This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UCLA chapter.
Now that we’re back on campus, the vibrant fall gusto has transformed into the laid-back rhythm of a chilly winter. If you’re like me, living off-campus in the apartments, those multiple 30-minute walks to and and from campus can begin to feel like a monotonous loop. But fear not! I’ve curated my top 30 tried and true ways to beat the boredom as you embark on your next ambitious walk.
- Convince a friend to walk with you. Nothing better than suffering together.
- Schedule a call to catch up with friends or family. Best hack to stay in touch like a pro.
- Listen to a podcast or audiobook if your social battery is spent.
- Review a new album. Most folks already listen to music on these walks, but if you’re not one of them, pop on those headphones and have your main character moment!
- Eat breakfast. Feed yourselves, besties. Caffeinated breakfast smoothies are always a win.
- Plan your meal-prep for the upcoming week. Yum.
- Make your shopping list for groceries and other essentials (so you don’t have to later!).
- Draft emails (or really long texts). I DO NOT recommend this if you’re clumsy and prone to accidents.
- Read or listen to the news.
- Count the number of trees along your route. Characterize them or build a fantasy world with them for extra credit.
- Write a haiku. It’s short enough for you to do it in your head. Or just make silly little rhymes and verses if the form is too rigid. This one’s really fun if you do it with a friend.
- Brainstorm ideas for creative projects. I usually jot down one to three ideas for poems roughly every day, usually all while walking.
- Solve a math or logic problem. Wake up that brain with some exercise first thing in the morning.
- Keep up your Duolingo streak. May Duo never haunt your nightmares.
- Treat yourself to a sweet or savory snack because you made it out of your bed!
- Try to fight a squirrel and survive. Yup, we all know the outcome, so be prepared to run.
- Pretend you’re an undercover agent on a mission to get to your destination. Especially helpful on Bruin Walk.
- Or make it a point to interact with every single table/booth on the way. A little conversation never hurt anybody.
- Do your makeup and hair. Not recommended if you do not possess the coordinated walking skills demonstrated in the TikToks on my For You page; only for the nonchalant pros. Or if you’re just running late.
- Blog/vlog your brave journey and all its silly adventures.
- Create a visual or written log of one interesting sight or interaction from every walk.
- Take a photo (or more) of the same object or view every day for a quarter. Level up: do it at the same time every day.
- Pick flowers to decorate your room.
- Practice mindfulness, breath work, or gratitude. Mental health and nature are the perfect combination.
- Memorize and perfect a monologue. Or just study for your upcoming midterms.
- Take a detour and explore Westwood, if you have more time.
- Count the number of steps it takes you to get to places. Then try to find the shortest/longest or hilliest/flattest route.
- Jog. If you really just can’t bear it, cut those 30 minutes down to a mere 15.
- Have an existential crisis. Who am I and why am I here? What is the point of time and space and life and everything and me and nothing? (This is my favorite.)
- Come up with an HC article on 30 things to do on your 30-minute walk to campus. While I have already written this article, you can rewrite it in your head :)