When we asked our Instagram community what they actually do when boredom hits, we were braced for the usual: clean something, reorganize your closet, go for a walk. And yes, some people said that. But we also got: watercolor painting in a parking garage, a solo “blind bookstore date” where you only buy books with covered spines, shaving cream marbling art that took over an entire kitchen table, and one extremely committed person who started learning Farsi at 11pm on a Tuesday.
The point is: boredom is underrated creative pressure. The ideas in this list came from our editors, our contributors, and nearly a thousand of you — and they’re considerably more interesting than anything an algorithm would serve up unprompted.
Our Methodology – How We’ve Crafted Our List of Boredom-Banishing Ideas
This list is a living document. We’ve been collecting submissions from the GWS community for years — editors, readers, wedding vendors, photographers, couples in the thick of planning who needed a break from seating charts — and we refresh it every few months with what’s actually landing. If an idea made the cut, someone in our orbit loved it enough to tell us about it. That’s the bar.
Our Complete List of What To Do When You’re Bored, In Any Situation
You never know when boredom is going to strike. And if you ask us, not all feelings of boredom are created equal. Maybe you’re bored of scrolling through social media and want to do something active outdoors. Or perhaps you’re looking for a new hobby to do when you’re feeling bored at home.
No matter what is causing your boredom, we’ve rounded up 130 creative things to do when you’re bored in any situation. And to help you banish your boredom fast, we’ve broken these ideas down into different categories, from outdoorsy ideas to artsy projects. So say goodbye to being bored, and hello to your new favorite hobbies!
Things to Do When You’re Bored at Home
It’s happened to the best of us. You’re stuck at home, bored out of your mind, and you’ve officially watched everything good on Netflix. Now what? To kick off this list of 100+ things to do when you’re bored, we’re sharing the creative ideas we turn to on lazy Sundays and quiet weeknights.
So put down your phone, turn off the TV, and entertain yourself with these ~actually~ fun things to do when you’re bored at home.
1. Make a wall collage in your home: This is a top pick for tons of GWS readers! Check out these rad collage kits on Etsy for a unique way to decorate your home office or bedroom walls.
2. Create a playlist: Because who hasn’t imagined the soundtrack to their life?
3. Start a journal: Document your thoughts, dreams, and daily musings. Being bored is a great excuse to buy a new notebook!
4. Write a short story: Another fun way to fill the pages of your favorite journal.
5. Try a new recipe: Challenge yourself to recreate a dish from your favorite restaurant — or attempt the viral TikTok recipe you’ve had saved for months.
Bored of your usual grocery list? Mix things up with our list of the best Trader Joe’s items, according to our editors. Perfect for trying a new recipe when you’re bored at home.
6. Experiment with makeup: Colorful mascara? Blue eyeshadow? Clean girl makeup? The options are endless!
7. Learn a new language: Download a language app and finally learn French.
8. Have a movie marathon: Pick a genre or series, grab your favorite snack food, and settle in for hours of entertainment.
9. Write a letter to a friend: Go old school and send a handwritten note or postcard to a friend.
10. Make DIY home decor: Paint some trendy wall art, create a macrame plant hanger, or build a floating bookshelf. Pinterest has great inspo for when you’re feeling bored!
11. Redecorate a room: Not super crafty? Rearranging your furniture and decor is an easy way to make a bored room feel brand new — no DIY skills necessary. Peep our aesthetic bedroom inspo round-up for ideas.
12. Plant an indoor garden: Turn your kitchen counter into a flourishing herb garden!
13. Read a book: It’s time to tackle your TBR pile.
14. Take an online course: MasterClass has amazing online courses taught by true experts. Where else can you learn cooking from Gordon Ramsey or photography from Annie Leibovitz?!
15. Learn choreography to your favorite song: It’s a fun exercise and a great party trick!
16. Create a new cocktail or mocktail: Experiment with unique flavors, like a tomato martini or a cherry margarita.
17. Host a game night: Invite your friends over for a little friendly competition. You can also do this virtually!
18. Learn tarot: Tap into your third eye with a modern tarot deck. We love the style of this pink one!
Things to Do with Friends When Bored
The difference between a forgettable afternoon and a night you text about for a week is usually a little structure and a slightly weird idea. These 15 are both.
