Finding free time in our days can feel like a treasure so rare that when the opportunity actually presents itself, we freeze. Usually, the first instinct is to scroll TikTok or check Instagram … again, and again, and again. “We are caught in a cycle of dopamine-chasing in our society with social media,” explains Meaghan O’Neil, a Seattle-based licensed marriage and family therapist associate. But resisting the urge to fall down a scroll hole the next time you’re bored can be one of the greatest gifts you can afford yourself. “The best thing young kids can do is learn how to be bored because that’s how they learn to find what they love and build creativity. The same thing goes for adults. Not only can you become more confident because it’s less scary to be alone, but you also might dig in and find things that you really enjoy, like trying a new hobby.”
So, next time you’re bored, lean in. “Being bored is where creativity happens. By allowing yourself to be bored, you’re actually allowing your brain to reset,” says O’Neil. When drumming up ideas for things to do, rather than sifting through to-do lists and different apps on your phone, she suggests looking back on your childhood. “What did you like to do as a kid?” O’Neil asks. “Are there things that are transferable?” For example, if you loved playing board games, she says you could invite some friends over for a game night. Or, if you collected rocks, maybe that’s something you could pick up again as an adult. “Try to feed something that the bored child in you loved to do, because that’s what you love to do.”
Below, we’ve gathered up 90 spirit-lifting, boredom-busting ideas to try next time you’re feeling restless or trapped in the house. Have fun! Literally!
Entertaining things
1. Start watching a new reality series. Maybe it’s finally time to get into Love Island or Real Housewives. Reality shows are designed to keep you watching, which can be a boon for a bored brain.
2. Watch a classic movie you’ve never seen. It’s time to check out Casablanca at long last. Your parents will surely be pleased.
3. Read a great essay. You don’t have to look too far.
4. Search “happy birthday + [your name]” on YouTube. It doesn’t technically have to be your birthday to enjoy watching a bunch of strangers, okay?
5. Make a playlist of your favorite songs from high school. I bet you haven’t heard Eve 6’s “Inside Out” in a long time, have you? What about Jimmie’s Chicken Shack’s “Do Right”?
6. Watch as many episodes as you want of your favorite show. Listen, who cares? No one’s judging.
7. Start a book you’ve been meaning to read. It’s time to finally check out Swann’s Way.
8. Play a video game. If you’re without a video-game system, there are tons of free options online.
9. Read some humor writing. Delight your mind with the writings of Jack Handey or Samantha Irby.
10. Put together a puzzle. If you enjoy that sort of thing.
11. Make a music-video playlist to play on your TV. This is almost like being at a bar! Sort of!
12. Play solitaire. Remember solitaire?! Cue it up on your phone or bust out a deck of cards and get playing.
13. Watch the greatest-hits episodes of your favorite TV shows. Create a list of your favorite episodes of your favorite shows, then watch them. If you’re feeling festive, you can even pick a theme! Halloween episodes. Christmas episodes. Proposal episodes.
14. Watch a stand-up special. Treat yourself to a laugh and cue up a stand-up special from one of your favorite comedians.
15. Go deep researching some random celebrity gossip. Nothing like a bored night at home to dive deep into some celebrity gossip. You could do something current, like Blake Lively’s lawsuit against Justin Baldoni, or go back in time and revisit the lore surrounding the late Carolyn Bessette Kennedy and her enduring style.
Relaxing Things
16. Light some candles. Whether you’re working from the office or in your room, keeping it cozy is an instant mood booster.
17. Give yourself a manicure and pedicure. An at-home salon-worthy manicure is possible. Trust us.
18. Apply a soothing face mask. Your skin deserves it.
19. Do a guided meditation. Maybe not one by Gwyneth Paltrow, though.
20. Have a yoga break. If you don’t want to head to a studio, there are a bunch of free yoga classes you can take online. It’ll feel good whether it’s a 15-minute or hour-long session.
