Whether you are alone, or in the company of your partner, older people or children, the things to do around the house to avoid getting bored are practically endless. Sometimes they don’t come to mind and we fall into apathy, but here you will find a list of things to do when you get bored and tips for dealing with boredom in a constructive way that will surely help you.
To make it easier to find what is best suited to your character and your needs, we have divided our many suggestions into categories: within the categories you will find ideas for how to spend hours relaxing, tricks to take advantage of your free time earning something , activities for the more lively, advice for the “lazy”.
Some of the ideas for not getting bored are perfect for having a pleasant time alone, others involve the rest of the family; you will discover with us ideas for creative activities in which children can participate , and small tips for spending pleasant hours at home with the elderly, ideas that drag even partners out of boredom – do not (only) make malicious thoughts – and friends; whether they are at home with you or at a distance.
Things to do when you get bored: a thousand ideas in 10 categories
Simple pastimes and activities to keep the brain active. Fun things to do around the house and constructive free time management. There are many alternatives for not getting bored: let’s start with the captivating idea of ​​solving the problem of boredom by carrying out a profitable activity. Take advantage of the empty hours of our day, especially if the problem is how to spend time alone, even making a small profit.
I’m bored! What to do without the internet
If you are here it means that your connection to the network is working, but our advice may come in handy at another time, when due to a fault or because of a power failure you will not be able to connect. And if you obviously have a WiFi connection now, and we made you smile by reading the paradox, so be it! You spent a pleasant minute breaking the boredom circuit .
Remember, however, that if you are at home without internet but have a smartphone, tablet or PC, you can also use them offline to pass the time.
You can watch movies and listen to music that you have previously downloaded, (among the things to do when you get bored and connected, you could include just creating a collection of movies and music that you like , downloading them and saving them for when you will be disconnected).
Even reordering files and folders, contact lists and email archives , can be a constructive way to spend time on your computer or mobile phone, and not only when the internet is not reachable.
However, you will find below a very long series of tips on what to do when you get bored that do not include WiFi and, in general, any form of technology.
Strategies for making the most of your free time: working from home
Smartworking is not only a sustainable way to quarantine in times of coronavirus: there are jobs that can be done online at any time, having fun, with personal satisfaction and economic advantage .
Write for the web
Have you ever thought about writing articles and product reviews for websites ? There are platforms that act as an intermediary between publishers, in search of unique texts and content for the web, and authors. If writing is your passion, you can apply as an author on one of these platforms and use it as an antidote to boredom.
We suggest you Melascrivi and Textbroker; it may seem difficult at first, but you will see that tenacity and perseverance will reward you, even in economic terms.
On the same platforms, but not only, there is the possibility of offering one’s own translation services ; if you are well versed in a foreign language you just have to try.
Even studying the mechanisms of functioning of the sites, preparing the presentation texts and your curriculum as an author , will keep you pleasantly busy.
Selling photographs taken by you
If you like taking photographs and you already have some ready, travel memories, landscapes or photos of natural elements, you can try to sell your material on a platform like Adobe Stock, managed by the creators of Photoshop and Illustrator. For each download of the images you upload you will receive a percentage of the commissions .
You enjoyed taking pictures, perhaps outdoors and in company and this now gives you the opportunity not to get bored, even if you are alone at home.
Create a blog or YouTube channel linked to AdSense
If you not only enjoy writing, but there is a field in which you have a particularly in-depth knowledge, I recommend that you start a blog to publish your texts . If the technical part scares you, don’t worry: you can find the basic tools necessary to create a blog for free on Blogger.com, you will only have to think about filling the pages with your original content.
If, on the other hand, you have interesting videos, and you continue to produce them as soon as the opportunity arises, consider creating your own YouTube channel to publish them as a pastime for when you get bored at home.
With both the blog and YouTube you can apply to Google to have your own AdSense code. Thanks to the AdSense program code, Google will place company advertisements on your pages and you will receive percentages for each visitor click.
Participate in paid surveys
There are platforms that carry out surveys and market research on behalf of companies, on various consumer products. It is possible to answer questionnaire questions by receiving in exchange a compensation in cash or in vouchers.
