You know that feeling- the one you get while mindlessly scrolling through social media and the day slowly slips away from us. Why not use that time to do something productive?
Being productive doesn’t mean we have to go do chores or scratch off our to-do list; there are plenty of fun and even creative activities that we can pursue to fulfill us and spend our time more meaningfully.
Without further ado, here are 101 ways to beat boredom and stay productive!
Learn Creative Skills
- Improve your photography: You don’t need to travel to scenic destinations to work on photography skills; you can just grab your camera or phone and take a walk around the neighborhood! Plenty of free courses are also available online to improve your craft.
- Learn an Instrument: No matter your age, creating music is a wonder skill to have. Some wonderful free sites to check out are Justin Guitar for the aspiring guitarists, and Ultimate Guitar for chords and sheet music not only for guitar, but ukulele, bass, and piano. Here are also some resources to learn piano.
- Singing: Look up some vocal warm-ups or sing karaoke to your favorite tunes.
- Paint or Draw: Follow a Bob Ross tutorial or even just browse Google for inspiration. YouTube is chock full of free art tutorials to help get you started.
- Make Pixel Art: This site lets you create pixel art and animated sprites for free! You can even download a desktop app version of the editor.
- Crochet: Why not learn how to make a hat or scarf? Check out Lovecrafts for thousands of free crochet patterns.
- Knitting: Knitting can be easier to learn than crochet since it only uses two types of stiches. It also uses less yarn than crochet!
- Cross Stitch: I’m sure you’ve seen those beautiful embroidery loops, but did you know you can buy kits that come with pre-made patterns? Even a novice can make use of these to create a seemingly complex design.
- Sewing: A great life skill to learn, sewing can help you mend the nice torn sweater that you aren’t quite ready to toss. You can also tailor your own clothes to save money or DIY brand-new outfits!
- Needle Felting: Needle felting is basically the act of poking wool until it forms a 3D shape. You can create adorable figurines or even felt a landscape on an embroidery hoop.
- Learn magic tricks: Want to impress at the next event you go to? Learn some sleight-of-hand techniques to entertain your friends.
- Learn how to upcycle: Upcycling is the practice of refreshing older pieces of furniture in your home to give them new life. There are tons of ideas out there to give you inspiration, from renewing what you already own, to finding a piece with potential at a thrift shop.
Write Something
- Write Poetry or Short Stories: Stretch your creative muscles and write a creative piece. If you’re happy with your work, you can even try submitting it to a magazine or writing content!
- Write flash fiction: Flash fiction is characterized by works that are 1000 words or less. If you’re used to writing long-form, it can be a great writing exercise to try creating a story under word-count constraints. Check out these 21 flash fiction stories for inspiration!
- Write a drama or screenplay: You don’t need to be the next Shakespeare to write a play. Prefer the silver screen? Writing a movie or short-film script can teach you to learn to see stories from a director’s point of view.
- Start a blog: Blogging is a great way to get your writing out into the world. A blog also gives you the option to monetize and earn an income from your writing!
- Start a gratitude journal: Studies show that keeping a gratitude journal reduces stress and helps us focus on what’s important.
- Write morning pages: Writing Morning Pages means stream-of-consciousness writing three pages of words to get out what’s on your mind. The intent is not to edit your work as you go and to just keep moving your hands.
- Write a letter: Send an old-fashioned letter to someone! You can even go all-out and get fancy stationary.
- Start writing an ebook: If you love to write, why not try and make money off of your ideas? Amazon has a free self-publishing platform so you don’t need to worry about pitching your ideas.
- Create a bucket list: We all have things we really want to see over the course of our lives, but it’s hard to remember all of them if we don’t have them written down
Do some light reading
- Read a book: It can be hard to find time for lounging with our favorite novels, but if you’re bored and have a moment, why not pick up the next book on your to-read list?
- Read the newspaper or a magazine: If you don’t feel like getting into a longer piece of literature, consider brushing up on current happenings or exploring a niche magazine for ideas.
- Join an an online or local book club: If you love to read but want someone to share your thoughts with, join a book club!
Learn another language
- Learn a new language: Apps like Duolingo and Memrise are great ways to pick up another language or two. And if you want some real-world practice…
- Find a conversation buddy: Sites like Tandem connect you with native speakers of the language of your choice.
- Find a penpal: If you prefer text to video, you can search for online penpals to strengthen your writing skills in your desired language.
Have fun in the kitchen
- Learn to cook: Cooking is a vital skill not only to save money by not eating out, but to stay healthy. Check out some tutorials on YouTube or google a recipe you’ve been meaning to try.
- Meal prep for the week: Plan ahead your meals for the week to save time later!
- Try out baking: We all love sweets right? Try your hand at some healthy baked goods like these black bean brownies.
- Bake your own bread: Did you know that making bread at home is actually way easier than you’d think? This recipe only needs four ingredients!
