If you have some time on your hands, or if you’re stuck at home without anything to do, it’s easy to start to feel bored. However there are quite a number of productive things to do at home when you are bored. And it can be pretty fun too.
Everyone goes through a phase of boredom at one point or the other but boredom can be conquered by following these 3 simple steps:
1. Understand what boredom is and what it can cause.
2. Have some effective strategies in place that you can use to fight boredom immediately when it kicks in.
3. Have a list of productive and fun activities to do that will help you break out of boredom.
Boredom is a feeling caused as a result of monotony in daily activities, lack of energy, lack of motivation, procrastination, loneliness, being idle or not finding anything interesting to do.
But sometimes, you could be surrounded with people and things to do but still be bored. Sigh, it’s way better to be bored alone than to have someone actually boring the remaining life out of you!
Now, there is a difference between being lazy and feeling bored. Laziness refers to when a person is just lounging around and doesn’t put any effort into doing anything, while boredom means not having much to do or not motivated to do anything.
20 Fun & Productive Things To Do At Home When Boredom Strikes
As the saying goes, “An idle mind is the devil’s workshop”. Therefore, you need to get your hands or mind busy in a positive way as much as you can, in order to fight boredom, which may lead to having terrible thoughts or doing things you don’t really want to (like overeating).
Below are 20 fun and productive things to do at home when you find yourself feeling bored. They won’t just help you pass time when you’re bored, but will also be productive and fruitful for your personal development.
1. Learn a new skill
What better way to kill boredom than to equip yourself with a new skill? There are different types of new skills you could learn that will even help you forge ahead in whatever career you already have at hand.
The good news is that you can learn most of these skills online for free, examples are: digital marketing, graphic design, photography, content creation, e.t.c. The bad news is…well there’s no bad news, you have no excuse not to learn that skill now, especially if you’ve got the time!
Learning a new skill can be a very exciting and fun thing to do. It could even make you money in the long run if you decide to offer it as a service to other people (which I’m pretty sure you want to do because it seems in 2020, everyone wants to make a bit of extra money )!
2. Improve your existing skills
You probably have a certain skill you have learnt before, but you just abandoned it or you haven’t made any move to find out the new development in that field—now is the time to find ways to improve on that skill.
Times are always changing, as change is the only constant thing in life. The only way to stay on top of your game with any skill you have is to constantly change with the times by learning and practicing the newly introduced developments in that are. And the best time to do this…is…drum roll…when you’re bored, since you know, you’ve got the time.
3. Learn a new language
Learning a new language is a very interesting practice to engage in and it might come in handy for you at anytime. A lot of people have always had the intention to learn a new language but they always postpone it due to lack of time.
Learning a new language broadens your mind, and gives you a view of other cultures and ways of life. You might even decide to visit the place where the language is spoken someday and you will be able to actively communicate with the people.
You don’t necessarily have to go to a language learning center or take a physical course in school to learn a new language anymore, everything can be learned online. And some platforms even offer it for free (whoop whoop)!
4. Read
Reading is a very exciting thing to do, be it fiction or non-fiction. You either learn a thing or two, get entertained or possibly get more motivated. In times when you are bored or don’t have anything to do, reading can be a good way to pass time effectively.
5. Do a physical workout
Physical workout is not just a way to help you fight boredom, it also helps you stay healthy and fit.
Have any unwanted belly fat? You can actually get rid of it when you’re bored!
You can go for a run or do indoor exercises, whichever works for you is fine. There are plenty of free exercise classes online. The end result is what matters.
6. Keep your mind busy and brainstorm
Great ideas are born out of mere thoughts and as Napoleon Hill said, “Ideas are the beginning points of all fortunes”. The best time to brainstorm and formulate new ideas is when you are bored and doing nothing productive.
Let your mind wander, bring up different scenarios, think about what a certain action you implement will lead to. Just free your mind and think strategically.
Who knows, you could come up with a brand new business idea, or a best seller book idea. Or if you’re stuck with a particular problem in some area of your life, you might finally come up with a good solution.
7. Empty your mailbox or messages and send responses
Reading through your messages and mail can be tiring sometimes. And even when you read them you might not have enough time to send back responses immediately. That’s why it’s so easy to just let the messages pile up. And pile up. And then you see the number of messages keep growing, and it makes it even more daunting to tackle that inbox. (I’m definitely guilty of doing this).
The perfect time to get your inbox back in order is when you are bored. Open your mailbox or messages, read through the important ones, delete the unimportant ones and respond to those you should.
Before you know it, you have gotten that out of the way and you also beat boredom all at once. And your future self will thank you for it. Definitely one of the more productive things to do at home when you are bored.
8. Check up on family and friends and spend time with them
Caught up in the hustle and bustle of life, we don’t always have the time to check up on those dear to us or even spend time with them. Pick up your phone to call them today and ask how they are doing. Visit them if you can and spend quality time with them.