For seriousness and reliability we point out the Google app: with Google Opinion Rewards, you can collect credits that can be spent on the Play Store. It’s not just something you can do to not get bored at home alone, you can supplement your budget with small gains or savings on purchases .
Give space to creativity so as not to win over boredom
In everyday life, due to practical commitments: work, looking after children and the home, we often put our creative capacity in a corner. It is time to rediscover it to fill the gloomy days, to learn to live the hours of free time not as a cause for boredom but as an opportunity to create.
There are a mountain of things to do when you get bored that involve hobby and manual skills. If you are gifted with manual skills and creativity, you have the antidote to boredom ready. Furthermore, in creative activities it is very easy to involve young and old, in case you are not at home alone and there are other people next to you who are bored or who in any case wish to participate.
A hand could always come in handy; call children, parents and partners to help you .
Express your imagination in creative activities without spending
Especially if you need to keep the kids from getting bored, you can choose creative activities that don’t need expensive materials to do. To draw, paint, make collages, make origami, papier-mâché or salt dough objects, bags of plastic strips , you don’t need much.
On the web you will find numerous sites with ideas and advice to follow, models to imitate, video tutorials. Prefer objects that you can make with cheap and recycled materials that you will easily find at home. Colored paper, scissors, glue, pencils, crayons or acrylic paint and brushes don’t cost much, and some materials, such as paper and plastic, metal cans and glass jars, can simply be recycled.
When you get bored and nervousness, it can help to color mandalas , an activity that is appreciated even by the little ones. You can print mandalas of different complexity directly from the web.
Investing in creativity is worth it
Some hobbies require an initial investment. Consider if it’s worth it – it might be interesting to discover new arts and techniques with which to express yourself. We recommend ikebana (the Japanese art of composing cut flowers), painting on glass, ceramic or fabric .
Sewing and embroidery, the classic knitting: needles or crochet, could be the specialty of some older member of the family.
Parents, uncles and grandparents are a valuable source of suggestions for things to do when you get bored; in their day people always knew what to do all day at home: provided there was time left after the obligatory cleaning and cooking chores, there were always small repairs to clothes and objects.
It would be the case to recover some good habits and traditions and start again to arrange and modernize clothes that no longer fit or that need a restyling, reuse fabrics , perhaps to make a pillow or a patchwork blanket from scraps of unused fabrics. Needle and thread are cheap tools and within everyone’s reach, you probably already have what you need to get started at home.
Wooden hobby is also very exciting, but you need to spend a little more on equipment and materials. Evaluate if it’s worth it and possibly plan to have a new pastime ready in the future.
Since it is always good to keep an eye on your wallet, keep in mind that almost anything you create thanks to your creativity can become an original and precious gift for your loved ones or can be sold . There are online platforms, such as Etsy, on which to sell handmade items. But you can organize yourself to sell on eBay, create your personal store with Shopify, or use social networks: Pinterest, Instagram, or reach the public interested in your craft products through the Facebook Marketplace platform.
Self-care: take advantage of the empty hours to regain the balance of body and mind
Staying at home all day without having anything to do leads us to feel dissatisfaction, sadness. Boredom is not good for our spirit but also damages the body, especially if we try to pass the time by consuming snacks and snacks after hours or if we spend too much time sitting or lying on the sofa, perhaps accompanying a movie or our broadcast with chips and popcorn. favorite.
Instead, taking better care of yourself can be one of the things to do when you get bored: use your free time to get back in shape .
Love the body, then keep fit and ready for action
Exercise is one of the fun things to do around the house. Choose a video tutorial on YouTube and start training: nothing could be easier, there are some for beginners and experts.
General gymnastics, exercises aimed at toning specific parts of the body, stretching sequences; videos with background music or simple vocal instructions explaining the exercises. The choice is so wide that you are sure to find the workout that’s right for you . There are videos that propose exercises to be performed while sitting and even lying in bed, you have no excuse not to start exercising at home when you get bored.
If fitness is not your forte, remember that you can take care of your body through yoga.
