Things to do when bored we’ve all been there, staring at the ceiling, scrolling through your phone for the hundredth time, and wondering if time has just… stopped. That restless itch in your brain? It’s boredom begging for a spark of something new, fun, or even slightly ridiculous. And guess what? You don’t have to settle for “just killing time” anymore.
This isn’t your average “go for a walk” list. You’re about to dive into ideas that’ll surprise you, entertain you, and maybe even help you discover a side of yourself you forgot existed. Ready to shake the boredom off? Let’s go.
Get Crafty or Cry Tryin’
Make your hands busy, your mind chill, and your space cuter than a Pinterest board on caffeine.
- Try a sock puppet show (yes, even if you’re 35 embrace the chaos)
- Make DIY home decor with toilet paper rolls and attitude
- Try craft ideas that involve glue, glitter, and mild regret
- Build a tiny paper city and rule it with mildly firm kindness
- Stitch a scrappy pillow that looks like a mistake but feels like an achievement
- Create a vision board even if it’s just 40 photos of croissants
Digital Escapes That Aren’t Doomscrolling
Escape into screens in a way that doesn’t mess with your mental health. For once.
- Binge educational YouTube videos like you’re studying for the final exam of life
- Watch documentaries and pretend you’re sophisticated now
- Take part in online challenges like the “no blinking for 2 minutes” (why not?)
- Go down the rabbit hole of digital hobbies from pixel art to sound mixing
- Explore new websites with names you can’t pronounce but love anyway
- Test yourself with online quizzes like “Which potato are you on a Sunday?”
Old School Games That Still Slap
No batteries, no subscriptions, just raw chaotic joy.
- Organize a game night with board games you forgot you owned
- Play Simon Says but add weird commands like “moo and spin”
- Try Truth or Dare via group chat with friends and chaos
- Host a bubble blowing contest winner gets nothing but pride
- Design a backyard obstacle course and destroy your shins lovingly
- Turn your hallway into a bowling alley with soda bottles
Bored? Step Outside Before You Lose It
Fresh air + silliness = boredom officially yeeted.
- Plan spontaneous picnics in your backyard or balcony (yes, the floor counts)
- Bike riding while singing badly improves everything
- Play outdoor games like tag with your shadow (yes, that counts)
- Try stargazing and make up fake constellations like “The Soggy Hotdog”
- Camp out in your garden and call it backyard camping tents optional
- Run a 5-meter race with your pet snail. Or rock. Or invisible friend.
Boredom-Busting for Brainy Souls
Smart is the new bored. Or bored is the new smart. Whatevs.
- Learn coding and pretend you’re a hacker from a spy movie
- Take free courses on subjects you don’t need but suddenly care about deeply
- Try brain teasers till your brain starts making sound effects
- Learn a new language like Klingon or Portuguese. Both useful. Kinda.
- Start your own creative writing online gig poems about bananas, maybe?
- Begin a blog titled “Things I Thought While Stirring Mac & Cheese”
When You’re Alone But Not Lonely
Solitude ain’t sad. Sometimes it’s the VIP pass to your own imagination.
- Create a playlist called “Songs That Slap When I’m Sad”
- Do a solo spa day at home with cucumbers and candlelight
- Try some gentle journal writing complain to the page like it owes you rent
- Rearrange your room while arguing with your furniture
- Declutter your closet and emotionally reconnect with that hoodie from 2010
- Practice mindfulness aka, stare at a plant and breathe on purpose
Family Time Without Eye Rolls (Mostly)
Bring the crew together without anyone threatening to leave the group chat.
- Make a sock puppet show with your kids or tweens and get way too into it
- Start a scavenger hunt indoors with cryptic clues like “look under dad’s regrets”
- Build a fort big enough for one full-sized adult nap
- Have a movie marathon of films that defined your childhood and confused theirs
- Turn dinner into cooking/baking chaos each person bakes one ingredient
- Play board games but make weird house rules (e.g. “no blinking during Uno”)
Be a Social Butterfly (But Make It Digital)
You don’t have to go out to connect with others. Just go…online…wisely.
- Plan a virtual hangout and pretend it’s a fancy dinner
- Join weird online communities like “People Who Speak in Riddles”
- FaceTime someone you haven’t seen since you had braces
- Organize a mini game night over Zoom and mute the loudest cousin
- Host a talent show in the family group chat no talent required
- Reconnect with an old friend by sending them a meme and no context
Activities That Trick You Into Being Healthy
Your body won’t even realize it’s being tricked into health.
- Dance like no one’s watching, then realize your camera’s on
- Do 5 pushups. Wait. That’s it. That’s the whole idea.
- Stretch dramatically in front of your pets to assert dominance
- Try a beginner yoga video and sob halfway through child’s pose
- Walk barefoot in the grass and pretend you’re filming a nature documentary
- Invent a new smoothie recipe. Call it “Green Chaos.”
Productive But Not Painful
Get stuff done without feeling like a corporate productivity poster.
- Clean that “junk drawer” you’ve been avoiding since 2016
- Declutter your room, find stuff you forgot you hated
- Make a to-do list just so you can cross off “make a to-do list”
- Reply to emails in haiku for funsies
- Finally unsubscribe from that newsletter you never signed up for
- Organize your desktop like it’s auditioning for a lifestyle blog
Good Vibes Only (aka Mental Self-Care)
Mental mess? Let’s gently sweep the brain.
- Do a self-reflection session write a love letter to your future self
- Practice mindfulness while brushing your teeth. Yes, seriously.
- Try a 10-minute meditation with whale noises and regret
- Read a book you never finished because you got distracted by cheese
- Light a candle and do absolutely nothing for 15 minutes
- Try self-discovery journaling prompts like “What if I was a tree?”
Night Owls Need Boredom Cures Too
The moon is out, and your brain’s still buzzing. Let’s do something about it.
- Start a night photography hobby even if it’s just street lamps
- Write a poem at 2AM. Title it “I Ate Cheese and Now I Can’t Sleep”
- Have a mini solo spa night at home with face masks and lo-fi beats
- Rewatch a comfort show until you mouth the lines before they’re said
- Look up stars and pretend you know what “Orion” even means
- Create a cozy nighttime routine that involves tea and ignoring texts
Conclusion: Things to do when bored
So, next time you’re sitting around wondering what life even is, just pick one of these slightly ridiculous, secretly meaningful fun activities and run with it. Avoiding boredom isn’t about doing more, it’s about doing weird, joyful, random things that make you feel like yourself again.
Tag a friend who’s been sighing dramatically all week, or drop your favorite line from this list below. Got more ideas that are just as bonkers? Share away we’re here for the madness.