19. Host a blind tasting — wine, coffee, or hot sauce Three unlabeled bottles, a scoring sheet you made up, very strong opinions. The setup takes ten minutes. The argument about whether that Côtes du Rhône is actually better than the $12 bottle takes considerably longer.
20. Do a bookstore date where you buy for each other Each person picks one book for the other — no consultation, no showing covers until you’re both at the register. The constraint is the whole point. You’ll learn more about how your friend sees you than you planned to.
21. Run a “yes, and” improv night Print out the basic rules of improv (yes-and, don’t negate, make your partner look good), pick a scenario, and commit. You will feel ridiculous. That’s the point. Works better with a glass of wine and worse with more than four people.
22. Cook a cuisine neither of you has ever made Not just a recipe — a full meal. Persian, Georgian, Oaxacan, whatever feels most unfamiliar. Split the grocery run, put on a playlist from that country, and figure it out together. The chaos is the memory.
23. Make a friendship time capsule Each person writes answers to the same five questions — where you are right now, what you’re hoping for, what’s worrying you, what song is permanently in your head, what you want to be true in five years — and seals them in an envelope. Pick a date to open it. Put it somewhere neither of you will lose it.
24. Do a neighborhood photowalk with disposable cameras Same location, same hour, totally different photos. Get them developed at the same time and compare. The gap between what each of you noticed is the interesting part.
25. Start a “rate our takeout” project You’ve been ordering from the same five places for years. Tonight you make it official: score each dish on a shared notes doc, build the tier list, and actually commit to trying somewhere new next time. Low stakes, deeply satisfying.
26. Write each other a letter from the future Set a timer for 20 minutes. Each person writes a letter to the other, dated ten years from now, describing what you’re both doing and what you remember about this chapter of your lives. Don’t overthink it. Exchange and read out loud.
27. Take a fitness class neither of you has tried Aerial yoga, bouldering, paddleboard yoga, a boxing gym, a dance cardio class you’d normally scroll past. The shared awkwardness of being a beginner at the same thing at the same time is an instant bonding mechanism.
28. Host a beauty experiment night Pull up a tutorial you’ve both been intimidated by — a graphic liner look, a specific nail technique (aura nails or chrome nails perhaps!), a skincare layering routine you’ve never attempted — and try it simultaneously with commentary. The outcomes are beside the point.
29. Play “answer honestly” with a good card game We’re Not Really Strangers is the obvious choice for a reason. It goes places the usual dinner-party conversation doesn’t.
30. Do a “phone photo swap” Each person hands their phone to the other and lets them scroll back three months. Each person picks five photos — candids, scenery, anything — to get printed. No vetoing. A small photo order later, you both have pictures of your own life that you didn’t take.
31. Create a playlist together, one song at a time Alternate adding songs. Every song has to connect to the one before it in some way — same artist, same feeling, same BPM, thematic rhyme — but you have to explain the connection. You’ll end up somewhere neither of you expected.
32. Cook a bachelorette or “just because” charcuterie board and judge it Buy more ingredients than you need, build the board with absolutely no plan, and score it out loud as you go. Use it as an excuse to try the fancy cheese you always walk past.
33. Plan a trip you’re not sure you’ll take Pick somewhere one of you has always mentioned and actually plan it — flights, two or three hotels, one dinner reservation that would require a special occasion. You might not go. You also might. Either way, the planning is half the fun.
Things to Do as a Couple When Bored
These aren’t date nights so much as slow, intentional hours together. The kind you remember.
34. Build a relationship playlist, one song per year Start from the year you met. One song per year that meant something — a first road trip, an apartment, a hard patch you got through. By the time you’re current, you have a document of your relationship that you can actually listen to.
