100 productive things to do when you’re bored.
Last weekend I was sitting at home and I was extremely bored. It was Sunday and I had already had a rather eventful Friday and Saturday. I saw my friends and I went on a lovely hike. But I couldn’t figure out what to do on Sunday. There were chores and things that I could have done, but I didn’t want to do them. So I figured I would write a post for you the next time you get bored. Here is a massive list of 100 things to do when you’re bored.
Can I just say something before I get into the list?
I did a lot of thinking about why I was so bored on Sunday. To be honest, it felt like it was more than just boredom, I felt a little down because I didn’t have something to entertain me right on the spot.
It made me realize that I have become so used to being entertained 24/7 and I don’t think that it is necessarily the best thing for me.
Sometimes it’s good to do nothing. Sometimes it’s good to have time to collect your thoughts. It’s okay to be bored sometimes. Not every single day of your life is going to be an adventure. Your body needs to rest and your mind needs to rest too. Boredom can be a good thing.
Maybe the fact that I didn’t feel like doing the chores was my body simply telling me that it was time to rest for the day. I’m glad I didn’t force myself to do anything because now I see the value in being alone.
Here is my giant list of 100 things to do when you’re bored!
1.Redecorate your phone.
It is so much fun to redecorate your phone. Make changes to your lock screen and your home screen. You can look on Pinterest for iPhone wallpapers and you will have a lot of options to choose from. You can also make changes to your widgets and rearrange your apps.
2.Make a mood board
Mood boards are a great way to express your creativity or to plan an upcoming event. You can easily find mood board templates on canva and get all of your ideas from pinterest or instagram
3.Read a poetry book.
I was never into poetry but when I decided to turn September into mind, body & soul month I found myself looking for beautiful writing. I came across Your Soul is a River by Nikita Gill and I really enjoyed it! I recommend you check out this book or other poetry books.
4.Look at old family photos
I’m so happy that my mom was adamant about documenting my childhood. I have so many photos of myself when I was a child and I love looking back at them. I actually made scrapbooks when I was 12 and I still have them today! I look at them when I get bored and it really helps me travel back in time.
5.Make a scrapbook.
Speaking of scrapbooking, making a scrapbook is so much fun! I have gotten used to organizing my photos into Chatbooks (highly recommend btw) But my daughters got their hands on my childhood scrapbooks and decided they wanted to make their own. When I was helping them I remembered how much fun it is to make a scrapbook. Definitely recommend starting one when you’re bored.
6.Go shopping for supplies and make a boredom box.
A boredom box is a box filled with things that you can do when you are bored. If you shop for these items ahead of time, you won’t have to scramble around looking for something to do. Simply just choose something from the box. I have an early 2000’s trivia game, old magazines, and nostalgic things in my box so far.
7.Take an online art class.
When I started exploring my creativity more, I decided I would try painting. It is SO relaxing and fun. The best part about art is that you can never really make mistakes because that’s just the way art works! I found online painting classes on youtube and on skillshare.
8.Make a new playlist.
I love Spotify so much and I love to create new playlists. I have a playlist for almost every mood and I love coming across new songs, If you’re bored I recommend editing some of your playlists and/or creating new ones.
9.Declutter something that you have been putting off.
How does your medicine cabinet look? I’m asking that because I just added decluttering the medicine cabinet to my list of things to do this upcoming week. Everything has something that they need to declutter. Why not put on one of your new playlists and get to work?
10.Do yoga.
What I love about Yoga is that there are so many different kinds and everyone can do it! Start with something simple like a sun salutation. Yoga is great for the body and is also very relaxing.
11.Practice a new makeup look.
Do you have a lot of makeup looks pinned to your pinterest boards or saved in your youtube that you’ve never tried? Well that makes two of us. Why not give on a try? Maybe work on your winged eyeliner skills or practice applying false lashes?
12.Make a digital vision board.
Vision boards are one of the top strategies that I used to completely turn my life around. I will talk about the importance of vision boards forever. They are very easy to make and can help motivate you to achieve your wildest dreams.
