Have 6 weeks off work, help me with plans!

LadyMayBelle

Looking for suggestions and recommendations. Ive six weeks off work coming up, paid.

The only catch is, that for the vast majority of those 6 weeks, I have to rest and keep both feet elevated (Im having an op). Basically the sofa will be my best friend, with feet up for 90% of the first two weeks, prob wont be leaving the house for a month and if I do it wont be for long..

I love suggestions of things to do

*crafting and creating blanket and baby clothes for friend's babies (due in summer)
*watching the boxsets and films I have put aside
*reading/music
*writing to people


more???
*I want to make it as productive as possible given the fact it is 6 weeks Ill prob never have again; have no responsibilites, no kids etc so time is mine!

Zillah

Computer games! Some RPG that has nice stories and what not. Oh, my...to have six weeks of mandatory sitting down

rainbow kirby

Start learning a new language? (spoken, programming or otherwise)

Take some online classes? (Coursera?)

Creative writing?

P_1

rainbow kirby wrote: »

Start learning a new language? (spoken, programming or otherwise)

Take some online classes? (Coursera?)

Creative writing?

Was just going to suggest this. Is there anything that you always wanted to learn how to do, but never had the time to do it? You now have a 6 week window to do it in.

LadyMayBelle

Yup, I juts want some creative ideas in case I get stuck! To be honest Im not really into games or programming. Will be taking up cross stitching again and hope to make some progress with that..

Queen-Mise

Become the queen of youtube.

Watch a load of TED videos - you can't watch too many in a row though. Especially when you have the time off - you can sit down and watch some of the 20 minute ones without any guilt.

I learnt how to crochet of youtube...

When you are watching the boxsets - knitting is a great accompaniment for it. Crochet probably not as much - as you would need to watch what you are doing more. I pick up great wool of ebay.

Play Kingdom Rush & Plant Vs. Zombies - finish both of them. I can email the first one to you want - it is not a big file They are great little games. Really enjoyable to play - testing but you don't need to be a gamer to play them (because I am not).
PvsZ - is especially a game anyone can play - my seven year old loves it. It is fun - that one I would recommend to definitely try.

Also play Candy Crush Saga on FB - this is another great little game. You only get five lives each time you log in (20 mins for the recharge of each life) - so you can only play for 15/20 mins, until the five lives are gone. So it is something you could play a few times a day. It is an enjoyable little game.

No more ideas at the moment.

EDIT: Books - pick up a few books that you have wanted to read for ages.

You will want a good few very different things to do. You can't do just mind-numbing or brain exercising stuff for the whole day. You will want a mix of stuff.
Stumbleupon, sporclehttp://www.sporcle.com/, this is another quiz-type thing I like, Imgur. These are all good websites. Stumbleupon is great - especially when you tailor it to yourself.

Princess Peach

Listen to audio books while you cross stitch! I download mine, or can get them at the library.

PandyAndy

Learn to draw. It's very easy. Pick up a sketch pad and few pencils and draw what's ever in front of you. Stick with it and you'll get very good.

pwurple

+1 to Coursera.

LadyMayBelle

Ive never heard of coursera. Yeah I'd like to 'achieve' something in those 6 weeks (not counting watching all of American Horror Story, or the entire Woody Allen collection as an achievement as such!)
Im just a little stumped for ideas; yes there are lots of things Id love to do, but need my feet/legs to do them

Whispered

Queen-Mise wrote: »

Play Kingdom Rush & Plant Vs. Zombies - finish both of them.

Where do you get those games?

Queen-Mise wrote: »

EDIT: Books - pick up a few books that you have wanted to read for ages.

And pick up at least one book you'd never imagine yourself enjoying, and read it. You could surprise yourself. I found one of my favourite authors by doing this.

MissFlitworth

Get together old memory cards, cds with photos on them, random folders of photos from laptops & pcs and organise them then upload them to Picasa or somewhere you can share them with the people in them. Pick up a scanner & scan old photos you only have print copies of. I did this with old family photos last year as a distraction from doing any work for my exams and shared with family living abroad, it was great.

If you're going to do some crafts pick a project and blog your way through it

Queen-Mise

Whispered wrote: »

Where do you get those games?

I have them downloaded on my laptop - but you can also play them online.

Plants Vs Zombies is a Popcap game - here is the link

Kingdom Rush is from Armor Games - here the link. KR is free to play online. There is an easy and a normal mode on this - if you are getting slaughtered, change to easy. It automatically sets to normal.

PvsZ is not free - easily gotten though. I think you can play online on some sites. There is an hours free trial for it - see if you like it.

Candy Crush Saga is free to play on FB - here is the link

Queen-Mise

PandyAndy wrote: »

Learn to draw. It's very easy. Pick up a sketch pad and few pencils and draw what's ever in front of you. Stick with it and you'll get very good.

They are some great 'kid' books that bring you through the process of drawing. A lot of them are fantasy, animals, or dinosaurs or things like that. And a drawing pad and some pencils. And you are set to go.

If you want to keep your sanity - the key will be variety. And have options stacked up... What you might not consider in week one, might become appealing in week four.

And turn of the telly - it is to leave it on sometimes, but don't leave it on for the sake of being on. Listen to Radio 4

Queen-Mise

OK - last suggestion, not necessarily for OP.

