Graphic by Sigmund
As a child, I was often plagued by boredom on the weekends due to the lack of Internet at my dad’s apartment. Before I went over to his place on Fridays, I would Google “100 things to do when bored for kids” and print it out. These lists included innovative 2010 activities such as “play ding-dong ditch” and “freeze a fly and tie a string around it so that you can have a pet fly.” I am now 20 and these activities are not quite what I consider a fun time. With an average screen time of eight hours a day, I’m in the market for some productive ideas for things that don’t involve TikTok or Twitter. These days, when I Google “100 things to do when bored for adults,” results such as “clean your room” and “take a nap” come up. Don’t get me wrong, these are lovely ideas. They’re just not what I’m looking for. I want to do something that will make me feel like I’m the main character in a coming-of-age movie. So, I have come up with 25 quirky things to do when you’re bored and want to feel like you’re actually living your life. These can be done when you’re alone in your room, when you’re out with friends or when you want to feel productive without actually being productive.
- Think ahead and make cards for special occasions! This way you can have handmade cards for birthdays, holidays and new babies instead of buying one from the dollar store an hour before you see the card recipient.
- Have a themed photoshoot! Get dressed up and stand your phone on your dresser. Themes could be disco, the Black Plague or 2000’s celebrities. The world is your oyster.
- Write and film a short film that is starring you! It is also produced by you. And written by you. And filmed by you. In fact, you never left your room or contacted anyone throughout the entire process. Think Bo Burnham’s “Inside.”
- Plan your own funeral! Yes, a bit morbid, but at least you’re planning ahead. This way no one can mess up the vibes of your final celebration. You could plan it at a local planetarium with a smoke sesh afterward. It’s all about you.
- Come up with an extremely realistic bucket list! Hopefully, you can complete it pretty soon and feel like you’ve lived your life to the fullest extent. Either way, it’s good to have goals.
- Call random numbers and make friends! It’s like prank calling except you’re going to ask some extremely personal questions. Skip the small talk and ask questions like “what medications are you on?” and “what is your relationship with your parents?”
- Go somewhere with a fake identity! We all know that “lying is the most fun a girl can have without taking her clothes off.” Create a fully fleshed-out character with a backstory and a unique sense of style. Maybe you can go to a restaurant as Robin, a person who exclusively wears red and has been married three times.
- Throw a party for yourself! You can throw the party you’ve always wanted, but never had because other people were involved and that’s too much pressure. Buy a cake! Put on the flashing lights! Dance alone to some ABBA! This is your party.
- Draw pictures of all of your friends to send to them! We all love a good portrait, so why not give the honor to all of your close friends? They’ll probably keep it forever.
- Create a miniature city with supplies you have in your house! I’m talking cereal box buildings and origami animal zoos. If you want to get really into it, create a map and history.
- Make a music video for your favorite song! Make it a real production and act your heart out. You can convey what your favorite song really means to you. Take it back to 2010 when you were making VMA-winning music videos on Video Star.
- Come up with your own game! It can be a drinking game or a card game or a charades-inspired situation. You can grapple with your control issues by creating something where you make all the rules.
- Teach yourself some party tricks! Imagine the next time you hang out with some people and the conversation dies. Now imagine you break out some sick shadow puppet skills. Party tricks are easy to learn and there are so many YouTube videos out there to turn you into the life of the party.
- Throw a themed fashion show! Dress up in all your best monochromatic outfits! Or maybe you have a bunch of Victorian ball gowns you’ve been meaning to wear. I know we all had outfit ideas for the 2018 Met Gala that we were never able to live out. So, this is your personal Met Gala and you are going to be best dressed.
- Write letters to strangers to leave in public! Write some letters that bare your soul or share your opinions and leave them in your favorite book at the bookstore or under your favorite ice cream at the store.
- Write an essay about something you’re passionate about! If you’re like me, you have all opinions and no facts. This could be a great time to learn everything about your favorite 2003 TV show or the lost art of calligraphy. It doesn’t have to end up being an actual essay, it could be a presentation or a video essay or a zine.
- Vlog your day! Anyone can do this. Even if you don’t do anything all day, the right amount of editing can romanticize your life enough to where even you’re jealous.
- Create a zine of all your favorite things! Log all of your favorite albums, movies, Instagram artists, comics books, hobbies, etc. This way, you’ll have a handy guide for whenever someone asks you to tell them about yourself.
- Write and illustrate a children’s book! Most children’s books are pretty simple and short, so you can do whatever you want. If you’re edgy, you can make one of those parody children’s books with curse words.
- Fill a themed photo book! Buy a blank photobook at a thrift store and fill it with some select pictures. You can portray a chronological journey through your life or lay out all of the pictures you have of celebrities, either works.
- Revisit all of your favorite childhood activities! Turn on the cable TV cartoons and break out the finger paints. Let your inner child roam free for a bit.
- Go to the airport and pretend like you’re going somewhere! Dress up and bring a suitcase and act like you’re going to confront your husband who’s away on his business trip and not answering his phone. This is also a great opportunity to watch people and planes and wonder where they’re going.
- Watch the stars and the sunset on the same day! Face it, you’re going to be up that late anyway. Go out super late at night and watch the stars until the sun rises a couple of hours later.
- See what events your town offers! Think about all of the fun stuff you’ve been missing out on, like a local band playing at a cool restaurant or bingo at the local church or sewing lessons at your old high school.
- Open your third eye! Meditate and focus so you can deepen your spiritual connections. Why not try for a spiritual awakening?