13.Write a ‘good vibes’ letter to a friend.
A good vibe letter is basically a card that you send to someone telling them you hope they are doing well, you’re thinking of them. And that you are sending them good vibes. Everybody loves snail mail!
14.Create a life binder.
A life binder is a binder that has all of your important documents. If you don’t have your important documents organized already, I’m telling you that it is a game changer.
14.Find new recipes.
If you’re anything like me, you sometimes get tired of cooking the same meals. Why not look for at least three new recipes to add to your rotation?
16.Make a list!
I’ve learned that there are many lists to make besides to-do lists. Journaling is incredibly fun and can be healing as well as boost your mood. Here is a post filled with lists to make that will boost your happiness.
17.Declutter your phone and/or computer.
Our devices are clogged with so much junk these days. We often neglect our phone because digital decluttering can be a daunting task. I suggest putting on a wonderful playlist, setting a timer on your phone and tidy up your files until the time is up.
18.Make a music video playlist.
Music videos are so much fun! There are a lot of old music videos that bring back so many memories for me. Go on YouTube and put together a playlist of all of your favorite music videos.
19.Watch a fashion show on YouTube.
A couple of weeks ago I came across an image on Instagram of supermodel Irina Shayk in a Philipp Plein fashion show. She was modeling alongside a transformer. I just want to mention right now that I love transformers and I love supermodels. I love the aesthetic so I decided to watch the whole fashion show. It was so creative and fun!
20.Exercise.
I know. You probably don’t want to get up and exercise if you are bored, but exercise gives you a natural high and makes you feel energized. It might put you in a better mood and break you from boredom.
21.Make a bucket list.
When was the last time you sat down and decided what things you want to do during the rest of your time on earth? There are so many options and it is fun to have things to work towards.
22.Write a letter to your future self.
I recently wrote a blog post on how to write a letter to your future self. I started my letter but I haven’t been able to finish it. Honestly, it’s pretty deep when you really think about it. Imagining where I will be and where my children will be in 10 years made me emotional. I will finish it soon and I highly recommend you write one.
23.Have a spa day or go to the spa.
Go get a massage or do a face and hair mask at home. Try steaming your face or painting your nails.
24.Take an online course.
Online courses are the best! You can learn about virtually anything from the comfort of your home. Think about a passion or interest you have and see if there is a course for it. Don’t forget to actually apply what you learn.
25.Clean your social media.
Delete accounts you are following that no longer serve you and remove old content that doesn’t align with the current version of you.
26.Listen to a sound bath on YouTube.
Sound baths are incredibly relaxing. They are slightly different from meditation. A sound bath feels like food for your brain. There are lots of sound baths on Youtube.
27.Do a puzzle.
Puzzles are great exercise for your brain and are great at keeping people occupied. Whatever you do, don’t start a puzzle that is too difficult/overwhelming. If you do, it’s likely that you won’t finish it.
28. Start Journaling.
If you don’t have a journal yet…go get one! Journaling is the best. It has helped me transform my entire life and personality. There are plenty of journal prompts on pinterest.
29. Try doing a tik tok dance (even if you have no plans on posting it)
I have never posted a tik tok video and don’t intend to. I can say that some of the dances and transition videos are creative and entertaining. Why not learn a dance? You don’t have to post it, it can be just for fun. The dances are usually short and easy to learn.
30. Do a face mask.
You might even have one in your house that you haven’t tried yet!
31. Plan your next Halloween Costume (because it’s never too early to plan for Halloween)
Halloween is my favorite holiday ever. I’m always thinking about spooky szn and I’m always planning my future Halloween costume. Go online for inspiration and figure out what your next Halloween costume will be.
32. Try making your family tree and tracing your ancestry.
This is harder than it sounds honestly, but it is important to know as much about your ancestors as possible. You can even call your parents or other members of your family and ask them some questions.
33. Try a new hairstyle.
This can be a lot of fun if you are semi good at doing hair. Find a tutorial on YouTube and give it a try. It’s okay if it doesn’t turn out perfect the first time!
