11 Things People Who Hate Travelling Can Do, To Make The Most Of All Long Weekends In 2018

It¡¯s time to accept that social media is hampering our mental health and wellbeing to an extent where it¡¯s casting somewhat irremediable damage. We know what our friends ate for dinner last night and where they spent last summer, but what we don¡¯t know is that this unsolicited knowledge is actually robbing us off our mental peace.

Every year, around December, people air their New Year resolutions on social media and talk about just how the coming year will be the best year of their life. Unfortunately, one month down and everything is just the same.

So, we have chalked out a few things that might help you become a better version of yourself, while taking away your social anxiety. Are you game?

1. Take Up A Reading Challenge

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Reading is a proven investment. All you need to do is find a cosy corner, an engrossing book and sit down with a steaming cup of tea or coffee. For your inspiration, you can head to Instagram or Twitter for this year¡¯s reading challenges and draw up your literary list.

From 100 books in a year to two each month, there¡¯s one for everyone¡¯s capacity. This will one make you quite a percipient conversationalist.

2. Build On Your Skill

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A plethora of foundations, colleges and websites are offering skill-building courses for young professionals as part of their CSR. Let 2018 be the year where you develop your skills and excel in studies or at your career. Most of these institutes only demand a few hours a week, provide a certificate on completion and are updated with the ongoing trends.

3. Vipassana

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Ever heard of Vipassana? Well, this act will make social-media anathema to you and promises to put an end to all your anxiety attacks and panic. Taught at quiet ashrams tucked away in the mountains or by the sea, you will learn how to mediate, wake up with the sun, do your own chores and connect with the nature.

It¡¯s an experience you shouldn¡¯t miss.

4. Learn To Code

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Coding is just not for people who want a career in technology, but for everyone who wants to run their own business, be at the top of their game and have a skill over others. And to tell you the truth, it is absolutely possible to learn to code without spending a bomb. Websites like Codecademy, Free Code Camp, Codewars and The Odin Project is where you must go for free and engaging tutorials.

5. Declutter

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People today feel hapless and overwhelmed at all times for a lot of reasons, one of which is having too much. Too many emails to answer, too many WhatsApps to respond to, too many clothes etc. Why not take a long weekend to declutter all the things that you don¡¯t need?

Give away the clothes you don¡¯t wear, delete the apps you don¡¯t use, answer to long pending emails and just cut the trash. You¡¯ll feel good.

6. Become awesome at Excel

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Being awesome at Excel will immediately offer a pool of opportunities. At this moment, the world is in dire need of people who can read numbers, let alone crunch them. Regardless of the industry you are in, even if you can just read data, you will be way above your coterie.

Go to Chandoo for some expert tips and if you want to learn Excel from scratch. This is an invaluable skill that will only grow once you know it.

7. Make A Website

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Perhaps there is no other skill that you learn online that will take you places like this one - just make a goddamn website. Even if you don¡¯t have anything to sell, write or show, just make a website about anything you feel passionate about.

Pro tip- Make your portfolio. Also, the easiest way to make a website is via WordPress, but if you want a little more than others, go here.

8. Improve Your Public Speaking Skills

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Again, there are a million free online courses online that are just waiting for you to enrol. In fact, you can also hook up to podcasts, YouTube videos and even resort to meeting a friend who can teach you more on public speaking. These attempts are bound to bring out the latent talent in you.

Anyhow, if you are looking for one, here¡¯s a really great course at University of Washington. Once done, making a presentation in office or hosting an event will be a cakewalk for you.

9. Strike A Chord

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All of us swoon over people who are good with instruments. Like, the ultimate chick and dude in the group is the person who play Guitar or Ukulele - isn¡¯t it? So, why not be that person and swoon over yourself?

Plenty of online portals like Justin Guitar or the one with Berklee College Of Music are there to help you build on that skill. More so, all you need to do is go to YouTube where will find a myriad tutorials. Just do it.

10. Learn To Negotiate

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Negotiation is an art that you can learn only if you practice enough, and to tell you the truth, it¡¯s a life skill. To be able to negotiate perfectly in your personal life and at the workplace will not only bring you satisfaction with every decision you make, it will also account for a lot of personal gain.

Take up a few courses online if need be, talk to your friends, and practice negotiation in everyday situations and watch the magic unfold.

11. Give Photoshop A Try

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With the advent of social media, almost every organisation is turning its face towards design and ways they can up their game. With photoshop as an added skill to your cv, not only will you be able to have a wider skill set, but you will also be able to express yourself better on various occasions.

Go to YouTube for a free tutorial or just give it a try on your own.

If nothing from this list grabs your fancy maybe you can tell us what you would like to do on all the long weekends this year. Just don¡¯t Netflix and chill all the time, make every minute count.