21 Productive Things to Do When You’re Bored

Are you currently sitting at home, super bored, wondering what you could possibly do to not be bored? Don’t worry, we’ll find you something to do. This post is all about productive things to do when you’re bored. I have included easy and fun things on the list, as well as more productive things that will help you be more productive overall.

Remember that the only way to stop feeling bored is to start doing something that will make you forget about everything else. Sometimes it takes a couple of tries to find something that you enjoy or find interesting, but keep trying!

Those days when you feel like you have nothing to do are perfect for trying something new or simply trying to be productive because you will thank yourself for that later. Choose one thing on this list to try and go do it. And if you still feel bored afterwards, just choose another thing to do! You are bound to find something interesting to do on this list.

1. Set a new goal

An important part of being a productive person is setting new goals. Short-term goals help you reach your ultimate goals and every goal pushes you forward to a new and brighter future. That’s why you should always have some goals to work on. If you need help coming up with good short-term goals, I have some ideas for great monthly goals.

2. Make a vision board

If you already know what your goals and dreams are, why not make a vision board? Vision boards help you get excited about your future and they can motivate you to start working on your goals if you have been neglecting them lately. You can simply draw your vision board yourself, or you can cut out pictures from magazines or print them.

It’s also easy to use tools such as Canva to make your vision board. Afterwards you can set it as your laptop wallpaper to stay motivated!

3. Watch a motivational video

Sometimes you’re bored because you feel like nothing really matters or you can’t make your dreams come true anyway, so why try. In that case, you should first of all change your mindset. The easiest way to do that is to watch a motivational video on Youtube. They will remind you that it is completely possible for you to one day live the life you dream of and there is nothing that you can’t do.

Simply search for ‘motivational video’ on Youtube to find something that will make you motivated in five minutes!

4. Get rid of clutter

Is your desk full of random papers, too many pens, old post-it notes, and yesterday’s snack wrappers? Then it might be a good idea to do some decluttering. Put some music on and clear your work area and any other places that are so messy it hinders your ability to work. Maybe you can even come up with a new way to organize your desk!

5. Come up with ways to use your time better

This is something you should do whether you are bored or not. Think about your average day and how you spend it. How much time do you spend on things that don’t really matter? Is there something you would like to add to your daily routine, but you feel like you never have enough time for it?

Even an extra 15 minutes can add something valuable to your day. Try to come up with a few ways to use your time better.

6. Start new productive habits

Being a productive person who reaches their goals comes down to what you do every day. That’s why you have to set productive habits that help you get things done and get forward in life. It’s especially good to set habits for things that you know you should do, but you often forget. In case you need some ideas, I have a list of productive habits that will make you successful.

7. Read a non-fiction book

Reading is always a good idea, no matter what you are reading. I recommend you read non-fiction books because they can teach you a lot of things that will help you later on. You could for example pick up a book about investing or networking. Those kinds of books will definitely help you! I also like to read biographies, because they are always both interesting and inspirational!

8. Watch a documentary

Watching a documentary is a great thing to do when you are bored. It doesn’t take much effort, it’s fun and you never know how much you will learn! Try to find a documentary about something you are interested in or have always wanted to learn about. Climate change? The banking system? Barack Obama? It’s your choice!

9. Buy new stationery

This is possibly the most fun thing you can do when you are bored. If you need a new notebook soon or your ballpoint pens are drying out, how about you see if you can find something nice and pretty to get? Maybe you don’t even need anything right away, but you can still do some window shopping.

10. Start an online course

There are always more things to learn and I think everyone should make learning a daily habit. The internet is full of free and good quality courses on a wide variety of topics. Check out Skillshare and Khan Academy. You can choose a course you can finish today or you can start something that will take a few weeks but provides more value.

11. Create a new resume

If you think that you are not headed in the right direction in your career, you have to start looking for a new job. The first thing to do is to make sure your resume still looks good. It might be a good idea to create a completely new one that looks better than your old one. There are a lot of modern and pretty templates you can use for free. You can find plenty of them in Canva.

12. Find new affirmations

Affirmations are fantastic for improving your confidence and motivating yourself to take action. If you think your mindset could be more positive, you want to try this. Choose a few new affirmations and recite them out loud a few times. Then you will have a bit more energy. You can also write your new favorite affirmations somewhere where you will see them every day.

13. Listen to music in a different language

If you don’t have enough energy to do pretty much anything, how about you listen to some music? If you happen to be learning a new language, you should definitely try to find some new favorites in that language.

But even if you aren’t, it’s fun to listen to music from all over the world and you might still learn a few words. Or at least about the music from different countries.

14. Organize your shelves and drawers

Living in a messy house is not fun. Take an hour or two to organize your bookshelves, drawers, and wardrobe. If you find anything you no longer use, consider donating it or throwing it away if it’s of no use. Having your things nicely organized will make you feel that you have your life in order.

15. Learn touch typing

There are many useful skills to learn and touch typing is one of the best ones. If you don’t already type with 10 fingers, now is the time to learn. It will save you a lot of time. It doesn’t take long to learn and before you know it, you’ll type like a typist. You can learn touch typing for free.

16. Exercise

Exercising is a wonderful way to clear your head and do something that is good for you. Go running or hiking and the boredom will fade away. The good thing about moving your body is that afterwards you will feel much better and you will have more energy to do something else.

17. Delete old files

I bet you have quite a few thousand useless old files on your computer and on your external hard drives. Go through them and delete everything you don’t actually need. I know it can be comforting to know that your old essays and 900 pictures from your 2012 trip to Mallorca can still be found if you will ever need them, but I’m sure you’ll survive without most of them.

You should only store files you might actually need or that have other value. 10 similar pictures from a restaurant you don’t even remember is a bit much.

18. Write lists

Writing lists can help you figure out what you really want from life and what you should do to reach your goals. Go through my 100 list ideas and choose something to write a list about. Writing lists is easy and fun and it is always useful. It might encourage you to start new productive habits or maybe learn some new skills.

19. Learn to code

Knowing the basics of coding can be really useful. It will come in handy if you ever want to start your own website (even if you don’t want to design the website yourself) and it’s fun to learn. In case you are interested in becoming a professional, you will be glad to know that it’s possible to get a job in the field even if you are self-taught. I recommend you start on Codecademy.

20. Clear your inbox

Do you have 500 unread emails in your inbox? Have you been saving some old emails for years, although you don’t really need them anymore? Do you have quite a few emails waiting to be answered? Take some time to sort through your emails and make sure to delete everything you don’t really need anymore.

21. Get a new app for productivity

I love productivity apps, they can be super useful. If you want to become more productive, one of the first things you should do is to get a couple of apps that will help you stay on track.

I like HabitBull for habit tracking and Jiffy for time tracking. You can also look for new apps that will help you learn new skills, like language learning apps.

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Did these ideas help you? Do you have any other great ideas for what to do when you are bored? Share them below! Remember to also share this post!

And if you would like to make your mornings productive, start doing these things!