You’re at home and bored and although you could just watch TV all day, you’d rather be productive.

But how can you wisely use your time at home? After all, time is limited and you don’t want to waste it.

In this post, we’re sharing 69 ideas for useful things to do at home when bored alone.

 

69 Productive Things To Do When Bored At Home

Looking for good ways to eat up your time? Check out this massive list of ideas.

 

#1 Clean

The most obvious thing on the list of productive things to do when bored at home is clean! Yep, get ahead of your regular cleaning routine by powering through it when you have nothing else to do.

 

#2 Organize Cupboards

Whether it’s your pot and pan cupboard, dishes or cups, it can be organized one moment and a mess the next. Take out all the items and consider if there’s anything you can donate. Wipe down the bottom and sides and reorganize to create more space.

 

#3 Learn a New Language

Learning a new language can take up plenty of time and give you endless things to do at home when bored alone. Today, there’s plenty of ways to learn:

• Download apps
• Download audio programs
• Pick up a good old-fashioned language learning book
• Talk to people of the same language

If you want a social activity to do when you’re bored, download the app HelloTalk, which matches you with people of different languages so you can swap skills.

 

#4 Plan

Plan your week ahead or something that you need to do in the future. If it helps, you can create lists of things you need to do.

 

#5 Organize Panty

Pantries can get messy pretty quickly. Go through where your cans are stored and check the dates. Throw out any expired items and wipe down the good ones. Give the shelves of your pantry a good wipe too or replace liners.

 

#6 Clean Your Inbox

Who’s inbox is only filled with the necessary? Nobody. Spend some time deleting everything you don’t need. You’ll feel a lot better when it’s done.

 

#7 Unsubscribe

While you’re busy cleaning your inbox, you might as well keep it clean by unsubscribing to all the companies that won’t stop emailing you. You can do this by clicking “unsubscribe” which should be on the bottom of each email. You can also use a service like Unroll.me, which will list the lists you’re on so you can easily get off.

 

#8 Yoga

Yoga seems like a relaxing activity, not a productive one. But consider this: Anything that relaxes you can give you more energy, making you naturally more productive after. In fact, studies show that yoga can improve employee productivity. If you’ve never tried it before, start small with a short and easy video involving some light stretching. I recommend Yoga With Adrienne.

 

#9 Throw Out Old Items

Start in one room and work your way throughout the house. Think about all the items you haven’t used in a long time and are unlikely to use. For each item, ask yourself the last time you used it. If it’s been a while, throw out or put in a pile to donate.

 

#10 Learn a New Career Skill

If you’re looking for things to do at home when bored alone, try considering which career skills you can learn. Whichever your area, there’s probably plenty of resources online that you can check out about it. Whether it’s reading articles, taking a free or paid course or researching other means of career development, it will be a useful activity!

 

#11 Spend Time on LinkedIn

If your career could use some networking, one of the productive things to do when bored at home is to use LinkedIn. If you want, you can do a whole profile makeover:

• Update your profile
• Update your pictures
• Write an update
• Write and share a post about key career learnings
• Add new connections
• Say hello to old coworkers or to new connections
• Comment on other’s updates
• Investigate new companies or opportunities

 

#12 Look for a Therapist

When you’re bored at home and want to make use of your time, we often go towards things that will improve our health, home or finances—but what about our mental state? Many people benefit from therapy and if you have the funds or health coverage, you should probably take advantage of it. Spend some time researching therapists and finding someone who you think could be a good fit for you.

 

#13 Plan Meals: Productive Things to Do When Bored At Home

Plan what you’ll eat in the week ahead and prepare any lists for things you need to buy. If you’re someone who meal preps, get that done early too.

 

#14 Read

Reading is on the list of calming yet productive things to do when bored at home. If you want to be ultra-productive, pick up an educational book about something you want to learn more about or choose a self-improvement topic. But even reading novels is a good use of your time. After all, the more we read, the better we write and the more words we know to articulate ourselves.

 

#15 Organize Your Files

There’s probably a whole lot of crap sitting on your desktop right now. Delete what you need and make files for the rest. Then go through your Documents folder and so on. If your memory is getting full, consider what you could transfer to a hard drive.

 

#16 Listen to an Audiobook

If you’re not a big reader, another option is to listen to an audiobook while you’re doing something else. For example, let’s say you have a hobby that’s not necessarily “productive.” You can amp up the productivity by listening to an audiobook about a topic you want to learn about it. It could be about personal finance, self-development, career-related, etc.

Audible is the largest source of audiobooks but if you don’t want to pay and have a library card, you may be able to use the app Libby for free.

 

#17 Watch an Inspirational Speech

If you want to be productive but are lacking the motivation, use a video as a quick pick-me-up. Many people like Tony Robins. One of my personal favorites is Dr. Wayne Dyer, who has a spiritual and overly calm perspective on matters. My top recommendation though is Brene Brown. She’s so real, funny and you can’t leave anything she says without feeling at least a little more inspired to kick ass.

 

#18 Write Grocery List

Even if you’re not going grocery shopping today, go through your fridge and cupboards and write down the things you’re short on. What staples do you need to catch up on? If you want to be even more productive, you can rearrange the list in the order it appears in your grocery store. I do this each time and it saves me so much time and headache. Sounds a little fussy, but it’s a great idea for impatient in-and-out people.

 

#19 Write in a Journal

Journaling can be therapeutic for many people and therefore one of the many productive things to do at home when bored alone. You can open up a page and start listing how you feel. If that’s too much, you can start with journaling prompts.

