What’s your first instinct when it comes to killing the boredom away? You simply pick up your phone and tap that Instagram, or Tik-Tok button and bam…. “Where did the last hour go?” True story, right? It happens to many of us.

When Bored, Do these Productive Things

Firstly, you have to recognize when you’re bored. For some, it could look like you’re getting antsy. For others, it’s a much needed distraction from a painfully boring task. Instead of wasting time, you can actually do something productive or creative when you get bored. And no, doing something productive at home doesn’t necessarily mean doing something very serious or hard to pull-off. There are tons of simple, super fun, productive things to do when bored. Here’s our list of 30 productive things to do when bored, both at home and at your workplace:

1) Organize Your Space

Now, it has been scientifically proven that your physical environment significantly influences your cognition, behavioral patterns, and emotional states. In fact, if you keep working in a cluttered space, there’s a high chance of developing anxiety-related issues as well as health issues. So, if you feel bored, just start tidying up your desk, eliminate everything that’s occupying the space unnecessarily, and arrange things in a fun, creative manner.

2) Update Mobile Apps & Software

If you are someone who never clicks on the ‘download and install updates without asking my permission’ button, utilize this time to manually update everything on your phone and laptop. Go through all the available app updates and software update notifications and educate yourself as to what exactly is being offered. This is one of the best productive things to do when bored at home.

3) Familiarize Yourself with Current Affairs

Use your free time to explore and learn more about current affairs. Yes, the news is depressing! But we can’t live in ignorance either. So, it’s wise to use this time to explore what’s happening around you, in your city, state, country, or in the world. If that’s too blah for you, try keeping an eye on the news and stats related to your fields of interest.

4) Learn a New Language

With the help of amazing apps like Duolingo and LingoDeer, you can actually learn a new language from the comfort of your home (or work desk). These apps work like online games with multiple levels and achievements to be unlocked so it’s easy to get hooked. Who knows a job in Paris could be waiting for you! So, make the most of your time when bored at home.

5) Watch Inspirational Ted Talks

Learn powerful life lessons from not just anybody, but the best, for free, in an inspirational manner, and in less than 18 minutes! This is probably the most productive thing to do when bored at work. So many CEOs and directors love spending time watching Ted Talks, and learning cool new things that help them make the most productive decisions for their own businesses.

6) Read a Book

You might say, what’s fun about that? But the trick here is - try something new, a new genre, a new style of writing, and a completely new way of thinking altogether. This can help you think in a more creative manner by giving you a fresh new perspective about things at work as well as in your personal life. Any free time you have- explore this productive thing when bored at school and learn new things. Check out the best productivity books to read.

7) Learn Something New

You don’t have to pursue this by going for full-fledged guitar lessons or by learning how to create modern art (though if you can, why not!). You can start with something very basic and simple like how to make a DIY lamp for your work desk or how to make a sandwich with leftover chicken.

8) Discover New Music

Instead of playing those 5 tracks on repeat, why not discover something new and refreshing? After all, the stats say that more than one thousand songs are added every hour to Spotify, Dezzer, Apple Music, and other popular platforms. Yes, that’s right, every hour! So, there’s a very big ocean of new music out there for you to try. So, jump in and start having some fun!

9) Make New Playlists

Now that you’ve discovered an exciting, whole new world of music, why not spend some time organizing it? So, next time when the question arises, “what to do when bored at work”, simply start making new playlists with your current favorite tracks. You can create playlists for your traveling hours, for the workout, for the time you spend with friends or even playlists that’ll help you sleep better or be more focused on your work.

10) Play Brain Training Games

Instead of wasting time playing violent action games or dumb simulation games, play brain-training games to improve your productivity levels. Scientific studies now show that these games can significantly enhance cognitive and memory functions. Brain training games are very interesting and there are so many of them to choose from. You can play a new one every week if you want.

11) Start a Vlog

If you are someone who is comfortable being in front of the camera, why not try Vlogging? Just pick something you are really passionate about and start speaking about it. Invest some time in learning skills like video editing, lighting, and basic cinematography. At least try making one and if you feel it’s good enough, put it online. Who knows you can be the next YouTube sensation! And if nothing else, this exercise will definitely make you feel more confident.

12) Learn Keyboard Shortcuts

If keyboard shortcuts are at your fingertips, your work efficiency tends to increase. One study shows that if you know enough shortcuts, you save approx 64 hours per year! So, if your work involves writing emails, blogs, or product descriptions, or you have to make presentations frequently, you know what to do, next time you start feeling bored at work.

13) Take a Nap

Sleeping at work is such a taboo! But now we know that taking a quick nap of about 15-20 minutes can actually boost your productivity levels. So, if you are getting bored, why not sleep off for a few minutes and wake up refreshed? Obviously, some people might give you a look or two but if you work from home, you can definitely try this and see the difference. This power nap will also help you stay active for a longer period without any coffee boost.