35. Start a neighborhood coffee crawl One new spot per Saturday. Score each one — coffee, vibe, seating, would-we-come-back. Keep a running list. By the time you’ve hit ten places, you know your neighborhood differently than you did before.
36. Take a class in something neither of you knows Pottery, glassblowing, sourdough, a language, bookbinding. The shared beginner state is the thing. You’re both equally lost, equally proud when something works.
37. Cook through a country for a month Pick one cuisine and spend a month cooking only from it. Georgian, Peruvian, Moroccan, Vietnamese. A cookbook to anchor it helps, but part of the fun is figuring out where to source the ingredients. By the end of the month you’ll have three dishes that are actually yours.
38. Have a “home awards” night Make up the categories: best meal you cooked this year, best thing you watched, best decision you made, most surprising moment, funniest fight you’ve recovered from. Write your nominations on paper, read them out loud, argue. It turns out to be a better year-in-review than you’d expect.
39. Plan a trip you’re not sure you’ll actually take Full itinerary. Flights. Accommodation. The restaurant where you’d want to celebrate if something great happened on that trip. You might not go. The planning is its own kind of dreaming together.
40. Do a print-your-favorites project and actually frame them Pick 20 photos from the last two years — not the polished ones, the actual ones — order prints, and figure out where they’re going. This sounds simple. It will take longer than you think and you will love the outcome.
41. Have a “blind date” night One person plans the whole evening — dinner, activity, whatever — and tells the other only what to wear and when to be ready. No hints. Switch roles next time. It requires more thought than a regular date night, and that thought is what makes it feel different.
42. Make something together with your hands Candle-making kit, embroidery, a small woodworking project, a batch of pasta from scratch. The goal isn’t the object — it’s two hours where you’re both looking at the same thing and talking through what you’re doing.
43. Read the same book at the same time Not a book club — just one book, two copies (or one between you), no deadline. Check in with each other as you go. Underline things. Share the page that made you stop. This is a slower pleasure than it sounds.
44. Write each other a “state of us” letter What do you love about what we’ve built? What are you hoping for? What would you like more of? Seal the letters, exchange them at dinner, read them alone. A ritual you can repeat every year.
45. Recreate your first date — or your version of it Same neighborhood, same kind of restaurant, same energy. You can’t recreate the nerves, but you can notice how much easier it is now and appreciate that.
46. Start a “things we’ve never talked about” conversation Take turns: what’s something you’ve always wanted to tell me but didn’t have a reason to bring up? What’s something you’ve wondered about me but never asked? No stakes, just curiosity.
47. Watch a film series together — director, decade, or country Pick a through-line: all of Agnès Varda, Italian films from the 1970s, every film Cate Blanchett won an award for. Work through it over a few months. Context compounds.
48. Map your future neighborhood Wherever you are now or wherever you’re thinking about going: spend an evening on Google Maps zooming in, bookmarking coffee shops, reading about the block history, arguing about which street you’d want to live on. It’s part dreaming, part planning, entirely absorbing.
Active And Outdoorsy Things To Do When You’re Bored
Sometimes the best thing to do when you’re feeling bored is to get a little fresh air. Leave the house. Touch grass. And that’s where these outdoorsy activities come in! Even if you’re not a super outdoorsy person, these creative ideas are great when you’re feeling bored with your usual hobbies and activities.
So make the most out of the daylight with these active things to do when you’re bored….your body AND your mind will thank you!
49. Go for a hike: Find a local trail. Turn your phone on “Do Not Disturb.” Enjoy.
50. Take a bike ride: There’s no better way to romanticize your life than with a scenic bike ride through your neighborhood or a nearby park. You are the main character!
51. Go for a run: Instant serotonin boost.
52. Have a picnic: Pack a cute picnic blanket and your favorite snacks, and enjoy a meal outside. Don’t forget to take pics!
53. Go paddleboarding or kayaking: It’s impossible to be bored when you’re on the water.
54. Go horseback riding: Ready to enter your cowgirl era?
55. Practice yoga or meditation: Perfect your vinyasa with an online class — bonus points if you take your practice outdoors!
