Today I was brainstorming possible events or activities in a person’s life. Why? I was trying to create a reference page of normal events/situations which could be settings for dramatic things to take place. I have done this for several other parts of life as a springboard for brainstorming.
If you think about it, life is not that complicated. There’s only so many activities that I normally engage in. To be fair, I am not a very active person and I am single (ie. unattached) and live with my mother. I would imagine that there’s no more than 100-200 activities that describe my life (most of it anyway). The activities listed below probably account for 95% of my day. That’s all it is.
Most of the activities are common to all humans across the globe. Sure, the activities of different people might have slight variations. For example, if you were a musician, you would probably spend time rehearsing with your instrument, going to group rehearsals, performance, etc. That is an example of specialized activities on the job. A U.S. president probably has to perform certain specialized tasks that most humans rarely have to do, but chances are, this list includes 95% of the activities that even a president or a pope would do.
The list below doesn’t capture the magic and poetry and sadness of life itself. For example, I can say that listening to music throughout the day gives me a lot of joy. Listening to music keeps me going; I do it while working on intellectual tasks or even trying to sleep. I would like to say that I love reading books and discovering new authors, but honestly in my mid-adult years, I have very little time to do the activities I love the most.
I imagine a video game designer for the Sims has already made a map of human activities like this. It is surprisingly easy to compile this list, and I suspect that the majority of these activities can be programmed fairly easily (the movement part at least).
It occurs to me that I do a lot of things in bed. I do a significant amount of thinking and meditation there, along with reading and of course sleep. Sometimes I do some writing (or at least note-taking).
One has to wonder how this list would be different 50, 100 or 200 years ago. Instead of doing stuff online, maybe you’d go a library
I also spend a lot of time doing things on my computer desk, including this blogpost. But I also drink and eat on it. Here goes my list:
Solitary Activites
Solitary moments
- taking a walk through the neighborhood
- driving in a car
- swimming
- riding a bicycle
- taking a shower
- sleeping
- thinking/dreaming in bed
- exercising/weights
Meals at Home
- eating dinner together with housemates or visitors
- or alone
- snacking while doing something else (working, watching TV, web surfing etc).
Internet usage
- research for purchase
- read daily news
- learn about new concept or product
- research people
- social media following friends and celebs
- posting on social media/generating content
Entertainment
- watching TV/movie
- reading book
- goint to an arts event — concert, play, movie
- Participating in a multiplayer video game
Personal Hygiene
- Brushing Teeth & flossing
- Urinating/defecating
- Taking shower, washing hair
- Washing hands and face.
- shaving
Solitary Chores
- preparing meal & washing dishes
- paying bills, planning finances
- cleaning room & organizing
- checking mail
- walking dog, feeding dog
- getting gas
- washing clothes, drying, folding and putting away.
- picking up trash/taking out trash
Outdoor Work
- Yardwork. Mowing the lawn.
- Taking out/bringing in the trash.
- Picking up the mail/dropping off the mail.
- Simple home maintenance (Decorating the door and yard. Cleaning the outside)
Relaxing
- listening to Music (maybe with others)
- taking a walk (walking the dog)
- Playing with the dog
- playing a single player game (on the phone, etc).
- reading
- watching tv
- gardening (relaxing chores)
Hobbies
- Join a club or group or church; attend meetings
- Buy equipment to pursue the hobby (do research, learn skill, etc)
- Learn the activity by self or with others
- Do solitary activities related to the hobby
Learning
- Follow a tutorial
- Try by doing
- Try, test, try
- Asking Somebody to explain
- buy training
- buy and read a book
- Read the manual
- attend a class or seminar
Writing
- email to personal friend
- blogposts/essay
- fiction
- write a complaint
- post and/or share on social media
Driving/On the Road
- Routine car trip within town
- Being caught in traffic
- long trip to another city
- stopping at rest stop (for food, restroom, drink)
- finding a parking space.
- Waiting for someone in the parking lot
Human Interactions
Occasional Social events
- birthday parties
- thanksgiving
- christmas parties family
- xmas party friends
- xmas party work
- Eating out with friends or family (& dates?)
- School Reunions
Family Activities
- driving people to places
- birthday parties for family members (small or big)
- family meeting (for big announcements & decisions)
- attending educational events of children (plays, award ceremonies, graduation, etc).