21. Take a bath. Do you have a nice bathtub? Please appreciate your great fortune, get in it, and take a bath.
22. Go for a walk. It’s still allowed, and it can do wonders for your mind-set.
23. Practice deep breathing. I know it might sound as though it won’t do much, but slowing down and paying attention to your breath can really change how you feel and instill a sense of calm.
24. Lie down, close your eyes, and listen to a podcast. Even if you don’t like podcasts, I bet this sounds pretty relaxing. Find an episode that sounds interesting, lie down, and listen.
25. Cuddle with your pet. It’s good for you and your fur baby!
26. Go to an online art exhibit. If you want to skip the IRL crowds, the National Museum of Women in the Arts has great options.
27. Manifest. Envision the life you want to create for yourself. Maybe even write it out, or download an app to help guide you along.
28. Start a gratitude journal. Put some pen to paper and jot down anything you’re feeling particularly grateful for.
29. Do a closet cleanse. Sometimes a cluttered space results in a cluttered mind. Make some room in your closet (and your mind!) by saying good-bye to the old items you’re no longer wearing.
30. Rest under a weighted blanket. For me, personally, there is absolutely nothing more calming after a long day than burying myself under my 20-pound weighted blanket.
Delicious Things
31. Make a fancy cocktail or mocktail. Practice your mixology skills and make yourself a beautiful drink.
32. Try a meal-kit subscription service. Skip the grocery shopping and soothe your decision fatigue with a box of preportioned ingredients and hard-to-mess-up instructions.
33. Bake bread. Just give in: Sourdough starter is here to stay.
34. Meal prep for the week. It can be very satisfying! Chop away!
35. Bake cookies. You know you want to.
36. Try to re-create your favorite restaurant meal. You don’t need to be a chef — all you need are the appropriate ingredients and a lot of derring-do.
37. Make a dip. Onion dip? Guacamole? Artichoke? The nice thing about making a dip for yourself is you end up with a lot of dip. All for you!
38. Plan your breakfast for tomorrow. Maybe some overnight oats?
39. Try a TikTok cooking hack. Salmon rice, feta pasta, healthy Coke … just not NyQuil chicken, please.
40. Soak some dry beans. Then, later, you can have some beans.
41. Make applesauce. It’s so easy, it’s almost criminal.
42. Peruse your favorite cookbooks. Assuming you have even one cookbook lying around your home somewhere, whip it out and start bookmarking pages that include recipes you might be interested in trying out.
43. Watch a cooking show. Nothing like an old episode of Barefoot Contessa to get the culinary juices flowing.
44. Try a long, complicated recipe. Challenge yourself by trying a multistep recipe that feels fancy and complicated. It’ll take all your attention and be so rewarding when the dish is ready. Worst case, you completely mess it up and have a funny story to tell.
45. Make a cozy soup. The only thing more comforting than sipping on a cozy soup? Cooking one.
Creative Things
46. Paint a portrait of your cat. Or your dog, or your rabbit, or your bookshelf! Then, you get a bonus activity: choosing where to display it.
47. Write a song. Do you have a musical instrument around? It might be time to dust it off and write a song about whatever it is you’re feeling right now.
48. Try The Artist’s Way. It’s never too late to start journaling, and this method, which involves writing a few stream-of-consciousness “morning pages” every day, is designed to open up your creative flow. As a bonus, Bella Hadid does it.
49. Teach your dog a new trick. Teach your dog to spin or shake or “play dead.” It’s fun and rewarding for both of you.
50. Learn to do a split. Working on your flexibility a few minutes a day can lead to fewer injuries and better posture. Plus, it’s a neat party trick.
51. Write a poem. No one ever has to read it.
52. Learn how to juggle. Can you imagine how impressed your friends will be once you reveal you’ve taught yourself how to juggle?
53. Write letters. As a kid, there was absolutely nothing more exciting than getting a letter in the mail from a pen pal. Why do we let age rob us of our youthful sense of wonder? Send a letter to a friend. Maybe they’ll write back!
54. Start a photo-and-memories album. If you’re like me, you keep a lot of little pieces of trash around for memories: movie stubs, Playbills, particularly notable receipts. Why not gather all this garbage into a photo album?