56. Try rollerblading: Embrace the nostalgia with a pair of roller skates and your brightest outfit.
57. Take a photography walk: Wander around your neighborhood or local park with a camera (or your smartphone). Look for the beauty in the small things.
58. Play mini golf: Grab a friend and throw it back your childhood summers with a game of mini golf!
59. Go camping: Set up a tent and enjoy a night under the stars. You can even do this in your backyard (or living room) if you’re bored on a weeknight. Just don’t forget the s’mores!
60. Try plein air painting: Grab a canvas and an easel, and channel your inner Van Gogh.
61. Learn to cartwheel: Or handstand. Or somersault. Either way, it’ll make you feel like a kid again!
62. Play pickleball: If it seems like everyone is playing pickleball these days, it’s because they are.
63. Go rock climbing: Find a local climbing gym and challenge yourself to get to the top.
64. Go bird watching: Don’t knock it until you try it! All you need are a pair of binoculars, a local park, and a keen eye.
65. Have a beach day: If you’re near the coast, spend a day soaking up the sun and sand.
66. Try disc golf: This unique outdoor activity is tons of fun when you’re bored, and you don’t need any experience!
Ways to Unwind – Self-Care-Centric Ideas
You’ve had an exhausting week, and you just want to unwind with a relaxing activity. Do you know what’s not the answer? Doomscrolling for hours. Do you know what is the answer? One of these creative self-care ideas to do when you’re bored!
While ALL of our things to do when you’re bored are great for de-stressing, these ideas are especially soothing. They’ll leave you rested, relaxed, and definitely not bored. Go ahead, you deserve it!
67. Take a bubble bath: Pop in a bath bomb, light some candles with dreamy scents, and take some time to truly relax.
68. Do a face mask: Pamper your skin with a soothing face mask — you can even make your own with ingredients in your fridge, like honey or avocado!
69. Watch ASMR videos: If you haven’t embraced the world of ASMR, now’s your chance.
70. Treat yourself to a DIY or professional manicure: Try out one of the latest nail trends, like chrome nails or butterfly nail art!
We’ve rounded up the best trendy nail ideas for every style and occasion — plus DIY tutorials to do when you’re bored!
71. Listen to a podcast: There’s something about a true crime podcast that’s so soothing. Anyone else?
72. Practice mindfulness meditation: Focus on your breath and stay present. Even 10 minutes can be a game-changer when you’re bored!
73. Take an everything shower: Take your time. There’s no rush.
74. Read a self-help book: We love You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero.
75. Do a digital detox: See the previous idea. You can also paint, journal, or take a relaxing walk.
76. Take a nap: Nothing says R&R like a quick power nap!
77. Create a Pinterest mood board: Manifest your dream home coffee nook, wardrobe, or lifestyle — check out our Pinterest for more ideas!
78. Write in a gratitude journal: Reflect on what you’re thankful for. It’s the perfect mood booster when you’re bored!
79. Go for a long drive: Queue up your favorite songs and just keep driving. We’ll have Taylor Swift’s lyrical genius on repeat.
80. Color in an adult coloring book: If you thought coloring was just for kids, think again. With so many cute adult options, you’ll never be bored again.
81. Create a Zen garden: Add this kit to your desk or coffee table for whenever you feel bored!
82. Drink herbal tea: You can even make it a tea party — get dressed up, sit outside, and snack on finger sandwiches as you sip your favorite blend.
83. Do gentle stretching: Release tension with some gentle stretches.
84. Do a puzzle: Spend a bored afternoon piecing together a cute jigsaw puzzle, then hang your finished masterpiece on the wall.
Actually Productive Things to Do When You’re Bored
With such packed schedules, sometimes even feeling bored can be a luxury. So to make the most out of your precious free time, why not cross a few things off your to-do list? To get you started, we’ve rounded up the best things to do when you’re feeling bored and want to feel productive instead.
So stop procrastinating, queue up your favorite playlist or audiobook, and scroll on for more of our creative things to do when you’re bored.