- having dinner with people
- holiday togetherness, parties
- Babysitting for children
- calllng family/friends
Social Activities within the household
- repairman visits home to repair something
- package delivery
- home health care
- exterminator visit/air conditioner repair
- inspection/insurance inspection
Personal errands (usually requires going offsite)
- go to restaurant to pick up or dine in
- visiting dentist or doctor for routine exam
- reporting somewhere for a medical test
- reporting somewhere to receive a license/permit/document
- visiting the library to check out or return items or to attend special event
- bring car or bike to repair shop for maintenance
- Work out at a gym
- using mass transit; interacting with strangers
- Helping a neighbor with routine maintenance
Shopping Tasks
- finding a parking space (all types)
- Directed shopping at stores (buy a specific item). Hardware store, shoe store
- Undirected shopping (supermarket, Bookstore, clothing store, thrift shop, shopping for clothes, buying gifts for other)
- Box store shopping (combines directed shopping + browsing). This includes shopping for food
Telephone or Video Call Events
- Making plans with friends and family
- texting with people to make plans
- Discussing a personal or logistical problem
- Introductory call with a new friend or date
- Call to RSVP or cancel something
- Catching up with old friends or family
- multiperson video call (mainly for reunions of family/friends)
- Calling a business to make an appointment
- Calling a business to ask a question, complain, check on an order
- receiving a call from a spam caller
- receiving a call from a stranger who wants to arrange something (a sale, event, etc)
Exercise & Sports (physical activity which often involves interactions, but also a certain number of repetitive tasks which may be done alone)
- playing one-on-one with someone (handball, pickle ball, golf)
- gym repetitions: lifting weights, stair master, treadmill,
- “practice” — swimming, hitting tennis balls,
- team sports — done more for the social aspects than the exercise aspects. Flag football, basketball, indoor board games, poker, massively multiplayer online games
- One on one indoor. Chess, card games, adult-child games,
Participating in Events (artistic or otherwise)
- Signing up or auditioning
- Rehearsing for the Event; Attending meetings, etc.
- Notifying friend and family about the event
- Performing at the Event
Vacation activities (occasional)
- traveling for several hours to a destination
- relaxing outdoor activities: hiking, going to the beach.
- playing games/sports outside (pickle ball, volleyball, basketball
- nightlife activities — restaurant, club, concerts
Full-Time Professional Activities (which for certain people and at certain times of life, one does for long stretches of time)
Technical work/problem solving
- programming/formatting
- Research something on the web
- Asking someone for help online
- Calling someone to ask for help
- computer maintenance
Work-related activities. This might vary radically according to the nature of each job
- Filling out HR paperwork for onboarding
- meetings to prioritize tasks and assign them to people
- Informational meetings about goals and policies
- Training activities (usually offsite and paid for by employer and faciliated by someone else)
- gathering information in order to start a task.
- dealing with both internal and external “customers” and sharing knowledge and expertise
- asking others for help
- direct contact with customers/customers/patrons where courtesy is a priority.
- Writing reports (as output, compliance notes). This includes presentations.
- CYA emails. Emails to express concerns about something (and noting it officially).
- Performance Reviews. (Not that time-consuming, but a source of anxiety).
- Giving presentations at meetings.
- Organizing things/cleaning things. Moving equipment or objects to the right place.
Normal intermittent tasks
- looking for work
- applying for job
- renewing license
- making online payment of recurring bill
- paying taxes
- minor repairs
- being sick/recuperating
Legal/court events
- Serving on jury duty
- renewing driver’s license
- being stopped by the police; receiving a ticket
- Reporting a crime
- Being arrested
- being caught by the police and driven to jail
- booked for the charge
- going to jail, waiting to get bailed out
- finding attorney; waiting for plea bargain
- appearing in court as defendant
- being sentenced, reporting to prison?
Activities frequent when young
- playing outside
- hanging out with other people at someone’s house
- going to and from school
- classes with teachers
- doing homework at night
Going to a University
- Traveling to campus
- Orientation
- going on outings with classmates
- going to class
- doing lab work
- attending Parties, dances
- Studying alone
- studying with partner or with a group
- Taking tests
- Watching/participating in a protest
Major Life Events
Major Public Events (Two levels: first for the person directly involved and second for those witnessing the occasion)
- birth
- religious ceremonies: baptism, first communion, confirmation
- marriage
- divorce (usually not public or ceremonial)
- baby shower/wedding shower
- big birthday party/surprise party
- big wedding anniversary
- funeral
- graduations
Major Private Events
- Having Sex
- Sickness — Flu, Covid, etc
- Injury — Going to Doctor or Emergency room or staying home.
- Breaking Up with Somebody
- Getting Fired from Work/Quitting a Job
- Being robbed or beat up
- Committing an indiscretion or even a crime
- Learning about the death or major illness of a friend or family member
- Losing a job
- Getting in a car accident
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