You’ve got the hang of working from home: you’re connected, your desk setup is pretty sweet and your projects are chugging along. You’re remembering to eat regularly, stay hydrated and maybe even change out of your pajamas occasionally. You got this.
It’s day-number-who-knows-what of working remotely...and you’re starting to really need a break from your own company.
Here are some ways to stay connected with friends and family from far away, or get a welcome distraction.
Explore some of Brooklyn Public Library’s archives and databases
- Visit the Digital Collection of photographs and see how your neighborhood has changed. You can also check if your home address made the news of long ago in Brooklyn Newsstand.
- Take a deep dive into New York History with the New York Heritage Collection and learn what the city was like, and who were some movers and shakers, before your time (and maybe even take a little walk around the neighborhood, for comparison).
- Learn a language you've been meaning to tackle: grab your library card and sign up for Mango Languages. Warning, this may intensify daydreams of travel!
Take an online cooking class
Lucien Chef Ambition is offering online cooking classes on weekdays at 1 PM EST via Instagram Live, and archived on the Invisible Dog website.
Get your trivia fix
Coordinate a long-distance trivia team. Use some of the same remote work setups you do to host meetings or presentations to get together with friends for a trivia night. Or, if you’d rather have others come up with the clever questions for you, open up your favorite group chat, and have a watching/listening party to yell out the answers for the NPR radio show “Ask Me Another” (also available as a podcast), or Jeopardy!
Get in touch with your inner teenager (or your inner librarian) and read a good book
Join the Hub Challenge, hosted by the Young Adult Library Services blog. Read some of the award-winning Young Adult books of the past year, spanning all genres: historical fiction, fantasy, science fiction, romance, graphic novels, even audiobooks. They’re fast reads, and there’s something comforting in already having lived through some of the big questions and teen angst. Many of the titles are available as ebooks or audiobooks from Brooklyn Public Library.
Explore the arts from home
- Tour the Metropolitan Museum in 360 from the comfort of your computer. Or browse the Museum of Modern Art.
- Visit these additional 12 museums you can explore from home, to satisfy your international wanderlust. There are many, many more museums out there showcasing their virtual collections. It’s worth a deep exploration.
- Treat yourself to livestreams from galleries, theaters and orchestras all over the world, available now in the coming weeks.
- Try a film from the Indigenous Film Archive.
- Stream a Broadway show or discover a gem of regional theater.
No matter what you’re working on at home, there’s a way to take a break that will relax and recharge you, and make your home office setup feel a little less small; BPL is here to help!
This blog post reflects the opinions of the author and does not necessarily represent the views of Brooklyn Public Library.
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