Wondering What to Do When You’re Bored? Here Are 75 Fresh Ideas

From smart to delightfully self-indulgent

what to do when you're bored: dog massage, false lashes and kitchen cleanout images
marcoventuriniautieri/raquel arocena torres/Kathrin Ziegler: Via Getty Images

Boredomhappens to the best of us, and usually it’s just a passing feeling. However, it's not a condition to be trifled with—for example, a2015 studyshowed that boredom can be so uncomfortable that humans will do everything from self-administer electric shocks to eat more M&Ms than usual, just to break up the monotony. Our advice: Step away from the shocks and sweets—if the ennui has become unbearable, consider more positive actions. We came up with a diverse list of ideas that includes everything from playing games and making art tovacation planningand house cleaning. Read on to find an activity that speaks to you, so you can get your joie de vivre back, stat.

52 Seriously Fun Outdoor Activities for Kids


what to do when youre bored read a book
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1. Read A Book

的时间to put down your phone and pick up a book is now. Psst: Any ofthesewill keep you engrossed.

2. Play chess online

Chess is known to have many benefits for the brain, including improved memory and heightened creativity, and it’s just plain fun. Enjoy all the perks from home by playing a match online.

3. Try a virtual escape room

Your bored brain is begging for a challenge, and a virtual escape room fits the bill.Check out these six and give one a go.

4. Play solitaire

Dust off that pack of bicycle cards or play online—either way this easy-to-learn and super addictivecard gameis sure to keep you entertained.

What to do when. you're bored: Woman trying on makeup
JGI/Jamie Grill/Getty Images

5. Follow along with a makeup tutorial

Youtube hasevery lookyou've been curious about.

6. Create a “love map” of your significant other

The Gottman Institute assigns this ashomework for couples, and we found it to be an interesting exercise.

7. Revise your resume with a little help from AI

Kickresumeuses machine learning—utilizing resumes of people who've been hired in a range of industries—to help hone your profesh one-sheeter.

8. Plan a dream home reno on Pinterest

That perfect grey paint isn't going to select itself.

9. Detail your car

Extra points if youshampoo the upholstery.

what-to-do-when-youre-bored: dog pon his back being massaged
marcoventuriniautieri/Getty Images

10. Treat your furry friend to a massage

Rock Fido's world with a spot ofdoggie acupressure, according to a certified canine massage therapist.

11. Refresh your LinkedIn profile

12. Visit a new botanical garden or park

Set off with or without colored pencils to sketch en plein air.

13. Organize your kitchen cupboards

TheseTikTok hacksyield maximum ROI for your effort.

14. Lowkey post your relationship on social media

Soft launchingis the stage between "it's complicated" and "please save the date for our nuptials."

what to do when youre bored work on a puzzle
Maskot/Getty Images

15. Work on a puzzle

A jigsaw puzzle might not seem like a particularly productive way of passing the time, but science disagrees. Research—like this2018年的研究published in前沿in Aging Neuroscience—has shown that this soothing activity can protect against cognitive decline.

16. Plan a vacation

Researching andplanning a vacationis almost as fun as the trip itself, so go on and indulge your wanderlust (even if there’s no travel on the horizon).

17. Watch a movie

Here, a tried-and-true boredom buster for when you just don’t feel like reckoning with your messy closet. Bonus points if you bring a friend on board for aremote viewing.

18. Journal

Bored at home and talking to yourself? (We see you.) Put those deep thoughts down on paper so posterity has something to poke fun at.

19. Do yoga

If your basic yoga routine has grown tiresome, take things up a notch by adding someadvanced posesto the mix.

what to do when youre bored eyelash extensions
raquel arocena torres/Getty Images

20. Apply some at-home eyelash extensions

Go from reptile eye tofluttery lashesin 10 minutes.

21. Try your hand at online chess

(Gen Alphais all about playing it, even during class.)

22. Start a festive text chain

Sharethis storysuggesting your friends join you in planning a party you’ll all enjoy for you next birthday. If you elicit good ideas or annoyance, it’s all fun in its way.

23. Start a grown-ups arts and crafts project

Why should little kids have all the fun? Here are 50craft projectsto start this afternoon.

