With the exception of work, classes and bingeing the next big Netflix show, the feeling of dissatisfaction is often followed by the phrases “I’m bored,” and “there’s nothing to do,” and honestly, Netflix only lasts so long. Boredom is caused by a lack of stimulation or diversity in activities and a disinterest in usually routine tasks. Repetitive tasks, nothing to do, lack of interest all lead to seemingly unending boredom. There were times when friends have asked me “what should we do?” I never had an answer besides, “there’s nothing,” until now. Hopefully, the following ideas take this word out of your vocabulary— at least temporarily.
- Things to do at home
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When boredom strikes, we’re usually at home, work, or school. While it may not be completely preventable, it can certainly be fixed. Have a movie night with friends, binge a new show all night long, bake or cook, make an iMovie, recreate a music video or make your own, learn a dance to a favorite song, do some crafts, design a shirt or paint. For my fellow self-care addicts, take a night off and reorganize, do some facemasks, make your own food, do that thing you’ve been meaning to do but haven’t, turn off your phone for the evening, start a new show, clean your room/apartment/house, do whatever self-care means to you— you don’t have to be alone or at home to do it either.
- Games to play in the car
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There are endless ways to be entertained in the car. The classic road trip games, I spy, the car license plate game, and twenty questions game are great for staying awake and entertained on a long road trip when there’s a set destination. Often my friends and I will go driving at night and share music; it’s a perfect little getaway that doesn’t require much. If just driving around isn’t exciting, sneaky cards is a game that challenges you or you and a couple of friends to go out on an “interactive adventure that inspires creativity and rewards audacity.” Some of the cards have you take a selfie with a stranger, buy someone a coffee, try new foods, or pass off a card without that person noticing. This game can be played entirely on foot, but if you’d like to get out and explore more, try driving around and completing the tasks.
- Go out for a change of scenery
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When you’ve lost motivation or don’t feel like starting that really long paper that’s due at midnight, the best thing to do is change your socks, take off your pajamas and put on regular clothes, or take a quick shower. Do something that you normally do in the morning before work or school to stimulate the idea of having to get work done. Similarly, changing your scenery is like changing your socks— it can subside your boredom. Go for a walk outside, have a picnic in a park, walk around at a nearby mall, drive to a different city and explore the area, or find a new restaurant you’d like.
- Go somewhere at the last minute
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Sometimes you have so much to do and still find yourself bored from routine activity. And sometimes, you spend all day trying to figure out something to do with friends and still have no idea. When this happens, my friend group turns to bubble tea or coffee. It’s usually 10 or 11 p.m. at this point, but I highly recommend late-night caffeine. We also like to try new restaurants or food, and when that fails and everything is closed, we go see a movie.
- Do something uncomfortable
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If you’re anything like me, you don’t dress much more exotic than comfortable, you’re not really following trends, and you definitely don’t like horror movies. Try this— get a tattoo, get a haircut, change your hairstyle, see a scary movie, go to a haunted house, go shopping styled by a friend, go to a store and find something you would never wear or something a friend picks for you, wear your friend’s clothes, or go a full day without your phone and plan an activity.
- Spend the day/night out
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These activities take a bit more planning compared to the majority of the list. You might be surprised how many things there are to do around you. Some of the following depend on the season or where you live, but you can go ice skating, rollerblading, bowling or skiing/snowboarding, play laser tag or putt-putt golf, do an escape room, visit an animal shelter, see a movie, get a manicure/pedicure, or see fireworks. Think about things unique to you where you live. Take your friends on a friend-date, dress up nice and pick a nice restaurant, see a movie, go for coffee after, get some dessert— anything really.
- Have a game night
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Here is a list of types of games as well as a few examples of each. Don’t know what to do with playing cards? The possibilities are nearly endless. This is a little less traditional— you could make up your own game or have a trivia night. Make a collaborative playlist with your friends of all the popular songs or songs you like and play guess the name of the song or artist or complete the next line. There are endless possibilities with music! Try listening to a new genre even. You can use a random song generator that has music available on multiple streaming services.
Instead of saying “I’m bored,” I hope now you can say “let’s…”