Don’t neglect the mind – develop the ability to decide and act
So you can do gymnastics while staying at home, this will also benefit your mind, but yoga and meditation can help you even more. If you don’t know how to start meditating, you can use the information on the web and the various tutorials that offer an overview of meditation techniques and the history of the various disciplines. It starts from here.
Take care of the appearance as well as the substance
Gymnastics, good nutrition and care of the spirit. But it’s also important to look your best , as well as be. You can take advantage of being at home for many hours without having anything urgent to do to dedicate yourself to honing your seduction skills and improving your appearance.
YouTube is full of video tutorials to learn how to put on make-up and enhance facial features, create special hairstyles, take care of your nails.
If you already have considerable skills in the fields of personal care and fitness, you can also move on to the “active” part and create in turn video tutorials for gymnastics, yoga, makeup, manicure and hair.
Simple and fun: board and card games, video games and online games
If you are not interested in constant commitment at all, but are only looking for simple ideas so as not to get bored, a pleasant and undemanding occupation that serves to pleasantly pass the time is the game .
Playing alone and in company is the oldest simple pastime, yet it offers many different options, also thanks to the modern online versions of many classic games. Let’s analyze some of them.
Solitaire cards, but also crosswords, sudoku and all puzzle games ; The puzzles are perfect for someone who is home alone, but can be tiring in the long run as they require concentration.
If you just want to relax by playing, better resort to the solution of undemanding online games that really exist for all tastes. You can find them on platforms that allow you to play for free , take advantage of the gaming possibilities offered by Facebook, download apps from Google Play and Apple Store.
You can also earn money by playing: WINR Games , for example, rewards your level progress in its games with cash rewards . You can play, win and earn, playing alone or with friends. Don’t expect large sums, but we have tested some games and verified that the payouts are real.
Some online slot machine games also offer the opportunity to earn real money : among them the famous Book of Ra, one of the legal online gambling games in Italy.
But there are also board games . You can play with the traditional boxes or in the online versions, which become indispensable if you want to play party games but are at home alone.
For many board games , single challenges, races and tournaments are available via the web .
Othello, checkers, chess, backgammon are the most classic and popular but there is a wide range of number games for math enthusiasts , such as Rummy, and word games for those who are well versed in grammar and linguistics, such as scarab / scrabble, games with general knowledge questions, such as Trivial Pursuit.
For video games it is not necessary to say much: adventure or action, role-playing or simulation, sports, strategy, educational and specific for adults , have always been at the center of debates among those who believe they are a good training for the brain and those who consider them uneducational and instigators of aggressive behavior.
The truth is probably somewhere in between, do not make them the only protagonists of your days at home alone or those of your children. We have seen that there are countless alternatives to not get bored.
Those games deserve a separate discussion, such as pantomime to guess famous movie titles, drawing to make your team guess an object or concept , where you really need to be in company to have fun, keep them in mind for gloomy days, with the family locked in the house due to bad weather or “quarantine”.
Finally, if the house is spacious, consider organizing sensory-motor games for the children that also involve them physically, to release energy and tension.
If space is limited, there are building bricks that, perhaps together with dolls or toy cars, can create fun scenarios for representative and identification games.
Spectator or active figure: cinema, music and theater, even in company
To watch movies
This is one of the most obvious things to do when you get bored: watch movies . You can follow the inspiration of the moment or download and save films in advance to be included in a list; to be able to see them even if, for some reason, the WiFi connection is not available.
A pinch of more fun can bring him to see the film in company : let’s admit that watching a good film, perhaps a romantic one, is one of the things to do for two at home.
But the real difference is Netflix Party, the Google Chrome extension with which you can watch videos, movies and TV series with friends and family . You can organize a sort of party by inviting other people to the viewing at the same time and, thanks to the chat in real time, exchange comments and opinions while watching.
Singing with karaoke
It doesn’t matter if you have a beautiful voice or not; put on a base and enjoy singing . Singing has a positive effect on your mood, it will absorb your attention and help you improve your mood. Record yourself singing and listen to yourself to improve yourself . If you are alone in the house you can sing out loud and without inhibitions, take advantage of it. If you are in company, you enjoy your audience or improvise singing competitions. Anyway, if you are in a bad mood: sing that passes you.