34. Create a Sunday reset routine.
I was struggling with productivity during the week until I created a Sunday reset routine. It supercharged my productivity and now I get 3 times as much done during the week!
35. Try writing with a glass dip pen
This is something that would be great to keep in a boredom box. You can get the pens and ink on amazon for a great price.
36. Meal plan for the week.
Meal planning saves so much time and energy since you aren’t constantly worrying about what to eat every day. Try adding some new meals into the meal plan.
37. Tie Dye something.
I absolutely love to tie dye. I do it every single spring with my girls. The best thing to do is have a tie dye kit in your boredom box so it will be ready when you need it.
Tie dye is messy, colorful, creative and fun. It is a wonderful activity to do when you are bored!
38. Read a book that will help you escape reality.
Reading really saved my sanity in 2020 when we were first put on lockdown due to the pandemic. I read one book that blew my mind and I haven’t stopped reading since.
Homer’s The Odyssey is great. Get the children’s version because the original version is much more complex.
39. Bake something sweet.
Who doesn’t love to bake. It doesn’t matter if you are baking from scratch or from a box. Putting on music and baking is fun and tasty!
40. Organize your home.
Organized spaces are extremely satisfying. You can watch The Home Edit on Netflix which will give you a major boost of motivation, then you can choose a space in your home that needs a little bit of attention and organize it!
41. Write a gratitude list.
It took me a long time to understand the importance of gratitude lists. The way I look at it now is why would I deserve more things out of life if I am not taking the time to be grateful for the things that I already have. Take 5 minutes to make a quick list of all the things you are truly grateful for.
42. Work on your financial planning.
When was the last time you had a proper look of your current debt, credit score, savings and your financial plan for the future?
It can be difficult sometimes but taking control of your finances is the number one way to better money management.
43. Watch motivational videos on YouTube.
Sometimes I’m bored because I lack motivation. I’m feeling stuck at the moment and I need a little bit of a push to get me going. Motivational videos can do that for you.
44. Listen to a podcast.
Podcasts are a great way to consume content. There is a podcast for just about everything and they require a little less brain power than watching a video. You can listen to my podcast if you need a great place to start.
45. Go on google earth and virtually travel the world.
Sometimes when I’m reading a book that is set in a certain location I like to look that location up in google earth and do some exploring.
You can look on Instagram for travel, find a spot that looks interesting to you and then find it on google earth.
46. Meditate.
I will advocate for meditation for the rest of my days. I had one incredible experience with meditation where I swear that my soul left my body and it was amazing. You can find guided meditations on Youtube.
47. Learn about another culture.
I found an amazing show on Apple TV+ It’s called Becoming You and it is all about how children live all around the world. It was eye opening, the videography was stunning and I learned so much! Learning about other cultures and about how people live around the world is fun.
48. Host a virtual meeting with friends or family.
Sometimes connecting with others is one of the best things to do when you’re bored. Try video calling your friends and family to check in on them and have some good conversations.
49. Clean out your closet and donate your clothes.
Because we all have things in our closet that we don’t need anymore.
50. Make a flower arrangement.
Flower arranging is fun, easy and there are no rules. Run to the store and grab 2-3 kinds of flowers you like, cut them and arrange them in a vase. Don’t forget to take pictures of your finished arrangement.
51. Detail your car (you know it needs to be cleaned)
When was the last time you cleaned your car? It’s important to keep your car clean just like it is to keep a tidy house. And if you have kids, I know that you have to put in a little bit of extra effort to keep it clean.
52. Make a time capsule! I make one every year.
I absolutely love to make time capsules. Every year during the year I have a memory jar that I put all the best memories in.
At the end of the year I read the memories and then I dump them in the time capsule. I also add photos, and anything else that was relevant that year to the capsule and decide on a time in the future to open it.
53. Write an autobiography. Share the story of your life.
You don’t have to write a whole book, but maybe a short story? All of our lives are so interesting and unique. It would be very nice to write about your own life.
54. Research a new topic.
Is there anything you have been wanting to learn for a long time but you haven’t? Well now is the time. Research is an awesome thing to do when you’re bored.