- Decorate a cake: If you’re going to be baking, why not also take the time to add the best ingredient in cake- the frosting.
- Brew some tea: Tea is known to have a wide-range of health benefits, and the lower levels of caffeine can help keep you focused without the jitters.
- Learn how to make amazing cup of coffee: If you prefer coffee to tea, learn how to brew the perfect cup.
Become more tech-savvy
- Start a YouTube channel: If you enjoy working with video, consider starting a YouTube channel! Why not get paid to pursue your audio-visual passions?
- Learn video editing: This can go hand-in-hand with making a YouTube. You can even try your hand at more specific skills like motion graphics or making smooth transitions.
- Learn animation: Whether it’s 2D or 3D animation, there are plenty of free software and tutorials out there to get you started.
- Build a website: It feels like everyone has a website these days, so why not make one yourself? WordPress is free and arguably the most popular site-builder, and you don’t need to know any coding to do it!
- Learn how to code: Computers are everywhere, so knowing the basics won’t hurt. Sites like Codecademy and freeCodeCamp can teach you the basics of today’s most popular coding languages for free.
- Build an app: Coding isn’t just for computer software; try and build the next Angry Birds by creating your own app!
- Create a stunning HTML5 animation: This site let’s you create HTML5 animations without any coding experience.
Improve your well-being
- Follow along on a workout: There’s hundreds of free workout available on YouTube, so why not get moving?
- Try yoga: Yoga is a great way to increase flexibility and boost your metabolism, plus you don’t need any equipment to get started.
- Dance along to a Zumba course: Want to have fun while you work out? Try dancing with a Zumba workout to burn off some calories.
- Go for a walk: Nothing beats getting some fresh air while getting in some movement! Listen to an audiobook or podcast if you don’t feel like letting your mind wander.
- Go on a bike ride: Free-way to get cardio and you get an excuse to get out of the house.
- Follow a guided meditation: Struggle to keep quiet down your thoughts? Listen to a speaker guide you through the process of emptying out your head and slowing down.
- Practice mindfulness meditation: It’s tough to remain present in our hectic world, so purposefully seeking out time to bring ourselves back to the present is vital.
Go out & socialize
- Drive somewhere you’ve never been: It can be 5 minutes, or 2 hours away. You might discover a new favorite spot!
- Try a new restaurant: It can be easy to settle into the same-old routine and stop trying new places. Make a conscious effort to go to a restaurant you’ve never eaten at, or go to a familiar one and try a new dish. Who knows, it might become a new favorite!
- Go get groceries: Running low on any ingredients? If you’re just sitting around, might as well go restock!
- Attend a local meetup: Look-up events near you and meet others from your community; you can find activities ranging from community bike rides to knitting circles.
- Introduce yourselves to your neighbors: Do you know your neighbors? If not, why not say hello and make a new friend?
Watch or listen to something
- Watch a documentary: Want an excuse to watch tv, but still be productive? Then documentaries are a great way to do just that
- Watch a Ted Talk: Ted Talks are short and jam-packed with useful insights on today’s world.
- Watch the show you keep want to see but keep putting off: If it’s crossing a show off your list, we can call it productive right?
- Listen to a podcast: Podcasts are a great way to learn or listen to stories while our hands are free. Consider combining this with crafting or cooking!
Organize your digital space
- Sort out your email inbox: Seeing that red notification number creeping upwards each day? Delete all of the unneeded emails clogging your inbox.
- Unsubscribe from emailing lists: Same as the previous number; you don’t want the inbox to fill back up now that it’s clean right?
- Organize your digital files: Perfect for those of us with messy desktops!
- Backup your computer: It’s probably been a while since you did a back-up, so might as well be safe rather than sorry. It might also be a good time to do a whole computer wipe and clear out any gunk slowing it down.
Do some work around the house
- Do your laundry: Why wait for the weekend to roll around? Do it now and you’ll have less loads to do.
- Clean out your fridge: You’d be surprised how fast food goes bad when you’re the one paying for it. Toss any items well-past their expiration date to get an accurate idea of how much food you actually have.
- Clean your home: No matter how much we clean, it always feels like there’s more to be done. Vacuum, do the dishes, dust; there are plenty of ways to tidy up the home.
- Take out the trash: Even if your kitchen trash is empty, don’t overlook the trash cans hidden away in bathrooms, bedrooms, or office.
- Wash your bathroom: Have you cleaned your tub recently? Here’s an excuse to go do that.
- Fix something small around the house: Got any basic housekeeping tasks you’ve been putting off? Replace that flickering lightbulb, declog that drain, or fix that crooked bookshelf.
De-clutter
- Marie Kondo your home: If you feel like your stuff is beginning to pile up, it might be time to donate or toss out some of the clutter.
