Life under lockdown gives you time to Marie Kondo your home, and more beyond

Have you cut your bangs yet? That’s just one of the questionable social media trends at a moment when people all over the world are staying home. Although right now we have far greater concerns than how we look, I’ve made a to-do list for this unexpected home time while we all do our civic duty (#stayhome).

First, reorganise bulging wardrobes. Decluttering queen Marie Kondo’s books and videos offer a guide, of course. A search for “closet detox” reveals multiple tutorials with different philosophies though, so I’ve read up and made my own plan.

I’m going to try on anything I haven’t worn in a while. If I don’t like it or it doesn’t fit, I’ll put it into one of three piles: donate, sell, or alter. Next, I’ll organise clothes by season, type and colour to make getting dressed easier. I’m also using this time to experiment with my look, at non-Zoom moments. I’ll be walking distance from my wardrobe anyway.

Shoes would be easy to forget since we are not wearing them indoors, but mine have needed a culling for years. Some I cannot believe I ever wore in public. They will go in the giveaway bag. Others need a visit to the cobbler. That’s another bag. Old trainers will go into a third bag for drop-off at sports store Escapade, which redistributes used sneakers to people who need them. The rest will get a much-needed polish. Bags and belts will also be inspected, cleaned and sorted.

Some of the best advice I’ve read is: put on your jeans every few days because sweatpants and pyjamas will have you believe all is well. Models such as Kaia Gerber and Cara Delevingne may be wearing sweats, but they probably didn’t also inhale a pan of brownies. It’s actually an argument for dressing properly every day, to lift the mood more than anything.

At the beginning, it felt like a luxury to stay in my pyjamas, but it left me feeling lethargic and low. I can see now why sticking to sleep and self-care routines is encouraged. I am turning my morning showers into mini spa visits. This is the moment to finally apply all the face masks and hair treatments I’ve never found the time to use (if they haven’t expired).

Exercise, or the lack thereof, during quarantine, is a serious health concern. Hiking has been a godsend for many of us, judging by the increased numbers on Hong Kong’s trails. You may already be a devotee of exercise guru Kayla Itsines, have a yoga app such as DoYouYoga, or make your kids do PE with Joe (Wicks), a YouTube fitness instructor.

Whatever it is, moving seems like the best use of my time. Thinking I could do as well as my hairstylist was not. I’d leave those eye­brows to the professionals, too. It is too easy to over-pluck and be left looking like a second-rate Clara Bow.

It has been suggested that this is our moment to pick up new skills. Well, I’d rather poke my eyes out with knitting needles than try a purl stitch again. However, I’ve been mesmerised by sewing hacks on Pinterest that teach you how toadd pleats and change silhouettes on old clothes with only a needle and thread.

Jewellery cleaning has been a real revelation to me, too. Obsessive hand­washing had left my rings caked with soap and sanitiser. Vodka, Windex and baking soda are all approved diamond ring cleaners by the experts at Sothebys.com, surprisingly. However, both Sothebys and gem authori­ties, such as the Gemological Institute of America, agree that warm water, mild dish soap and a soft towel should do the trick.

Harder stones such as rubies and sapphires should also be fine, but perhaps not soft, porous or organic gems like coral, turquoise, opal, emeralds and pearls.

I’ll get to all of that right after I finish binge-watching Tiger King on Netflix.

Finally, if you have children, please disregard all of the above. You have more than enough to do.