Organize small theatrical performances
Excellent solution for not getting bored at home, especially in the company of children . Inventing a simple story, studying the lines to tell it, dressing up to better identify with the part. With a little imagination, playing theater is one of the most fun things to do at home. You can take inspiration from famous fairy tales: “Little Red Riding Hood”, “The Three Little Pigs”, “The Ugly Duckling”, are some of the perfect fairy tales for dramatization.
Making stories for puppet and shadow theater
Same starting point of the theatrical performances and, even in this activity you can involve the little ones, both as authors and as spectators . There are theater kits and puppets ready to buy, but you can also create your own. A lamp, a white cloth and a few figures cut out of cardboard are enough to create a shadow theater. Unleash your creativity and stimulate that of children for your performances.
Social as a pastime: yes, but not passively
In a list of things to do when you get bored, social networks could not be missing. We all use Facebook and Instagram when we’re at home all day and don’t know what to do to pass the time.
But fun is relative and time, rather than using it, we often have the feeling of wasting it. Yet it is possible to take advantage of social media to transform the passive scrolling of posts into something fun and interesting to do at home .
Participating in social networks in an active way means, for example, joining a group on Facebook and posting as well as just watching. Choose a group with whom you share interests (e.g. cinema, gossip, cooking) and attitude (ironic rather than critical), and post funny memes, creative ideas, advice and opinions as well . Share your knowledge, your photos, your thoughts and create new friends and new followers on Instagram and Pinterest.
Not living social media in a passive way also means commenting on blogs: about travel, cooking, poetry … you will be spoiled for choice, just don’t stop at observation but participate and, please, don’t troll!
Meet new people on dating socials and dating apps
Why not? Dating sites are making their way and evolving more and more into something other than looking for partners for an adventure. With the necessary precautions to safeguard your privacy and not fall into sentimental scams , you can sign up for Tinder or similar, or access the appropriate dating section of Facebook to meet new people. Flirting is a great pastime if you woo respectfully; and if a love story does not arise, maybe you will have the opportunity to meet new people.
The list of things to do when you get bored could be endless, we have come this far and we hope to have offered you some incentives to react to apathy and still find a thousand fun things to do to not get bored.
But, in order not to get bored, as well as finding pleasant activities to spend time with, it is very important to give a rhythm to your day . Don’t let yourself be overcome by laziness! Divide the day into phases of various lengths, set goals for each phase and strive to keep them. Do activities regularly.
It could have been a premise but you are reading it at the end: being bored at home, alone and even in company, can be the result of a mental state, of a psychological predisposition . Even with all the suggestions on what to do to escape boredom, it is first of all necessary to get into the right frame of mind , overcome the sense of dissatisfaction that comes from not feeling busy and from perceiving the monotony of one’s actions.
If you have read all the ideas we have proposed and you have not found the solution to your boredom, perhaps it is necessary to change your mindset : start from any of the activities, perhaps at random, and start doing it. It is the first step to react to apathy, the inability to decide and act that generates boredom, the rest will come by itself.
At home alone but with optimism, waiting for partners and friends
Sometimes boredom is just a passing condition , destined to vanish in a few hours because we have already organized something fun for “later”. Maybe we are all day waiting for our partner, children or friends and looking for fun things to do around the house while we wait . Fighting boredom in this case is very easy: it is better not to remain inert but to prepare actively, organizing and planning the pleasant hours that await us.
Cooking treats to impress partners, children and friends
If you’re waiting for them to join you for lunch or dinner, don’t spare your energy and imagination: go wild in the kitchen . A pizza with friends is fun, especially if you knead!
Choose a more complicated recipe on purpose, a laborious dish that requires time and attention, an unusual dish inspired by ethnic cuisine: the meal will become a pastime for you and a pleasant surprise for the guests.
And if you have already prepared the meat sauce and the lasagna with homemade bechamel is in the oven, take the opportunity to clean the house even more thoroughly, to decorate and embellish it.
Cleaning with the aim of admiring the result of fatigue eases the task.
Setting the table carefully and enriching it with candles and centerpieces will take away some of the time when boredom would have prevailed.
