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Writer's pictureCampbell Horn

Isolation Olympics: How to have fun and get stuff done in quarantine

Families everywhere are faced with an incoming feeling of existential boredom, due to COVID-19.


As a way to appease this some have resorted to instituting family game nights or movie nights, others have realized that in their decades of existence on this earth they have never had a real hobby in their adult life and scramble for as many DIY and arts and crafts projects as possible.

My family however, likes a little (a lot) of competition.

My family consisting of myself, my mother, my two dogs, and my two cats, have developed a way to incentivize values we hold such as: productivity, creativity, and physical and mental wellness in what we like to call The Isolation Olympics.


The Olympics operate as follows:

  1. Competitors complete certain activities throughout the day to earn an allotted amount of points for each task.

  2. The games only occur on weekdays, starting Monday Morning and going through Friday night.

  3. The competitor with the least points by 7p.m. each day must wash the dishes that have been piled in the sink all day long.

  4. The competitor with the most points by 7 p.m. each day chooses how the evening is spent. Options can range from picking what movie to watch or what board game to play.

  5. The family must keep a running tally of how many days each competitor has won for the sole purpose of bragging rights.


We wanted the points system to reflect an incentive on being productive while working from home but still allowing for us to be rewarded for taking care of ourselves emotionally and physically.


The point values as follows:

  • 20 points for every task completed or hour of work (I track my work in tasks, my mom prefers by the hour)

  • 10 points for being ready for bed and off of your phone by 10pm (points applied to the next day’s value)

  • Five points for every 15 minutes of creative activity, ex: coloring, baking, painting

  • Five points for every 15 minutes of physical activity, ex: walking the dogs, strenuous chores

  • No, dancing does not allow for double dipping in these two categories

  • Five points for taking a shower and getting dressed in the morning

  • Three points for each meal eaten, with a maximum of three meals per day

  • Two points each time you wash your hands

  • Two points for each eight ounces of water you drink

The switch to remote learning has been difficult for both my mom and me. As a Residence Assistant who is no longer on campus it’s difficult and disheartening to not be able to see my residents every day and spend time with them.

As for my mom, a high school guidance counselor, is finding her job of connecting with and advocating for students more complicated and demanding than usual.


As we now entered the third week of the Isolation Olympics, which began on April 6, my mother has, so far, won a total of six days while I have racked in five.


Given that I will still be here for the remainder of the summer term, I’m sure I will have plenty of time to turn the tide.


Regardless of winner and loser though the Olympics have provided a way for us to maintain a healthy routine without succumbing to the excruciating monotony of quarantine.


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