- Try on your wardrobe and donate the bad fits: Like the above step, but specifically for your wardrobe. Have some items you don’t remember having worn? Try them on and see if you can see yourself wearing it in the next month or so. If you can’t, let it go.
- Shop a friend’s closet: The thrill of shopping, but free! If you’ve just gone through your wardrobe and have clothes to donate, consider doing a swap with friends if your sizes are similar.
Self-Care
- Take a bubble bath or hot shower: If you chose to be productive by cleaning out your bathroom, you now have the chance to reward yourself by getting your tub dirty again with a decadent hot bath.
- Have a spa day: Don’t stop at the tub; treat your skin and explore these home spa ideas.
- Make your own face mask: If you want to save money or be sure about the ingredients seeping into your pores, consider making a face mask with ingredients you already have lying around.
- Take a nap: It might not sound productive, but if you’re feeling tired, it will help refresh you to tackle the next part of your day at full-strength.
- Go to sleep early: Same as napping, those extra few hours can do more for your brain function than trying to learn something while half-asleep.
Plan a trip
- Learn the countries and capitols of the world: Brush up your geography skills with online quizzes or give Geoguessr a try.
- Research places you’d like to visit: Not sure where you would wanna go on vacation? Traverse YouTube or some travel blogs to find places you might want to see someday. Don’t forget to write them all down!
- Make an itinerary for a future trip: Now that you know where you want to go, brainstorm what landmarks, restaurants, and scenic corners you might want to see on a future vacation.
- Plan a local excursion: If you can’t afford to fly out for a vacation, consider taking a trip to local sites. You could be only a few miles away from a popular tourist destination and not even realize!
Take care of miscellaneous tasks
- Schedule your next dentist or doctor visit: While important, we can let important appointments go unscheduled long after our next check-up was due. Be proactive and set up an appointment even if its for a few months from now.
- File taxes: If it’s around tax season, might as well get it over with! Online services like TurboTax let you file without even needing your own accountant.
Show kindness
- Volunteer: Want to make an impact and meet new people? Reach out to local organizations and volunteer your time to a good cause.
- Donate to your local shelter and food pantries: If you’ve got some unexpired and unopened food you impulse bought but don’t plan to eat, consider donating. If you have the money you can also grab some more non-perishables from your local supermarket.
- Write a thank-you letter: Volunteering shows empathy for your local community, but it’s just as important to be kind to your friends and family. Call them up or send them a good old-fashioned letter to let them know you appreciate them.
Professional & Personal Development
- Update your resume: Preparing for the job-hunt or simply haven’t updated your resume in a while? Give it a look and make sure it’s up-to-date.
- Update your LinkedIn: If you’re updating your resume, might as well check-up on you LinkedIn as well.
- Read a self-help book: Self-help books can help us learn new skills from time-management to how to be your own boss. Find something that resonates with you and get to learning!
- Create a habit-tracker: Want to work on implementing some healthy new habits? Create a habit tracker to have a visual indicator of how well you’re keeping up with them.
- Brush up on your productivity techniques: Learn new ways to increase productivity and manage your time with these essential productivity techniques.
- Complete a skill certification: Take an online certification course to show future or current employers that you’re keeping your skills fresh.
- Expand your network: Checking up on people in your LinkedIn circle is a great way to do some high-quality networking.
- Practice your public speaking: It’s a common weakness to fear talking to a crowd, so if you’re feeling bold. why not sign up for a public speaking course or volunteer for a leadership role? Plus, next time you interview you get to humble brag about taking initiative to work on your weaknesses.
- Take an online or local community college course: Your community college offers classes at a much cheaper rate than a first-rate university, but the skills you learn can still be top-notch.
- Take free online courses from high-ranking universities: Sites like Coursera and even Harvard itself offer free classes and certifications to work on honing new skills without breaking the bank.
Enjoy nature
- Start a garden: Have outdoor space? Try planting a garden! You can plant vegetables or small fruit trees to use in your own dishes next season. If you have a balcony, consider tomatoes or small herbs that can grow in a pot.
- Plant flowers indoors or outdoors: Nothing like fresh flowers to brighten up a home! Planting flowers outside you’re home can completely change the ambiance, and an indoor bouquet does wonders for the senses.
- Go apple picking: Have an orchard nearby? Take some time to collect a few bushels and make yourself some apple-themed recipes.
- Buy or pick a bouquet: Take a trip to the local florist or look for wildflowers nearby.
- Learn the names of local plants and animals: Why not learn about your local flora and fauna? You may find out something new about the things right in your own backyard!
- Plant a fruit tree: Not all fruit trees are towering giants; you can get small fruit trees and plant them in your yard without needing a whole landscaping crew.
- Look up at the stars: If it’s night-time and your light-pollution isn’t too bad, consider setting up a blanket and doing a bit of star-gazing.