If you didn’t learn new skills during lockdown, don’t be too hard on yourself. Many of us have been through a difficult time and we all had to get used to an unfamiliar situation. However, if you are still spending more time than usual at home and feel up to it, you could take advantage of this opportunity and learn some new skills.

    What kind of skills have people learned during lockdown?

    Most people chose skills based on their hobbies and interests and took up activities like painting or running. Others picked skill-based projects like learning how to cut their own hair, doing their nails, or learning how to become a better cook.

    5 useful skills you could learn:

    1. Take an online dance class. Learning how to dance can be fun and give you a workout. Not only will you become fit, but you will also improve your overall health and mood by being active.
    2. Have you decided to start cutting and colouring your own hair? These can be great skills to have, but make sure that your hair stays healthy. Choose semi permanent hair colour and search for products with the best reviews. Permanent dyes can potentially damage your hair and since they are permanent, you may have to end up cutting it. When cutting your own hair, invest in high quality, sharp scissors. These make it easier to produce a professional-looking haircut.
    3. DIY crafts. Now could be the time to work on that DIY project that you have always wanted to do. Maybe this involves updating an old coffee table or creating a new storage solution. There are countless tutorials online. You can even learn how to create your own wicker furniture.
    4. Develop new skills that could benefit you in your job. These don’t necessarily only have to only be relevant to your company or sector but can be general business skills such as time management or communication.
    5. Improve your IT skills, learn how to code. Learning new computer skills is almost always useful and can even look good on a resume. If you are interested in creating your own website, you could learn how to code.

    How can these skills benefit your life in the long term?

    Developing new skills can be extremely useful in your career but can also improve your confidence when you return to the workplace. Experts also suggest that practicing new skills help enhance brain function and can even balance your mood. Additionally, you can improve self-discipline and your ability to solve problems.