24. Sort through your bookshelves

Donate unwanted titles to your local senior center and it's a win-win.

what to do when youre bored make a weekly meal plan
Hinterhaus Productions/Getty Images

25. Make a weekly meal plan

Not only willplanning a menu for the weeksave time and spare you the stress of making decisions while hungry, it’s also an excellent excuse to browse a bunch of crave-worthy手机版万博注册登录.

26. Take a walk

The combination of fresh air and light exercise is our favorite feel-good way to banish boredom in the blink of an eye.

27. Meditate

If you’ve always wanted to try meditation, now is the time. Here are a fewtips for getting started.

28. Play video games

Treat yourself to a couch potato kind of day with some gaming. Best of all, you can easily make it a social affair by inviting your S.O. or friends to join in the fun.

29. Do a crossword puzzle

Test your general knowledge and focus your scattered mind with a crossword puzzle, or several. And by all means, use your phone to ask a friend (not Google) when you’re stumped.

what to do when youre bored pantry essentials
Kathrin Ziegler/Getty Images

30. Inventory your kitchen cupboards

Then go shopping for these27 pantry staplesthat PureWow’s Senior Food Writer says you should always have on hand.

31. Test drive a car

If you’re curious about anew modelor an electric model, no time like the present.

32. Pull tarot cards

Use your own deck or have afree online reading.

33. Test your vocabulary

AKA test your patience—with the New York TimesSpelling Bee.

34. Clean your makeup brushes

The sudsing only takes a few moments and it’sdeeply gratifying.

what to do when youre bored do some coloring
pixelfit/Getty Images

35. Do some coloring

In case you missed it, coloring isn’t just for kids. In fact,drawingand coloring, like other forms of art, can be quite therapeutic. Plus, now that you’ve mastered the fine motor control required to stay within the lines, you might be impressed by what you can create.

36. Listen to a podcast

Will you tune intosomething scary? Sexy? Educational? When it comes to picking apassive listening experience, you’ve got plenty of options.

37. Paint your nails

当你全部完成,等待你nailsto dry, you’ll probably be bored…but you’ll be bored and fancy, which is most certainly an improvement.

38. Start a DIY project

From bandeau bathing suits to living room gallery walls—hereare some of our favorite DIY project ideas.

39. Phone a friend

Texting is great and all, but when you just want to shoot the breeze, nothing beats a good old-fashioned phone call.

What to do when you're bored: Scrapbooking supplies on a table
Westend61/Getty Images

40. Start scrapbooking

This perennial hobby's got anew twist.

41. Try a cool budgeting method

Easy and esthetically pleasing, meet the eye-opening Japanese budgeting systemKakeibo.

42. Treat yourself to a tan

Sorry, not the Caribbean—we're talking aself-tanner application.

43. Get a head start on birthday and holiday gifts

It feels great to getshoppingout of the way.

44. Treat yourself to a deep-cleansing DIY face mask.

No purchase necessary, justraid your kitchen.

what to do when youre bored do an online workout
Thomas Barwick/Getty Images

45. Do an online workout

Why pay for a gym membership when you can work up a sweat in your own living room with adanceorzumbaworkout video for free?

46. Make a wish list

Satisfy your urge to shop online without going broke by writing a list of all the good you’re currently coveting.

47. Take a personality test

You can find a whole host of fun personality quizzeshere—just remember to take the results with a grain of salt.

48. Read your horoscope

You already know the basics of your zodiac sign, but maybe yourcurrent horoscopehas some nuggets of inspiration to help you leave the doldrums behind.

49. Send a care package

Whether you curate the care package yourself or send a ready-madegift basketinstead, the thoughtful gesture is sure to make someone’s day.

50. Pleasure yourself

There’s nothing boring about the big O (and if you want help getting there, we know somehighly effective toysfor that).

what to do when youre bored knit
Westend61/Getty Images

51. Knit

Word on the street is that people who knit never get bored. If you don’t know how to knit, take avirtual classand you might just discover your new favorite hobby.

52. Sketch

Occupy yourself with a sentimental craft that gets your creative juices flowing and produces a keepsake item you can flip through next time you’re bored.