85. Do your weekly meal prep: Work now, relax later.
86. Plan a future trip: Spend an afternoon researching unique Airbnbs or vacation rentals for your next getaway. Because there’s no better feeling than having a vacation to look forward to!
We’re never bored when we’re looking at dreamy vacation rentals — and that’s why we’ve rounded up the best luxury rentals all across the US.
87. Organize your closet: Keep whatever sparks joy, and donate the rest.
88. Update your resume: When was the last time you looked at your resume? If you don’t know the answer, it’s probably time for a refresh.
89. Update your LinkedIn profile: The same applies to your LinkedIn resume!
90. Plan your week: Map out your goals and create a to-do list for the week. If you’re still bored, do the same for the year!
91. Declutter your home: Boring? Yes. Necessary? Also yes.
92. Organize your photos: If your camera roll has more than 20,000 photos (because same), take this time to purge. You can even print out your favorites and create a photo album IRL!
93. Clean out your email inbox: Get that notification bubble to zero.
94. Read industry articles: Stay up-to-date with the latest news and trends for your field. For fashion lovers, start with this article about the latest viral outfit aesthetic!
95. Create a budget: Set yourself up for success with a monthly budget and spending tracker.
96. Research investment opportunities: Once you know your budget, make the most out of your money with new investment opportunities.
97. Review your subscriptions: Another way to save money? Cancel all your unnecessary subscriptions!
98. Clean your makeup brushes: Let’s be honest — it’s probably been too long.
99. Learn a new industry skill: Improve your public speaking skills. Learn to code. Take a quick certificate course. Anything to improve your resume and avoid being bored…it’s creative and productive.
100. Organize your digital files: Clean up your desktop and delete old files. If not now, when?
101. Network online: Connect with professionals in your industry on LinkedIn. You never know what it could lead to!
Crafty And Art Focused Things to Do When You’re Bored
Let your creative flag fly with these fun and artsy things to do when you’re bored! As adults, it’s easy to forget about all the creative hobbies we used to love as kids, like painting, drawing, and making friendship bracelets. But with these creative ideas, you unlock your inner child and banish your boredom at the same time!
And no, you don’t have to be an artist to do these artsy activities — you just have to be bored, creative, and open-minded!
102. Make a candle: Use this kit to craft your own scented candles. Or for something a little easier, paint cute flowers onto your existing candles, like these ones!
103. Learn to crochet: Make a blanket. Or a trendy top. Or even a cute animal!
104. Paint a masterpiece: Unlock your inner artist with watercolor paints or oil pastels.
105. Make friendship bracelets: Turn on your favorite album and have fun making friendship bracelets for your next summer concert — and beyond. (This is the kit we used for our bracelets!)
Planning a concert this summer? We’ve rounded up the best concert outfit ideas by genre — country, pop, rock, and rap — so you show up looking the part.
106. Upcycle old clothes: Transform old or thrifted clothes into something new and stylish.
107. Try scrapbooking: All those physical photos and ticket stubs you have lying around? Compile them into a scrapbook or a memory journal using colorful washi tape.
108. Create a photo book: Or for a more professional look, design a hardcover photo book. These ones look gorgeous displayed on a coffee table for you to flip through whenever you’re bored.
109. Try embroidery: Start with a cute cross stitch kit. Soon you’ll be embroidering everything!
110. Learn Origami: Step one — practice the ancient art of paper folding – perhaps start with an origami butterfly? Step two — impress all your friends.
111. Design a beautiful cake: Artwork that you can eat? Win-win! Use piping tools for an intricate design, or cover your cake in seasonal fruit and flowers. The more photo-worthy the better.
112. Create a mural: Have a large canvas or empty wall? Fill it with a custom mural!
113. Press flowers: Collect gorgeous blooms from your garden or park, then use a flower press (or heavy books) to turn them into unique pieces of art whenever you’re feeling bored.
114. Create a collage: Grab some magazines, scissors, and tape, and get to work.
115. Create digital art: A little more tech-savvy? Use graphic design software (like Photoshop) or artsy apps (like Landing) to create a digital collage instead. Perfect for your phone lock screen!