If you can’t go into nature, let nature come to you
If you have a garden or a small vegetable garden, it is easy to spend happy hours taking care of plants and flowers ; usually this is an activity that is also appreciated by children, nature has its charm at all ages. Not having such luck, let us remember that it is also pleasant and relaxing to take care of the vases on the balcony.
Is the space in your home really very small? If you like plants and flowers remember that there are miniature trees. Bonsai is a technique that requires dedication, patience and time, that time that you cannot easily pass when you are at home alone.
Planting, fertilizing, pruning, reproducing from seeds or cuttings may make you discover that you have a greener thumb than you thought.
And if you don’t even have a balcony, well even in the smallest of houses there will be a corner next to the window where the light will allow you to grow a collection of aromatic plants .
Train a pet
In addition to plants it can give us pleasure, and help us pass the time, take care of an animal. A dog or a cat is particularly demanding; unless you have a garden for the dog, or the cat is free to come and go with a cat flap. Otherwise we will have to worry about taking our four-legged friends for a walk or provide them with a litter box for their needs.
A caged bird, goldfish, hamster, bunny, turtle, or other reptile are easier to manage. Choose a pet that is right for you and it will become a pleasant occupation, as long as you know how to calculate the time you can and want to dedicate to it and choose your animal friend based on this.
Dogs, cats, some birds, can be trained : seeing is believing! but get advice in buying from specialists in the sector and explain that you need not only company but also a pastime. Manuals, video tutorials and lots of love will show you how to create a beautiful relationship with your pet and teach him to follow your orders.
Increase your culture, even with apps and the possibilities offered online
One of the things to do when you get bored that can bring long-term satisfaction and results is: learn! You never stop learning , so why not do it consciously by taking advantage of your free time in which, perhaps because you are alone at home, you are bored?
The possibilities of expanding your culture are endless : you can read books (paper and ebooks), you can sign up for online courses, download educational applications, attend conferences and seminars on the web in live-streaming and register, attend virtual classes or attend lectures . any type through Skype and the countless other communication tools that allow chat and videochat.
As for free or cheap online training courses, believe me, you are spoiled for choice. Here are some tips on what you can learn and what you can do, in general, to increase your knowledge.
Studying a foreign language
There are a number of low-cost applications that you can subscribe to to learn a new language – Babbel and Duolingo being the most popular. Then there are the mother tongue teachers who hold online lessons, individual and group, and numerous sites, including free ones, from which you can download grammar cards and on which you can perform level and progress control exercises, often with immediate assessments and grades.
Playing a musical instrument
The expense that you will have to bear will be only the initial one to buy the instrument you want to learn to play. Then, in addition to the classic paper manuals, you can use the video tutorials on YouTube, the theoretical courses that you find on the web (free or with a minimum contribution), the countless scores for the various instruments that can be downloaded online . All from the comfort of your home.
Attend concerts, theater and opera performances
Known platforms broadcast live streaming and make available in podcasts many theatrical events and concerts of international importance . To start, search RayPlay and RayPlay Radio, the service is free.
Getting to know a new musical genre
If you are on average passionate about music and do not know what to do all day at home, you can decide to broaden your musical horizons: make the effort to learn about new genres . Start from what you like and see where it has its roots: the blues developed from the songs of African American slaves, pop music is a derivation of rock and roll.
Visit virtual museums
The great museums have virtually opened their doors to a huge audience, thanks to technology . From the virtual visit to the Vatican Museums to the exploration of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, thanks to the 360 ​​° panoramic photography technique, you can go around the galleries of the world sitting on the sofa at home.
Listen to an audiobook, but also lend your voice to record one
Reading is one of the best ways to overcome boredom. If print and e-books tire you but you want to know the great classics or the masterpieces of modern literature, you just have to search among the books to listen to available online.
In the Rai Radio 3 program “Ad alta voce”, you can listen to your favorite book by choosing from a long list of novels and classics of Italian and foreign literature. Interesting lists of books to listen to are also featured on YouTube.
Again, you can move from a passive user to a creative and productive role: there are platforms that require people willing to read aloud to make new audiobooks. Do you have a beautiful voice and do you like to read? You can record an audiobook: To become a narrator you can start with Amazon’s Audiobook Creation Exchange.