55. Turn a T-shirt into a sleeveless shirt. Do you have a T-shirt you like but never wear? Maybe it will be a little better if you cut off the sleeves. You’re a fashion designer now!
56. Read a play, or write one. It’s like watching a movie, except it’s reading (or writing).
57. Sew a mask for a friend. An act of love and creativity.
58. Design your future tattoo. Are you thinking about getting a tattoo? Why not one you’ve designed? Draw some stuff, play around, imagine where you might want some ink.
59. Learn how to read tarot cards. Here’s an easy beginner’s guide.
60. Learn about bog bodies. You’re going to be surprised.
61. Make a time capsule. Maybe someday you’ll want to remember this? Maybe??
62. Make a lanyard. Life hack: You don’t have to be a kid in summer camp to make a lanyard. Bonus points if you can start yours yourself!
63. Learn to knit. You don’t even have to make anything of importance. Just get some fun yarn and practice for the purpose of practicing, learning, and, most importantly, having fun.
64. Make a collage. Make some use of any old magazines, pictures, or catalogues you have laying around the house and make a collage.
65. Doodle. Remember when you were bored in class and you would doodle in your notebook? Try doing that again.
Productive Things
66. Deep-clean your bathroom. When you’re bored, it can be helpful to discard the idea you’re going to find something “fun” to do and get down to some work that actually needs doing. I’m sure your bathroom needs a good scrubbing. Why not now?
67. Organize your closet. Having an organized space helps you find things and keeps you relaxed. Go ahead and organize that closet.
68. Clean out your fridge. Something smells in there.
69. Start learning a new language. Does Duolingo even work? I don’t know, but you can try.
70. Wash the windows. They’re looking pretty grimy. Let the sunshine in!
71. Hand-wash your clothes. A nice thing to check off the to-do list.
72. Do an online workout. It’s so nice to have done a workout. Unfortunately, the only way to have done a workout is to do a workout. Go on and get that serotonin.
73. Clean your makeup brushes. Trust us, they’re disgusting.
74. Organize all those papers. You know you have a big stack of papers. Or maybe you have a few little stacks of papers. What are all of those papers? Bills? Or something else? Time to organize them.
75. Clean your window-unit air conditioner. There’s no way around this one, I’m sorry!
76. Pick up crochet. It’s a hobby for all seasons. Don’t you want to make your own crop tops for spring and summer and your own blankets for fall and winter?
77. Clean out your computer’s hard drive. There are no doubt tons of files clogging up your computer that you downloaded a long time ago and have absolutely no use for. Delete them and free up some space for more stuff you don’t need later.
78. Wash the floors. Wouldn’t it be nice to have clean floors? What a life.
79. Rotate your mattress. I personally have never done this. But maybe we both should?
80. Organize your pantry. Ah, can you imagine it? An organized pantry where you can see everything you have and grab whatever you need. Does it seem like an impossible dream? It’s not. Here’s some inspiration.
81. Listen to an audiobook. You can “read” while you clean!
82. Get into ceramics. You’ll never have to buy bowls or mugs again!
83. Learn more about the wine you’ve got stocked up. Maybe you can turn it into a side hustle?
84. Learn to drive. I’m looking at you, New Yorkers.
85. Start bird-watching. So you can identify the little friends on your windowsill, of course.
86. Learn to scale a wall. For dire situations! Or for fun!
87. Learn to sew. Think of the money you could save on clothes!
88. Learn a new language. Maybe there’s a language you used to speak well and you’ve sort of fallen off. Maybe there’s a language you always wanted to know but haven’t had the chance to learn. Whatever the case, download Babbel or Duolingo and let the learning begin.
89. Make a bouquet to display in your house. Carefully arrange your selection of flowers to create a gorgeous bouquet you can admire for — at least! — the rest of the week at home.
90. Call a friend and yap. On the surface, yapping on the phone doesn’t sound productive. But, in addition to strengthening your connection with your friend, yapping with a friend can actually bolster your mental health.