Random Semi-Useful Things To Do Online During the Quarantine

In many places, the quarantine restrictions are easing, and here in Los Angeles, I've seen more cars on the road and people out and about than in the last couple of weeks. However, many of us are still staying home, if only because our kids are home because their schools are closed.


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It's hard to stay focused all the time, but you probably want to feel like you're being at least somewhat productive even though you may just be sitting around. (Or is that just me?) Therefore, I've compiled a list of random things you can do online while you're still social distancing:

Enter sweepstakes - My favorite place to find sweepstakes to enter is MySavings. You probably won't win, but you definitely won't win if you don't enter, and it only takes a couple of minutes.

Earn Microsoft Rewards - Spend a few minutes a day taking their quizzes and searching with Bing to earn points, and you can easily make an extra $10 each month.

Earn Swagbucks - I've been a Swagbucks user for over a decade now. They used to be mostly a search engine that rewarded you for searching, but now they've got all kinds of offers on their site. Some of them are spammy, so exercise good judgment - but you could easily earn $25 (or much more) per month, depending on the activities you do.

Clean out your email inbox - Read these tips for decluttering your email for maximum efficiency.

Create memory books in Shutterfly or other photo services - These can be time-consuming, but there may never be a better time than now! (An 8x8 photo book is just $14.99 right now at Shutterfly. Or you could make the book now and then wait for a free product code so all you have to pay for is shipping.)

Take a free course or watch free how-to videos - You don't have to set ambitious goals to learn something. This is a good area in which to go small. Spend a few minutes every day learning a new language with Duolingo, or watch how chefs prepare shrimp for tempura (I did this a couple of weeks ago).

What semi-useful activities have you been doing?