53. Binge a TV series

Press play onone of these binge-worthy optionsand let the marathon begin—just be sure to have snacks within arm’s reach. (Cocktail, optional.)

54. Look at old photos

It’s never a bad time to wax nostalgic over those old family photo albums and high school yearbooks.

55.写一封信

If you don’t feel like picking up the phone, pick up a pen instead. (Hint: It will mean so much to your grandma.)

what to do when youre bored clean out your closet
好旅/盖蒂图片社

55.Clean Out Your Closet

With aKon-do attitudeyou can tackle the blackhole that is your wardrobe in one afternoon.

56. Get crafty

Try your hand at one of these seriously cooladult craftsfor a fun activity that yields a Pinterest-worthy finished product you’ll be proud to put on display.

57. Redecorate your home

There’s no need to break the bank—you can transform your interior by simply moving furniture (yes, even yourbig leather sofa) around.

58. Make a playlist

Anyone who’s ever labored over a mixtape can attest to the fact thatplaylist buildingis a form of art.

59. Take a drive

Take a drive (with no particular place to go) for a change of scenery that pairs well with that playlist you just made.

what to do when youre bored take a nap
Westend61/Getty Images

60. Take a nap

Your alone time feels like a snoozefest…and maybe you’re onto something. After all, being bored is just a harbinger of a deliciousmidday nap. (Right?)

61. Give yourself an at-home facial

Why shell out for a fancy spa treatment when you can give yourself anat-home facialfor a fraction of the cost?

62. Paint

Channel your inner Bob Ross (or just watch him) and give that blank canvas your very best.

63. Start a blog

You can choose to be ambitious about it or simply treat it like an online journal—either way, there’s no writer’s cramp involved.

64. Deep clean your home

Your home is in desperate need of a deep clean. Consultthis guidefor some handy tips and then roll up your sleeves and get started.

what to do when youre bored take a bath
Aliaksandra Ivanova/EyeEm/Getty Images

65. Take a bath

When was the last time you treated yourself to a long, relaxing soak in the tub? Break out thebath salts, pour yourself a glass of wine and feel the stress of the week melt away.

66. Take a virtual museum tour

…Or soak up some culture with a virtual (read: airfare-free) visit to some of the finest museums around the globe. The Musée d’Orsay in Paris and Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam are just a couple of theplaces you can explore从舒适的沙发上。

67. Bake

You’ve already binge-watched every episode of the Great British Baking Show. Now it’s time to don an apron and see if you’ve got what it takes to achievestar baker status.

68. Clean out your fridge

Because you’ve let some leftovers hang around a little too long and that half-used can of tomato paste is growing new life forms. (No judgment.)

69. Write a grocery list

Now that the rubbish has been removed from your fridge, you’ve got a perfect opportunity to take inventory and draw up a shopping list.

what to do when youre bored learn a new language
J_art/Getty Images

70. Learn a new language

If you pick one of theeasiest languagesto learn, you could be proficient (i.e., impressing your friends) in as little as 24 weeks.

71. Do your taxes

It’s no one’s idea of fun, but the deadline is looming. Plus, when you’re done you can reward yourself with a glass of wine for being such a good (boring) grown-up.

72. Have a dance party for one

Alone and bored? It’s the perfect time to cut a rug—you know, without self-consciousness standing in your way.

73. Order takeout

When your own company isn’t cutting it, it’s time to make friends with a Chinese restaurant menu.

74. Shop online

There’s nothing wrong with a little retail therapy—just be sure to spend your hard-earned dollar wisely by checking out thelatest sales.

75. Check out your zodiac "Hard No" signs

We've all hadtoxic relationships, and astrology wants to drop a dime on people you should avoid.



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Emma Singer

Freelance PureWow Editor

Emma Singer is a freelance contributing editor and writer at PureWow who has over 7 years of professional proofreading, copyediting and writing experience. At PureWow, she covers...
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Dana Dickey

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Dana Dickey is a PureWow Senior Editor, and during more than a decade in digital media, she has scoped out and tested top products and services across the lifestyle space...
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