6 Skills You can Master during Lock down

Learning is a lifetime activity. Are you thinking about what should you do in this lockdown? Read the article inside and find out some tips.

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As we all are going through tough times amid Covid-19 pandemic across the world. There is a blessing in disguise in all this. That is, most of us are at their homes with their families with all food and other essentials.

As we sit on our couches, we should see this as a notable moment to learn. And come out of our homes with new skills, new hobbies and experiences once this lockdown resolves.

Yes, we are working from homes, watching Netflix and trying to stay safe. Besides, I propose 6 things that you can master and make the days a little more productive.

1. Cooking

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Cooking can be too simple and at the same time, strenuous as well. It is an art that we develop through practical experiments with fire(literally). It’s not like you read this famous book on cooking and boom, you’re a professional chef. Like any other skill, practice is indispensable and it can be fun as well.

There is a proverb that says, "I hear I forget, I see I remember, I do I understand." In the case of cooking, listening is the same as reading, you tend to forget after some time. Besides, several ways make your cooking experience easier. Food blogs, YouTube and television channels enlightens you about cooking in an uncomplicated manner. For reference, I am adding 5 online cooking guides for beginners:

• Epicurious

• Allrecipes

• MyFridgeFood

• Serious Eats

• YouTube

Be open and take help of your family. Let them be your first critic and I must tell, you would be sharing great moments to cherish.

Cooking is the outcome of all the efforts that you put and that depends on your interests. The more you give the better you become. So grab your knife and be The MasterChef.

2. Meditation

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Meditation is a handy mechanism to bring mental as well as emotional well-being. It not only allows us to assess a situation better. But also fills us with a feeling of mindfulness and inner peace, two necessities to deal with stress.

Here I provide you with the link of my previous post for why you should start doing it right away.

Link: https://www.crisptalkers.com/post/8-qualities-meditation-helps-you-develop-the-best-of-you

As a beginner, you may start as follows. Sit down cross-legged or open, on the mat or a chair with back straight and relaxed. Close your eyes and concentrate as you breathe in and out. You would be having many thoughts. Try to observe them as they pass through, without judging them or thinking about them. Acknowledging them and letting them flow.

This is one of the simplest forms of meditation that will give results within 7 days of practice. There are other types of meditation practices as well which I would discuss in detail in later posts.

So grab your couch and start straight away!

3. Blogging

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Blogging is introducing your ideas to the world even when people may judge you for your content. But you still realise writing is what you do best and will make sure, you can add some value to others.

There are many different types of blogging. And if you have interest in any of the following mentioned, then grab your pen and paper and start writing. And mind you, a lot of money can be earned as well.

• Fashion Blog

• Food blog

• Travel blog

• Music blog

• Lifestyle blog

• Fitness blog

• Sports blog

• Finance blogs

• Political blogs

• Personal blogs

• Movie blogs

• Technical blogs etc.

The 3 main elements of becoming a blogger involve

1. Making a website

You either own a domain or use free domains provided by WordPress and Wix. They also provide you with hosting of your website and a bunch of beautiful and dynamic themes from which you can select yourself. And you will not need any technical skills either. Besides, you can design your website and save money.

2. Start writing your content

This starts with deciding the niche for your blog. Which you can select from above or have a unique one. Start watching documentaries read articles to come up with great content. (Restrain copying others and frame your content). It often takes 1 or 2 days to prepare a good content and edit it again and again.

3. Marketing

If no one reads your hard work then it's all in vain. Share through all social channels, try to connect with people of the same niche and try to build your network. I am attaching an article on blogging which will take you through greater detail.

Link: https://firstsiteguide.com/learn-blogging/

4. Photo Editing

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Before posting your photos on Instagram, take a look at them. Are they looking as you desired? Maybe, there’s something worth editing: colours, light, background objects, face tone and much more. You can fix all this by learning photo editing tools online. Even if you’re not a photographer and aren’t interested in photography in any shape or form, it’s still a great idea to learn photo editing.

There are dozens of software available, but I would recommend Photoshop and Lightroom. They are fun and has a lot of editing stuff. You can learn to edit through Adobe Photoshop tutorials, Udemy, Lightroom Killer Tips and YouTube Tutorials.

5. Coding/ Web Design

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If you believe coding/Web Designing is not a cup of tea for you, here are 5 points why you should reflect on that thought.

• Significant Job Potential- Those who have programming, coding or scripting skills tend to have high job possibilities and come with above-average salaries.

• Career Flexibility- Coding always offers new areas of opportunity & pliability in your career and makes you a prime candidate in this digital economy.

• Better outlook to problem-solving – Coding makes you think crisp, better, logical and precise.

• Save money on marketing- Every business needs a website today. Instead of hiring a professional to design and maintain your website, you can do it yourself. Mastering it can save a lot of money over time.

• Learn a saleable skill- Web designers do make a good deal of money. So if you are pursuing a new career, start your own business or simply a part-time profession, learning web design can be handy as well.

And all this is provided by various websites and colleges online along with certificates. Like Coursera, Udemy, Pluralsight etc. from where you can start from scratch and learn. For your ease, here is a link you can go through to choose the one that best suits you:

Link: https://learntocodewith.me/posts/code-for-free/

6. Reflecting on your priorities

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This is a good time to sit back and contemplate on everything this far in your life. Ask several questions to yourself because when you do it, your mind automatically starts searching for answers. And you also develop a sense of clarity and imagination by doing so. For instance, you may ask, “What all things I couldn’t do due to my priorities?”, “ Are those priorities important to me?”, “What my real priorities are?”, “Am I doing the right things to achieve those?”, “ How should I proceed from here?”.

In a quest to earn a living and working hard for it, we often forget ourselves, what goals we started with and where we are heading. Maybe you are static at some point and not realising it. Talking to yourself regularly can help you lift yourself and get moving.

A practice I make sure I do every day, reflecting on all the best things that happened, at the end of each day. I do get so many things that happened in the best way I could think of and also the things I could have done to make it better. You are grateful and at the same time know things you will surely do the next day.

All the above-mentioned topics need interest and perseverance. I may have missed on things that interest you. The important point is, make your day a little more fruitful than yesterday.

Coming out of our comfort zones has always been dreadful. But now there is a great learning opportunity for all of us to gain knowledge and personal productivity. To discover your interests and be the master of your skill.