9. Adopt a new hobby
Hobbies are things we love to do and find joy in doing. Everyone has one or two hobbies, but it doesn’t hurt to have more up your sleeve in order to beat boredom.
There are a wide variety of hobbies a person can choose from; singing (basically everyone’s hobby in the shower), swimming, photography, writing, reading, sightseeing, cooking, painting, drawing.
The list is endless and all you have to do is try some out (or all of them) one at a time in order to decide which one works best for you.
10. Take a walk
Taking a walk is a very therapeutic thing to do, it helps you clear your head, think better and breathe in fresh air (or run into that cute boy down the street).
One of the best things you can do for yourself when you are bored is to take a long walk down your block or to a serene place, appreciate nature in all it’s glory, breathe in fresh air and be refreshed.
11. Plan your next trip
We all deserve a little bit of fun and there are places we can go to in order to make that a reality. But just going to places isn’t all of the fun. Planning your trip can be just as much fun!
So plan that next a fishing trip, a boat cruise, a mountain hike, or visiting a new place you really want to see. Anything fun that catches your fancy.
12. Watch an informational movie or documentary
Watching movies or documentaries that you can learn something from is a very fun way to alleviate boredom. Not only are you getting entertained, you also get to learn one or two things. So grab some popcorn, put on something interesting and chill.
13. Listen to music
Who doesn’t love some beautiful sounds and lyrics to the ears? As Billy Joel said, “I think music in itself is healing. It’s an explosive expression of humanity. It’s something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we’re from, everyone loves music.”
You want to kill that boredom? Plug in your earphones, put on that stereo and play that music you love. If possible dance to it, reflect on it and let it warm your heart. You will be glad you did it.
14. Create something
Creation is the whole essence of life, the world was created and so were we.
There are different things you could get your hands on and create. It could be as simple as planting a new flower, creating a photo book, or a drawing.
You are not limited, all you have to do is create something, anything. It doesn’t just cure boredom, but it also heightens your creativity level and gives you a sense of achievement.
15. Evaluate your progress
One very good time to reflect and evaluate how far you have gone with your plans, goals and aspirations is when you are bored.
You’ll be able to critically think about all that you have done to work towards your goals, how successful your steps have been, and what you need to stop doing or start doing more of. This way, you give yourself a fresh perspective and a new start if needed.
16. Socialize and network
The truth is, you will always need people in whatever endeavor you choose in life. And what better way to meet more people than to network and socialize.
This can be done in person by attending events or shows, but it could also easily be done via the internet if you’re stuck at home. The key is to reach out to people, spark interesting conversations, tell them what you do, exchange contacts and keep in touch.
17. Meditate
Meditation is the exercise of the mind.
In the words of Pema Chodron, “Meditation is a process of lightening up, of trusting the basic goodness of what we have and who we are, and of realizing that any wisdom that exists, exists in what we already have. We can lead our life so as to become more awake to who we are and what we’re doing rather than trying to improve or change or get rid of who we are or what we’re doing. The key is to wake up, to become more alert, more inquisitive and curious about ourselves.”
By meditating, you are training your mind to focus, redirecting your thoughts positively and letting go of stress. It is a very effective and productive way to overcome boredom.
18. Take a Nap
Okay, this does not look so productive at first glance, but the body (and mind) need adequate rest to function well. Instead of worrying about how bored you are, why not just lay down and take a nap?
Not only are you eliminating your boredom by doing this, but you are also giving your body and mind the adequate rest that it deserves. This can be especially helpful if you don’t normally get a good night’s rest.
19. Write something
Anais Nin said, “We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect”, and I absolutely agree.
Writing helps your mind to travel far away with imagination. It helps you to understand things that are blurry and helps you put tiny shattered pieces of thought together.
You can write about absolutely anything. Putting pen on paper or typing out those words helps you free your mind. Just keep scribbling without stopping and without judgement. You’ll be surprised that the words make so much sense to the next person. Writing is a therapeutic way to beat boredom.
20. Eliminate procrastination
Procrastination has always been said to be “ the greatest thief of time”.
Sometimes you have so much to do, that it starts to seem overwhelming, and then you abandon it all and instead begin to complain of boredom. You need to stand up now, motivate yourself and get back to what you really should be doing instead of moping around and complaining of boredom.
Postponing what you should do now till later won’t make you any better or more relaxed, because you still have that particular thing hanging over your head. Get up and start doing something.
So, dear friend, it’s okay to get bored, don’t we all? But the right thing to do is find a way or ways to get out of it before it eats you up.
How much better if it’s something that will also end up being productive for you in the end. Explore new things, find new ideas and build on existing ones. Doing the things highlighted in this article will be your easy way out of boredom.
Also check out:
- Top 10 Morning Habits To Supercharge Your Day With Positivity
- 30 Easy Ways To Improve Yourself Little By Little Every Day
- 20 Deep Self-Reflection Questions To Ask Yourself
- 10 Valuable Things You Will Regret Not Doing Sooner
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