What is the most desired lockdown skill?

With the lockdown in the UK set to continue for another few weeks, many people have found themselves with more free time on their hands than usual.

The social distancing measures enforced in March 2020 have meant the usual activities which people spend their time doing; visiting restaurants or pubs, attending the gym or a class, or catching up socially loved ones, are all impossible.

We wanted to find out what the UK population is doing during isolation – are people taking the time to learn new hobbies and skills, and if so what?

Through analysing Google Trends and Google search data we found the answer to be a resounding yes!

What do people want to learn in lockdown?

Hair and beauty, baking and DIY were found to be the most desired skills, with each area rising at least 200% since lockdown began.

When it comes to hair, it is clear many are taking matters into their own hands to keep themselves groomed during this unusual period. With barbers and hairdressers forced to close, the chance of a “fresh trim” is slim to none.

Searches for “how to do a skin fade” saw the highest increase of any term in our research (1,400%), with 5,400 searches in March 2020 compared to 1,400 in December 2019.

Skin fades are not the only issue we’re facing, with people also looking for help on how to cut their fringe (up by 809% in the same period).

The research shows we’re becoming a nation of bakers too, with “how to make scones” searched for 14,800 times in March. This term has ‘risen’ by 410% from 6,600 in December. Banana cake has also been popular, with 14,800 searches for the term from baking fanatics.

But we’re not just learning fun things – many Brits are using this time to reevaluate their jobs and career choices, with searches for “template for CV” up by 82%. “How to write a cover letter” and “interview tips” queries are also on the rise.

The job search data suggests the isolation period may be stimulating UK employees to consider their current employment status. For some, this may be a case of realising they enjoy the flexibility remote working policies can offer, but the results also reflect the job losses and subsequent uncertainty surrounding the last few months. Many people may choose to learn a new skill or take on projects as a way to manage stress and keep their minds occupied.

Here are the top six queries across a range of skills, and the associated increase in searches recorded since the outbreak began:

Beauty and hair

Average increase: 555%

  1. How to do a skin fade – 5400 searches, up 1,400%

  2. How to cut your fringe – 1000 searches, up 809%

  3. How to cut your own hair – 49,500 searches, up 650%

  4. How to take off acrylic nail polish – 30 searches, up 200%

  5. How to get rid of gel nail polish – 140 searches, up 180%

  6. How to do your own eyebrows – 210 searches, up 91%

Baking

Average increase: 278%

  1. How to make scones – 49,500 searches, up 650%

  2. How to make banana cake – 14,800 searches, up 410%

  3. How to bake a cake – 12,100 searches, up 236%

  4. How to make carrot cake – 6,600 searches, up 175%

  5. How to make fondant – 1,900 searches, up 116%

  6. How to bake – 880 searches, up 83%

DIY

Average increase: 200%

  1. How to put up a fence – 1,300 searches, up 665%

  2. How to build a shed – 5,400 searches, up 184%

  3. How to paint a room – 4,400 searches, up 132%

  4. How to paint – 2,900 searches, up 123%

  5. How to build – 880 searches, up 49%

  6. How to fix a hole in the wall – 1,300 searches, up 48%

Dancing, singing and writing

Average increase: 72%

  1. Tik Tok dance – 7,400 searches, up 512%

  2. Online singing lessons – 2,400 searches, up 307%

  3. How to write poetry – 6,000 searches, up 67%

  4. How to start a blog – 9,900 searches, up 50%

  5. How to write a book – 12,100 searches, up 49%

  6. Writing a short story – 1,300 searches, up 48%

Languages

Average increase: 151%

  1. Learn sign language – 14,800 searches, up 236%

  2. Learn Spanish – 40, 500 searches, up 235%

  3. Learn a language – 8,100 searches, up 179%

  4. Learn French – 14,800 searches, up 124%

  5. Learn Italian – 8,100 searches, up 84%

  6. Learn German – 6,600 searches, up 50%

Knitting and sewing

Average increase: 143%

  1. How to knit a blanket – 4,400 searches, up 238%

  2. How to crochet a blanket – 4,400 searches, up 238%

  3. How to knit a blanket – 22,200 searches, up 124%

  4. How to crochet – 27,100 searches, up 124%

  5. How to thread a sewing machine – 2,900 searches, up 81%

  6. How to sew – 2,900 searches, up 53%

Yoga and guided meditation

Average increase: 78%

  1. How to do yoga – 1,000 searches, up 156%

  2. Deep breathing techniques – 260 searches, up 136%

  3. Spiritual practice – 260 searches, up 53%

  4. How to meditate – 18,100 searches, up 50%

  5. Guided meditation – 12,100 searches, up 49%

  6. Finding peace – 390 searches, up 22%

Drawing

Average increase: 68%

  1. How to draw a rose – 49,500 searches, up 123%

  2. How to draw a face – 27,100 searches, up 83%

  3. How to draw a girl – 8,100 searches, up 83%

  4. How to draw a unicorn – 14,800 searches, up 50%

  5. How to draw – 74,000 searches, up 49%

  6. How to draw anime – 8,100 searches, up 23%

Other – careers

Average increase: 54%

  1. Template for CV – 165,000 searches, up 82%

  2. Phone interview tips – 1000 searches, up 69%

  3. How to write a CV – 22,200 searches, up 50%

  4. How to write a cover letter – 27,100 searches, up 50%

  5. CV examples – 60,500 searches, up 49%

  6. Interview tips – 6,600 searches, up 22%

Looking After your Mental Health While Working Remotely

Looking After your Mental Health While Working Remotely

The government are now advising us to avoid all but essential social contact, and as many organisations implement voluntary or mandatory remote working policies in response, it means a lot of us are facing a new challenge.

Perhaps you’re used to working in the office, or only work from home on the odd day here and there. Even for those used to working remotely, being forced to do so in the midst of an infectious outbreak can feel daunting and it’s important to support and manage our wellbeing during this time.

Try to stay focused – it will help

Rightly or wrongly, it’s likely your boss is concerned about your productivity whilst working remotely – particularly if it’s unusual at your organisation. Now, whilst many of us can be trusted to get on with the job at hand during this time, it is true that you will have to battle distraction in order to do so.

At the moment, one of the biggest distractions is the news. Checking for COVID-19 updates, or clicking on news alerts as and when they pop up, is going to be hard to resist.

But employees should be wary of scrolling themselves into despair. Relying on unreputable sources for news about the outbreak can fuel anxiety, making it difficult to concentrate and putting your mental health at risk.

Remember, many news sources rely on click-bait and scaremongering for views, so schedule “news breaks” – maybe 1 or 2 a day – and stick to them. Turn off news alerts and choose your outlets carefully, ensuring they are quality sources (try Gov.uk or the World Health Organisation).

Designate a Workspace

Without a physical office to escape to, it can be hard to keep work and home life separate. Not everyone has a ‘home office’ and it’s likely you’ll be using personal equipment to get your job done.

Blurring the line between work and home can be bad news, though. It means you never truly ‘switch off’ and, conversely, become less and less productive. Home life can also suffer from the imbalance.

Remember, your workspace doesn’t need to be its own room, but you should take steps to make if feel ‘apart’ from the rest of your home.

Choose an area with good natural light (avoid screens facing windows which can create glare) and ensure you have a comfortable, supportive chair. ‘Entering’ work might be as simple as flicking on your desk lamp or opening your notebook – whatever works for you – but this physical signal means you are ‘at’ work mentally.

When you are done for the day, make sure to close all tabs and programs related to your job. Turn off your lights, close your notebook, and tidy other desk items away.

They key here is to do whatever it takes to ‘leave’ work.

Transition in/out of Work

Lack of commuting time is often touted as one of the benefits about working from home, however, you may find it’s not all it’s cracked up to be after a few weeks have passed.

You see, the time between work and home, whether you drive or take public transport is important. It’s wind-down time which allows us to mentally prepare for our evening routines. Many of us use this time to read or listen to our favourite music – it’s a time when our brains ‘switch off’ and enter a more relaxed state.

Without this time, then, our brains don’t always have time to hit reset and this can make it difficult to switch from thinking about that big deadline to thinking about … well, anything else. In other words, jumping directly into leisure time can make work bleed into our personal lives, and this can mean bad news for mental health.

If you can, try to think of a ‘transition’ activity. Perhaps, you enjoy walking the dog, or browsing for a new dinner recipe. Whatever it is, developing this as a habit over time will help your mind wind down after a hard day.

Communicate

If your office is suddenly working from home, it means a lot of the social interaction you’re used to getting is cut off.

For a while this might seem a blessing, after all, it means less distraction and noise! But it’s important we don’t forget that we need to be around others. We are social creatures and it’s the random interruptions throughout our working day that keeps things feeling unique. Without them, working alone can get dull and, even worse, can feel isolating.

The key here is to maintain communication – especially with your manager/team. Come up with a plan between you for staying in touch, how often you will check in each day, and how you will communicate on group projects and new assignments.

It’s likely you’ll encounter new challenges as you begin to work remotely for long periods of time, and that’s fine. Think about who you might normally go to for help and drop them a line. Just because you’re not in the same building, doesn’t change your working relationship.

With the advent of collaboration platforms like Microsoft Teams and Slack, it can be tempting to stick to text-only communications, but you might find it’s best to pick up the phone at least once a day. Doing so can help relieve feelings of isolation and loneliness and is likely to prevent miscommunications.

Working remotely for the first time or due for a quick refresher course? Try our Remote Working awareness course to stay safe and healthy away from the office.