Passing the time: students share their best ideas on how to stay busy while at home

Chelsee Sawai

What to do? Here are some ideas on how to pass the time during the mandatory stay-at-home order.

Sophomore Julian Ibarra suggested we should use this time with purpose, because we might not have anything like it when we start school again.

“Take advantage of the time we have and not just let it all go to waste because in a couple of months, we’re going to be back to normal and then time’s going to be gone, so use it wisely,” he said.

What to do:

Sophomore Mackenzie Nitta said she has more motivation to do things like exercising at the end of the day but trying to bake something new or paint different pictures since the stay-at-home order began in Hawaii on March 23 at 4:30 pm.

“So I have a lot more time to do different things throughout the day, and I’ve had a lot of time to do different activities to try new things. Even though it feels like the same schedule everyday, it’s kind of like I get to do something different each day,” said Nitta. 

According to a survey conducted by The Hill, the percentage of people who are social distancing by staying at home in America today is at 91 percent.

Ibarra said with all the free space given to students in their lives from the coronavirus, you can do so much more than before. For example, doing homework in advance, watching movies, and making up a workout routine to do as physical activity.

“Now, there’s certainly no limitation on what you can and can’t do at least what you can do within your house,” said Ibarra.

Some students have been able to let loose of their artistic sides and enjoy what they like to do.

“I have a lot more time to express myself creatively so I’ve been able to play the guitar, paint, write music, and sit down to listen to music,” said junior Reece Flores.

Even drawing has been popular as a form of relaxation from school and the mayhem in the world.

“I like to draw cartoon characters in my free time, I look up a picture and I just free hand draw it. It just relieves my stress,” said Nitta.

What to watch

According to Quartz, Disney+, a streaming service, had 29 million subscribers as of early February and because of the high numbers of people at home and on their devices, they are up to 50 million global subscribers (number expected to reach by 2022) five months after launching.

“I’m watching Good Luck Charlie right now and have watched Stuck in the Middle, Mulan, Aladin, Wreck it Ralph a lot of the movies I haven’t watched in a while and some of the old classics too on Disney,” said Nitta.

Other streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and HBO, competition of Disney+, have also skyrocketed with its numbers of streams and subscriptions.

“I recommend watching Star Wars, Friends, Heathers, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Back to The Future, The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, and Grey’s Anatomy because that’s what I’ve been watching,” said Flores.

According to Mashable, since the start of quarantine, people’s screen time reported on an Apple device has increased from 35 percent to over 100 percent.

“My screen time has increased tremendously because there’s nothing really else for me to do indoors so the time I spend on my phone would probably be the time I would be doing activities if I wasn’t stuck inside,” said senior Kayla Marutani.

What else? 

Although parks, gyms, and beaches are closed, doing physical activity is popular amongst students who want to keep up with their fitness.

“Staying in one place is easy when you’re stuck at home, but I’ve been trying to get up and do things as opposed to sitting down and watching TV for hours and hours,” said sophomore Ethan Harrison.

Reading and curling up on the couch or on your bed with a nice book can give you the stories you never knew you needed.

“I recommend the books “Scythe” by Neal Shusterman, it’s a dystopian novel and  “Where the Crawdads Sing” by Deliah Owens, its a murder mysetry and a realistic book. Both of these are from my English class and they’re really good,” said Flores.

Junior Ezra Michael said he likes to make up games with his family and spend quality time with them while he can.

“You can just be creative with them. For instance, I made up a game to play with my family called “mind link” where I give a topic like beach and you have to guess a word that goes with the topic and if the people playing say the same word at the same time, then it’s a point,” said Michael.

Something simple as to taking in the surroundings right outside your house and around you can be relaxing, said Nitta.

“I think that for anyone, just going outside and enjoying the fresh air and not being in the house the entire day or that much can be a little more relaxing, just sitting outside and enjoying nature,” said Nitta.