14) Do Simple Stretching Exercises

What’s more productive than doing something to make sure your joints are healthy and flexible? You’ll find numerous articles enlisting the benefits of stretching exercises, even on the websites of prestigious institutes like Harvard Health Education and the University of California. And you don’t have to become a full-time yogi in order to do this, even 5 minutes of simple stretching exercises can bear good results!

15) Go for a Walk

Walking is another great alternative if you want to do something productive to improve your health. Studies show that walking for about 20-30 minutes daily can boost your health tremendously. It reduces the risk of developing breast cancer, fights against weight-promoting genes, and boosts your immune system as well.

16) Meditate

The masters always say - “you can’t do meditation but you can try to become meditative.” What this means is that if you learn how to keep your mind, body, emotions, and your very life energies in a state of ease, you will naturally become meditative. And there are so many ways to achieve this. So, if you are looking for productive things to do when bored, and you feel that you have an inclination towards something like this, try exploring the amazing world of meditation.

17) Create an Itinerary for an Upcoming Vacation

The vacation doesn’t necessarily need to be real! It could be your dream vacation. Ask yourself, “what is that one place I absolutely want to visit before I die?” Explore this destination on the internet and make an itinerary of all the things you’ll do there, all the places you’ll visit, and the food you’ll try. You’ll realize within a few minutes of doing this exercise, all your boredom will simply vanish!

18) Make a List of All the Not-To-Do Things

Making a list of all the ‘not-to-do’ things is the real game-changer. In this list, include all those activities you keep doing out of habit that does not add anything of value to your personal or professional life. Invest some time doing a self-analysis or a self-audit and you’ll see that there are so many things you could eliminate or do differently in order to become more productive.

19) Self Grooming

Yes, this is the age of ‘my body, my rules’ and ‘self-love is self-acceptance’, but research clearly indicates that those who invest time grooming themselves to look presentable and sound more professional, usually have to do a lot less legwork. Plus, when you feel great about yourself, you automatically work in a more confident and productive manner. So, take an online class and learn some styling tips, makeup tricks, or learn how to communicate more effectively. These things are definitely going to help in your career in the long run.

20) Learn Trick Photography

In today’s day and age when social media rules the world and online marketing is the key to your success whether you are an individual or an organization, learning a few photography tricks can really make a huge difference. Do not underestimate the potentiality of your mobile phone’s camera. With just a few tips and tricks, you can click poster-worthy shots on your phone that can be posted on your social media accounts for better visibility and effective marketing.

21) Create a Vision Board

Also known as a dream board, a vision board is a collection or a collage of images, words, and affirmations of your short-time as well as long-term goals. This could become your own personal motivator that boosts your confidence levels and inspires you to do your best every single day. You could paste images of how your dream house would look, what car you’d want to drive around in, or what kind of change you’d want to see in the world because of your work.

22) Learn Basic Sign Language

Knowledge of sign language is a fantastic skill to possess. If you start learning sign language, you will be able to communicate with people with hearing difficulties, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg! It will also improve your peripheral vision and reaction time, your body language improves as well, and it helps you become a better listener.

23) Learn How to Read Other People’s Body Language

Now, this one skill can change the game completely! It will help you understand the real intentions and motivations of those around you. Whether you are in a professional sphere or personal, being able to read other people’s body language helps you communicate in a more effective manner. If you are getting bored, find a YouTube video that teaches you this skill or you can order a book and learn from it.

24) Perform an Act of Kindness

Oh, this one is our favorite! Performing an act of kindness for a complete stranger or even for a loved one, instantly brightens up your mood and makes you feel awesome! Even the most mundane of things like giving someone a simple compliment like, “you look great today!” can make them feel wonderful for the rest of the day. But you can actually do so much more than that.

25) Connect with Your Loved Ones

Next time you feel bored at work, call, text, or email someone who’s close to you. This will remind you of all those wonderful moments you’ve spent together and that’s a pro trick to boost your mood instantly and to make yourself feel re-energized with positivity and love. Also, do it, because this will make them feel great as well.

26) Explore your passion

One of the other productive things to do when bored at home is to explore your passion. Whether you like to dance or paint, cook or bake- follow your passion and learn new things. If you haven’t been able to explore your passion due to a busy schedule, it is time to start and explore new things.

27) Journaling

Writing is one of the most productive things to do when bored at work. You may jot down important points of work, or essential steps to improve your work. Journaling is a very powerful tool that can help you reduce stress and also maintain a healthy morning routine.

28) Develop DIY apps

One of the most productive things to do when bored as a teenager is to learn app-making. We live in an era of entrepreneurship where DIY has become the new norm. Hence, it is important to learn to develop DIY apps and spend your time doing productive things.

29) Read mythology

When you are sitting idle at home, why not spend some productive time increasing your mythological knowledge? Read some books on your religion and mythology and increase your knowledge on these topics. And bonus: they might be more entertaining and enlightening than you’d think.

30) Spread motivation

One of the most productive things to do when bored is to spread motivation. More than reading about motivation, it is important to spread motivation among your peers. Whether it is by sharing a motivational video or an appreciation note- it is important to spread motivation and encourage positivity among everyone.