55. Go to a wine tasting.
I don’t drink and I’ve never had wine in my life (maybe a sip or two) But I hear that wine tasting is a lot of fun. Why not give it a try!
56. Binge watch TV.
When all else fails…you can always find a new show to binge watch. It’s perfect for when you are bored and you know you don’t have the energy to do anything else on this list.
57. Do some brain exercises.
Math problems, puzzles, brain gym, etc.
58. Plan ways to redecorate your house.
Make a mood board for what you want your house to look like.
59. Plan a party or get together with your friends/family.
Start planning an event for your friends and family. There is no need to wait for major holidays to get the family together.
60. Color.
Coloring is very relaxing and you can either color on your phone if you find a good app, or you can color the tradition way. Either way is going to keep you busy for a while.
61. Start a garden.
Gardening is so much fun and anyone can start seeds inside!
62. Clean out your medicine cabinet (I feel attacked).
The other day I cleaned out my medicine cabinet! The idea came to me when I was writing this post and then I went and cleaned it out. I definitely had expired medicine and vitamins in there that needed to be thrown away. It looks so much better now!
63. Go to the library.
**Or the bookstore. The library is one of my favorite places to be. If not the library I love spending time at the bookstore.
64. Clean your makeup brushes.
Because I’m sure that it’s time. I know I am terrible about cleaning my makeup brushes.
65. Try making a charcuterie board.
I’m sure you’ve seen them all over the web lately. It seems like everyone is making them. Why not get in on the action?
66. Let yourself daydream.
If you don’t have the energy to do anything else on this list, just let your mind wander.
67. Go thrift shopping.
Thrift shopping is the best! One persons trash is another persons treasure.
68. Download a budgeting app.
I use this app and I love it.
69. Learn how to live by the moon and give it a try.
Did you know that you can use the energy from the moon to help you manifest what you want in life? I have a post with all the details just for beginners (like me).
70. Learn how to be more productive in the future.
Increasing productivity will make your life easier and you will become more efficient.
71. Make a seasonal to-do list. Here are mine for Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter.
Seasonal bucket lists are my way of making sure I get to do all of the fun things that I love to do each season. I don’t want to get too busy and forget to do my favorite things so the lists really help me! Here are mine if you need inspiration.
72. Repeat some affirmations.
Affirmations have changed my life. They have helped me rewire my brain and deprogram my old beliefs. You can find affirmations everywhere online for whatever you need in life. Give them a try!
73. Learn how to create happy memories and trigger them in the future.
I was fascinated by how certain foods, smells, songs triggered memories for me. Some good and some bad. I decided to do more research on this top and then I wrote a post sharing how to create happy memories and trigger them in the future.
74. Do a Vogue inspired 73 Questions with me.
I love watching the Vogue interviews with celebrities so I decided to do my own. Here’s mine. You can make one too and choose whatever questions that you like!
75. Check out some travel photo diaries.
Sometimes I like photo diaries more than travel vlogs on YouTube. The reason is because there is often a lot of filler content where people are getting ready or talking and all I want to see is the actual travel content. Photo diaries are a great way to get straight to the location. Here is mine from Charleston, SC.
76. Plan your next birthday celebration.
It’s never too early to start brainstorming what you want to do for your birthday! You deserve to make your day super special!
77. Go get a hot stone pedicure. *and thank me later*
I went to the nail salon and got my first hot stone pedicure. It was so amazing and I can’t believe that I’ve never had one before. I loved it so much that I came home and wrote an entire post about it so that I could convince you to get one too!
78. Deep clean your house.
When was the last time you did a deep clean in your house? If it’s been a while and you have nothing else to do, put on a podcast, audiobook, or a good playlist and deep clean something.
79. Teach your pet a new trick.
This one can be fun for you and your pet!
80. Go online and look at art. There are so many incredibly talented artists on social media.
Art is so beautiful and it really sparks my creativity. What I love about social media is that you have instant access to so many different kinds of art. Try finding a new artist to follow.
