Honestly, the worst part of being stuck inside isn't the lack of options. It’s the decision paralysis. You stare at the ceiling, scroll through the same three apps, and suddenly two hours have vanished into a void of nothingness. We've all been there. You want to be productive, but you also kind of want to just rot on the couch. Finding things to do when your bored at home shouldn't feel like a second job, yet here we are, Googling for inspiration because our brains have turned into lukewarm mush.
Most advice you find online is generic trash. "Drink water." "Clean your room." Thanks, Captain Obvious. If I wanted to scrub a toilet, I’d be doing it, not looking for ways to escape the crushing weight of a Saturday afternoon with zero plans. Real boredom is actually a biological signal. Dr. Sandi Mann, a senior psychology lecturer at the University of Central Lancashire and author of The Upside of Downtime, argues that boredom is a search for neural stimulation that isn't being met. If you don't feed that search with something meaningful—or at least something engaging—you end up in a "boredom loop."
Let's break out of that.
The Digital Rabbit Hole (That Isn't Doomscrolling)
We usually think of our phones as the enemy of boredom, but they’re actually just a tool used poorly. Instead of watching TikToks of people making iced coffee, use the tech to actually build a skill. Have you ever tried to learn a "party trick" language? Not fluency—that takes years—but just enough to order a beer and insult someone’s shoes in Hungarian. Apps like Duolingo are fine, but for real weirdness, check out the CIA World Factbook. It’s a free, massive repository of every country's secrets, demographics, and weird geopolitical quirks. It’s fascinating.
If you’re feeling more visual, go to Google Earth and use the "I’m Feeling Lucky" feature. It teleports you to a random coordinate on the globe. One minute you’re in a suburb in Ohio, the next you’re looking at a remote goat path in the Andes. It’s travel for the broke and lazy.
Then there’s the "Wiki-Game." Start on a page like "Cheese" and try to get to "The Great Schism of 1054" in five clicks or less using only internal blue links. It’s harder than it sounds. It requires actual lateral thinking.
Gaming for the Non-Gamer
Gaming isn't just for teenagers in dark basements anymore. If you have a laptop, you have a gateway to some of the most emotionally devastating or incredibly relaxing experiences imaginable.
- Stardew Valley: It’s basically digital crack. You inherit a farm. You grow parsnips. You talk to a local drunk. It sounds boring, but suddenly it’s 4:00 AM.
- Geoguessr: This is the ultimate "I’m bored" game. It drops you on a random street in Google Street View and you have to guess where you are in the world based on the soil color, the shape of the license plates, or the language on a stop sign. It makes you feel like a high-stakes detective.
Productive Procrastination: The "Future You" Method
Sometimes the best things to do when your bored at home involve doing stuff you’ve been putting off, but in a way that feels like a game.
Ever looked at your subscription list lately? Like, really looked? Most of us are bleeding $5 to $15 a month on apps we haven't touched since 2022. Take ten minutes. Go through your bank statement. Cancel the gym membership you don't use, the streaming service that only has one show you liked, and that weird "pro" version of a photo editor. It’s basically finding free money.
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The "One Drawer" Rule
Don't try to clean your whole house. That’s depressing. Just pick one drawer. The "junk drawer" is the classic choice. Empty the whole thing onto the floor. Throw away the dead batteries, the soy sauce packets from 2019, and the mysterious keys that don't fit any lock in your house.
Wipe it down. Put back only what matters.
The hit of dopamine you get from seeing one organized square foot of your life is surprisingly intense. It’s a small win, but when you’re bored, small wins are everything.
Getting Weird in the Kitchen
Food is the ultimate boredom killer because it ends with a snack. But don't just make a sandwich. Make something that takes an absurd amount of time for no reason.
- Quick-Pickling: If you have vinegar, sugar, salt, and a vegetable, you’re a chemist. Slice up some red onions or cucumbers. Boil the brine. Pour it over. In an hour, you have a condiment that makes you look like a gourmet chef.
- The "Chopped" Challenge: Open your pantry. Pick three random ingredients—like peanut butter, canned tuna, and a box of crackers—and try to make something edible. Usually, it's gross. Sometimes, it’s a revelation.
- Bread: If you have flour and yeast, you can make focaccia. It’s mostly just poking holes in dough with your fingers, which is incredibly cathartic.
Physicality Without the Gym
Your body is probably stiff from sitting in that one specific spot on the couch. You don't need a CrossFit membership to move.
Try a "Micro-Workout." Do ten pushups every time you hear a specific word in a YouTube video or every time you lose a round in a game. Or, if you’re feeling more "zen," try Yin Yoga. Unlike regular yoga, you just hold one stretch for like five minutes. It’s basically professional napping while slightly uncomfortable. It resets your nervous system.
According to a study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, even short bursts of movement can significantly improve mood and cognitive function. It literally clears the "boredom fog."
Reconnecting with Your Brain
When was the last time you read a long-form article? Not a listicle, but a real, 5,000-word piece of investigative journalism? Sites like Longform or The Atavist curate the best non-fiction stories on the internet.
Or, go old school. Write a letter.
A physical letter.
On paper.
To your grandma, or your friend who moved to Seattle, or even to yourself ten years from now. There is something tactile and permanent about ink on paper that a text message can't touch. Plus, getting a letter in the mail is the highlight of anyone's week. You’re basically donating happiness.
Curate a "Vibe"
Spend an hour making a playlist that isn't just "Top Hits." Make a playlist for a very specific, hypothetical scenario. "Driving through a desert at 2 AM while escaping a heist" or "Sitting in a French cafe in 1964 while it rains." Music discovery services like Every Noise at Once can help you find genres you didn't know existed, like "Skate Punk" or "Deep Italo Disco."
The Art of Doing Absolutely Nothing
Here is a radical thought: maybe you’re not bored. Maybe you’re just overstimulated and your brain is trying to reboot.
In many cultures, there’s a concept for this. The Dutch call it niksen. It literally means doing nothing. Not scrolling, not watching TV, not "meditating" with an app—just sitting. Staring out a window. Letting your mind wander wherever it wants to go.
Manfred Kets de Vries, a professor at INSEAD, suggests that "doing nothing" is actually essential for creativity. When we stop forcing our brains to process external data, our "default mode network" kicks in. This is where original ideas come from. If you’re bored, you’re on the doorstep of a breakthrough. Don't run away from it by opening Instagram. Lean into the nothingness for twenty minutes. See what happens.
Practical Next Steps to Kill the Boredom
If you’re still sitting there wondering which of these things to do when your bored at home to actually start with, follow this simple hierarchy:
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- If you have high energy: Do the "One Drawer" clean or a 10-minute micro-workout. Get the blood moving.
- If you have low energy: Try the Google Earth "I'm Feeling Lucky" trick or start a "Wiki-Game" rabbit hole.
- If you’re feeling creative: Go to the kitchen and pickle something or start a specific-scenario playlist.
- If you’re truly exhausted: Practice niksen. Sit for 15 minutes with no screens.
Boredom is only a monster if you let it sit there and grow. The second you pick a direction—any direction—it disappears. You don't need a grand plan. You just need to move your hands or your mind in a way that isn't a repetitive loop. Pick one thing from this list, put your phone face down, and actually do it for fifteen minutes. You’ll find that the "boredom" wasn't about having nothing to do, but about forgetting how to start.