116. Make pottery: Take a local pottery class, or pick up some air dry clay and make cute designs when you’re bored at home.
117. Sew your own clothes: Ever dreamed about going on Project Runway? Make it work!
118. Learn calligraphy: This is such a great skill to have in your back pocket when you’re bored. Use this kit to design beautiful journal pages, dreamy letters, and even gorgeous signs for your home!
119. Write poetry: We’re all in our TTPD era, so unlock your inner tortured poet and write a poem (or a song)!
Kid-Approved Things to Do When Bored
It’s officially playtime! While many of these 100+ things to do when you’re bored are kid-friendly, we wanted to highlight a few creative ideas that are just for kids (and kids at heart). Whether you’re bored at home or are looking for fun hobbies you’ve never tried before, these ideas are guaranteed to keep the entire family busy for hours.
So to end our list of things to do when you’re bored, here are the best activities for kids of all ages!
120. Build a fort: Use blankets, pillows, and string lights to create a cozy fort. Then cuddle up inside and watch your favorite Disney movie!
121. Bake cookies: Or brownies. Or a really delicious cake. And don’t forget the frosting!
122. Play board games: Our current recs? Tapple, Hues and Cues, and Sushi Go. Bring on family game night!
123. Make homemade playdough: Craft your own playdough (there are recipes online!) and sculpt fun shapes.
124. Have a dance party: Take turns playing your favorite songs, then show off your best dance moves in the living room.
125. Create a scavenger hunt: Etsy has lots of fun downloadable scavenger hunts for your house or yard. The perfect creative solution for what to do when you’re bored at home.
126. Go on a nature walk: You can also turn this into a fun scavenger hunt. Try to collect something for every color of the rainbow, or search for heart-shaped rocks and leaves!
127. Do a science experiment: Google easy experiments that you can do at home when you’re bored, like combining Coke and Mentos to create a bottle rocket. Fun AND educational!
128. Get artsy: Make an arts and crafts station with watercolors, construction paper, stickers, and coloring books.
129. Create shaving cream marbling art: For something more unique to do when you’re bored, use shaving cream and food dye to make shaving cream art. Here’s a full tutorial!
130. Read stories: Or write your own!
131. Watch a family movie: Simple, but always a crowd-pleaser when you’re bored. Pick a movie everyone will enjoy and pop some popcorn!
Frequently Asked Questions
Start with what you already have access to — a kitchen, a phone, a person you like. The most satisfying fixes are usually the ones that create something (a playlist, a meal, a printed photo, a letter) rather than consume something. Pick one idea that requires minimal setup and do it before you talk yourself into just watching TV instead.
The best friend activities share two things: a little structure and something slightly unexpected. A blind bookstore date, a “rate our takeout” project, a photowalk with disposable cameras — any of these work because they create a frame that turns an ordinary afternoon into something you’ll actually remember. See our full friends section above for 15 ideas with that exact logic built in.
The most meaningful couple activities tend to be ones that create something — a playlist, a plan, a ritual, a conversation you haven’t had before. Movie marathons are fine; building a “home awards” night or writing each other a “state of us” letter is the kind of evening you reference later. Our couples section above has 15 ideas across both registers.
Need More Ways To Add Some Fun Into Your Day?
If you read our entire list of over 100 creative things to do when you’re bored, but you’re still suffering from boredom, we’ve got you covered!
Turn snack time into a fun activity with our round-up of charcuterie board ideas. Because you can’t feel bored when there’s a charcuterie board involved!
Another fun way to pass the time when you’re feeling bored? Make your own dried flower arrangements — we’ve created an entire guide to get you started!
If you’re bored of your same old routine, make a more drastic change with a weekend getaway. This list of romantic Airbnbs is great inspo for whenever you’re bored.
The best boredom cure is usually the one that requires the smallest lift to start. Pick the one that already has most of what it needs. Then do it tonight, not next weekend.