81. Organize your Pinterest boards.
Pinterest can easily get unorganized and if you want to do something that requires little energy you can take some time and organize all of your pinterest boards. Delete boards that you no longer need and add new ones that are more relevant.
82. Unsubscribe from email lists that no longer serve you.
No one wants to get emails from companies that they aren’t interested in anymore. Go through you inbox and unsubscribe from at least 10 email lists.
83. Scan old photos into your computer. *this is something I really need to do*
This is tedious but if you have old family photos that haven’t been backed up onto a flash drive yet, it’s probably time to start scanning them in. If you don’t have a scanner I believe google has an app where you can take photos of your photos and it is similar to scanning them.
84. Look up your birth chart
If you really want to do something interesting and learn more about yourself you should definitely look up your birth chart. To properly do this, you need to know the time your were born.
85. Practice Hand lettering or calligraphy.
Hand lettering is relaxing and satisfying, you can change up your handwriting this way or learn fancy writing for when you send cards.
86. Start a blog!
Blogging is so much fun and a great way to be creative while inspiring others. There is a lot that goes into it, but once you get into the routine it becomes much easier.
87. Make an amazon wish list.
If you don’t already have an amazon wish list why not start one? Once I started making a wish list I realized there were lots of little things that I needed for my house. I will keep watching the prices on these items and make purchases if/when they go on sale.
88. Have a picnic in your yard.
You don’t have to travel to a different location to have a picnic, try having one in your yard, some people even do picnics in their living room. It’s a great way to change up your normal routine.
89. Look up some healthy recipes that you might like.
You are what you eat! Try looking up a couple of healthy recipes that you might like and add the ingredients to your shopping list so you can give the recipes a try!
90. Learn how to invest your money.
I actually learned how to purchase my first stock by watching a youtube video. I have learned so many things by watching videos and reading books. You can learn enough on Youtube to really supercharge your financial life.
91. Do a science experiment.
If you are a science lover or just someone who is interested in science, I recommend trying a science project! If you don’t have any of the materials for a science project you can probably watch videos of them.
92. Start a new challenge.
Challenges are so much fun! You can find all kinds of challenges on Pinterest and get started!
93. Review your saved content
Do you ever actually go back through your Pinterest boards and review the content you’ve saved? What about your saved content in Instagram? Chances are you saved said content for a reason, why not go back and take a look at the content you have saved and try to apply it to your life one way or another. It could spark inspiration, creativity or make you laugh. Either way, you definitely saved it for a reason.
94. Clean up your backyard.
This is something that you need a lot of energy for but if you’re like me you can probably find ways to clean and refresh your backyard. Even if you don’t want to go outside and do it now you can still look online and get some backyard ideas that you can do later.
95. Find new apps to download.
There’s an app for everything these days so why not look for great new apps to add to your phone?
96. Take a candle light bubble bath.
I love taking bubble baths in the winter and I love to light candles and relax by candlelight. It is soothing and refreshing. Bonus points if you have a good playlist.
97. Look up inspiring quotes and write them down.
I love a good quote. I have been saving quotes for a long time and now I have a nice little collection of quotes that boost my mood and give me inspiration. Have a look on quote websites or on Pinterest and try to find your favorite quotes
98. Delete contacts from your phone that you don’t need anymore.
We all have old contacts in our phone that we don’t need. Take the time to delete old contacts and update people’s addresses if they have moved since you first added them to your phone
99. Watch hilarious videos online.
If you are familiar with my content, you might know that I LOVE to laugh. I truly believe it is a form of medicine and I do my best to laugh really hard at least once per day. It’s not hard to find funny memes and videos online, so if you’re bored try to find content that makes you laugh
100. Plan your next vacation
The best time to plan for a vacation is when you aren’t rushing to make last minute arrangements. If you have a trip you want to take later on, start researching and putting together some of the key parts of the trip such as flights and accommodations. If it’s a place you’ve never been, get online and start looking for things to do.
Well there you have it!
100 productive things to do when you’re bored! I hope you enjoy this post because it took me 2days to write this post. I will definitely be using this list as well!
