have to make sure to build it to the right dimensions otherwise the chickens won’t use it.
8. Build a internal wall
Internal walls are an easy project because you are not changing or removing any part of a wall in your house, you are only adding a new internal partition wall. You can turn a room into two, or partition of part of your garage to keep your workshop and tools more secure.
This shouldn’t require any building consents or design (check with your local council) as you won’t touch any existing linings, that might be a bracing element. And you are not going to touch any existing walls, that might be load-bearing.
Of course, an experienced DIY’er can check in the ceiling space anyway to see if an existing wall is “load-bearing” or not. A Load-bearing wall is a wall that supports part of the roofing structure or any other part of your house. Although you can check for this in the ceiling you don’t know if an existing wall is a bracing element or not until you look at your original house plans. You wouldn’t want to remove a wall that is designed to brace your house for horizontal movement. But a new internal wall can just be added without thinking about it too much.
9. Sound insulate a wall
Have you got a room or wall you want to add some sound insulation? Maybe you are learning to DJ or play an instrument, or you are just wanting better sound insulation between rooms? This is a good DIY project you could start working on. Just like above adding on to an existing wall shouldn’t be a problem, of course, leave the existing linings in case it is part of a bracing element, and add some additional layers of lining particleboard and plasterboard, or create a second wall with an air cavity, and seal the edges with sound seal for best results.
10. Start a blog or update your website
Just like this blog about building and DIY you could think about building a blog around one of your hobbies, and even earn some extra cash to replace your motorbike when it breaks down from not enough maintenance, or if you outgrow the motor. Maybe your business website is getting outdated and needs some work. Or maybe you need to add your construction or trade business, to google my business so you show up on google maps so your new local clients can easily find you.
11. Eat beef jerky
If you’re struggling to get yourself to do anything productive, your best to just go with the flow and not do anything productive. Commit to having a rest but do it really well so it energizes you, don’t only half-rest. Treat yourself eat some beef jerky, and play your favorite game, be unproductive with no guilt, and do it so well that you’re eager and ready to start something productive in a few hour’s time, or the next day when you are ready.
12. Mount your tv on the wall
A good DIY project is to install your TV on the wall. Using a flexible and extendable TV bracket you can hang and secure your LCD to the wall and move it to face any direction within the limits of the extendable arm, for multiple viewing positions within your room.
Good for a gaming or work computer monitor set up, small spaces, and in the kitchen if you rely on YouTube videos to cook your meals.
13. Clean the garage
Still, don’t know what to do when you have nothing to do? Then yea I don’t really need to say much more about this, you understand what I mean already. You know your garage could do with a re-organize. But you could look at installing some new shelves, getting a new tool cabinet that will organize your gear. Or even looking at some lightweight overhead racks, to free up some floor space.
14. Learn a new skill
YouTube is dominated by men because men don’t read fairy tales, dudes generally prefer to learn a new skill, you can learn pretty much everything from YouTube for free these days, not that you don’t know this already but just saying. Otherwise, search your area for a new sports club that you are interested in joining and actually join. Use meetup.com to search for a local group of people that are already involved in something you want to do and learn. Or learn about other cultures and join couchsurfing.com and offer to show backpackers and travelers around your country or city.
15. Find new tools
Okay, I have to say it you know, this is a website dedicated to tool enthusiasts after all. For the people that want the best tools and are willing to go with a different tool brand from time-to-time to get the best current option, value for money, and performance. Browse bangingtoolbox.com and find what you are missing in your toolkit, see all the options that are available, and go down to your local hardware store and get what you need, knowing what your options are. Or follow my links here and get them delivered straight to you. With tools and materials, you never have to wonder what to do if stuck at home for a long time.
16. Do some landscaping work
Get your Line Trimmer, and your cordless chainsaw out, and tackle your yards landscaping jobs. Overgrown branches and invasive weeds are a mission to keep on top of, keeping your backyard under control requires the assistance of the best tools. Having both a weed eater and a chainsaw always ready to go means you always have something to do if you are stuck at home.
Conclusion
There you go plenty of ideas to keep you busy at home, if you have anything you want to add to the list please share it. Now, make a decision what will you do, eat beef jerky, build a table straight from a tree, or order the tools that you need, and start designing your next project?