The joys of stumbleupon - I can across this list: Ten games that make you think about life.
I have it bookmarked but haven't played any of them yet. Intriguing idea - existentialist games :cool:

They are some great little online games - really for kids, but with a solid basis in physics. They are fun to play, use the brain & are not mindless. For example, this one - Demolition City.
The other game I play ever so often is Pandemic 2 - you are given the option of a virus, bacteria, or a parasite; then choose side effects; the aim is to wipe out the population on the planet. It is quite enjoyable trying to wipe out humanity from the planet:D:P

April O Neill

PandyAndy wrote: »

Learn to draw. It's very easy. Pick up a sketch pad and few pencils and draw what's ever in front of you. Stick with it and you'll get very good.

It's not something everyone will get good at, much like writing. But worth finding out if you have a flair for it, OP!

YumCha

Seconding (Thirding? Fourthing?) the online course thing - check out this list on Reddit

miamee

How about some writing? Short stories, poems, plans, lists, whatever you like - have a notebook and pen nearby!

Also, how about making some greeting cards? They seem to be relatively easy to do and you could have all the birthday cards you need for the year done after 6 weeks Buy the supplies beforehand and put them all in a box so they are easy to access, stick a tray with legs on the bed/sofa in front of you and off you go

LadyMayBelle

Thanks folks.
I make cards and stuff (crochet, knitting, sewing) anyways so should have plenty of creative stuff by my side; am a rubbish sketcher but will give it a go anyways! Big fan of TED talks already and a range of podcasts too so have those saved up, have my kindle topped up and real books available too.

Great ideas..:)

beks101

Buy every single book you've ever wanted to read but never had time and get through them all at the rate of one book every day / every two days

Oh to have six work-free weeks!

Daisy78

Start a scrapbook....you can create your own visual diary of what you have acheivedthis past year of places or events have been too. You can create "mood" pages within your diary to inspire you for your next year, for example maps or photos from places you want to visit, recipes you might like to try, reviews of a film or book that you might have recently enjoyed. It will be a nice keepsake for years to come.

Micky Dolenz

Stay up late watching movies and get out of bed late. Bliss.

Jogathon

This is great... I'm in the same boat soon, knee operation and have just been inspired to try and write the book that I'm always promising myself that I will.

LadyMayBelle

Jogathon wrote: »

This is great... I'm in the same boat soon, knee operation and have just been inspired to try and write the book that I'm always promising myself that I will.

Ha, I've said that too! Always wanted to and what better time.

Thanks for suggestions everyone I really do appreciate it! While it is feckin mighty to have six weeks off all to me, it will get undoubtedly tedious and being able to do very little unless its from the sofa will get frustrating, especially as my OH will have to run errands and do housework!

@jogathon we shall have to support each other on.

Always dreamt of having a little Etsy shop, as inspired by Sapsorrow here on boards, so we'll see.

Ops not for two weeks yet but preparing

December2012

Find a good mobile beautician / massage therapist to come to you.

Invite friends around for one on one gabfests.

Apart from the above suggestions by other posters (which are all things I want to do) you could learn about video making or photo editing. iPhoto and iMovie on a mac will be great for this - and you might want to do this when you're chasing around your little one.

Write or record a diary, your baby might like to see it when they're older.

Start a blog.

Stheno

December2012 wrote: »

Find a good mobile beautician / massage therapist to come to you.

Invite friends around for one on one gabfests.
.

Coming to the end of four months of being severely restricted due to a leg injury, I've the following advice, and it's very boring:

1. Rest, you'll need time to recover.
2. Rest, you have to adapt to whatever limited mobility you have.
3. Get into a routine to do your physio every day, I set times for mine, and found it very useful, as physio exercises are very boring and setting yourself a little target for getting through them gives you a small sense of achievement.
4. If you are able to get out and about, do, treat yourself to an hour in a cafe with a cup of coffee/tea, take a book/knitting and enjoy being out.
5. Encourage visitors, it breaks up your day.
6. Even on crutches you'll be able to cook, eat well and enable your recovery.

Outside of that I worked from home a lot, doesn't work for a lot of people but it did for me.

I also read a disgusting amount of books, I gave away about 200 that I'd bought since the beginning of December recently, I read a lot.

Use the time as well to look into stuff you've not done before, I signed up as an adult literacy tutor for when I am fully better, but I got it in progress.

Above all, mind yourself, do your exercises, and focus on being well

Best of luck

Lyaiera

Virtual/Sitting down tourism.

Every so often I plan my dream holiday. Read a travel guide on an area. Google the culture and history. Find the restaurants you want to eat in there, the museums and galleries you want to see, if there are any excursions you want to take. Look and see what hotel you want to stay in, all that kind of thing.

mel.b

LadyMayBelle wrote: »

Yup, I juts want some creative ideas in case I get stuck! To be honest Im not really into games or programming. Will be taking up cross stitching again and hope to make some progress with that..

If you are going to be taking up cross stitch, have a look at www.heavenandearthdesigns for the most amazing patterns. The only thing is they'll take a lot longer than six weeks to complete!

LadyMayBelle

Feeling very encouraged, thank you all!

I wont be out and about for about a month, and then maybe if I do go out Ill be able to hop on a bus outside my flat to bring me to a few cafes etc, and a bus back (includes a short walk which will be good!)

I've said to friends that I would love them to come around and have a chat, if theyre free! I have family flying over too for a while too so will get scrabble etc in.

I will find the 'resting' a challenge as I like doing stuff but I guess it will be matter of necessity; won't get healed unless I rest up. Thank god for netflix!

Have actually found a hairdresser who does home visits so I think Ill book her, as Im sure Ill be feeling a bit miserable about myself at some point. Good idea