 

#20 Make Goals

A top item on the list of productive things to do when bored at home is making goals. Consider what you want to accomplish in the next year in your relationships, home life and career. Then write out the steps to get there.

 

#21 Learn/Create Your Family Tree

If you’re someone into family history, spend some time researching and interviewing family members about your family tree. You can visually create one or share your knowledge on a website like Ancestry and meet long-lost relatives too!

 

#22 Listen to Podcasts

Another option is to do something while listening to a productive podcast. Again, there’s so many topics out there that you can find one that covers any subject you want to know more about. Simply open up Spotify and search.

 

#23 Cook a New, Healthy Recipe

When we’re stuck in the hustle and bustle of life, we usually fall into routines and eat the same things. If you’re looking for productive things to do at home when bored alone, take some time looking for a new healthy recipe. Then try it out and see if it’s a winner to add to your staple collection.

 

#24 Wipe Your Devices

They’re probably dirty. Your keyboard, screen, tv, phone, tablet, eBook reader, etc.

 

#25 Delete Old Texts

You might not realize it, but text messages take up more room than you realize. Deleting them is a productive thing to do that barely takes any time at all.

 

#26 Have an Intimate Conversation

If you’re looking for productive things to do when bored at home with someone else, consider having an intimate conversation that will strengthen your bond. You can talk about anything you’ve been meaning to. If you’re stuck or want to make it more of a game, check out 160 Questions For Couples.

 

#27 Workout

If you have some pent up energy and need productive things to do while bored at home, workout! You don’t need a gym or any special equipment, just a body that’s willing to move a little. If you live in an apartment, search for “apartment-friendly workouts” on YouTube and get started.

 

#28 Make Habit Quit Plans

One of the most productive things to do when bored at home is to evaluate your habits. What’s not working? You may already know the areas you need to reel yourself back in. After you identify it, make a plan around it. For example, maybe you drink too much and have been meaning to cut down. Make a plan around how many drinks are ok, when they’re ok, and what you’ll do to replace that habit.

 

#29 Plan a Vacation

Who said that productive things to do when bored at home need to be boring and serious? Have some fun and spend some time planning your next vacation. If you’re planning to plan it eventually, it’s technically still productive. Where will you go? What will you see? Where will you stay? What fun things will you do there? List items that would go on your itinerary and you can even budget it out if you want.

 

#30 Make Appointments

I hate making calls and constantly shove them down on my to-do list. Be a productive person by sitting down and making all the appointments you need to.

 

#31 Do a Good Deed

Acts of kindness are always productive. Brainstorm some things you can do to make someone else’s day brighter. It could involve money or be free:

• Leave gift cards around town
• Plant scratch tickets in places
• Give a genuine compliment to a stranger
• Write a positive comment on a YouTube video
• Leave a positive review on a product, podcast or post
• Write a gratitude letter to someone

 

#32 Redecorate

Redecorating makes it feel like a whole new home. Consider which pieces you can switch around or if there’s anything new you can bring into the space to uplift it. Pinterest is perfect for these ideas.

 

#33 Clean Your Car

If you have a car, there’s many other productive things to do when bored at home. Clean the inside, wash the outside, make it smell nice, throw out old items, shampoo your carpets, etc.

 

#34 Start a Blog

Blog about something you like and then take steps to market it. Before doing that though, you’ll need to set up a website and hosting. Trust me, make a blog and you’ll never be bored again.

 

#35 Get Your Holiday Shopping Over With

Yep, it really doesn’t matter if it’s one week until or one week after Christmas. People’s interests don’t typically change that much in a year, so you can probably buy their gift at any time. Avoid the rush of the holiday season and get rid of that stress early on. If it helps, keep a running list of ideas all year along so you can easily choose from it when you’re ready.

 

#36 Research Something

Is there something you wanted to learn more about but haven’t found the time? Take some time to really dig into the topic. Maybe you’re obsessed with a historical time period, an artist, a type of fashion or a style of cooking. Or, maybe you’re just researching your friend’s Tinder date to verify he’s not a serial killer. All productive tasks.

 

#37 Get Creative

Art can seem like more of a fun hobby than a productive one. But studies show that getting creative could help ward off diseases like Alzheimer’s. It doesn’t need to be drawing or painting. Consider other ways:

• Coloring
• Woodworking
• Making dollhouses
• Making car or train models
• Beading
• Knitting
• Looking up random ideas like “Dollar store crafts,” etc.

 

#38 Make Activity-Specific Playlists

Do you listen to music when you’re getting ready, driving, working out, cooking, etc.? Spend some time making a suitable playlist for each.

 

#39 Meditate

Meditation feels like something that’s very unproductive because you’re literally doing nothing but laying there. However, many studies have shown that meditation actually increases productivity. Along with the calming benefits, in can enhance job performance, work engagement and job satisfaction. Not sure where to start? Search “Meditation for Beginners” on YouTube and try a few to see which resonate with you.

 

#40 Make + Give Out Cookies

Making cookies is fun and productive. Make it even more productive by giving out the goods friends, family or neighbors.

 

#41 Watch a Ted Talk

Ted Talks are perfect for when you want to be productive but you don’t want to do much either. They always give you new ways of thinking or different perspectives to approach the world. Simply go to YouTube and type in “Ted Talk + Topic you’re interested in.”

 

#42 Start a Garden

If you have a backyard, consider making a garden. It doesn’t need to be big, even a few plants can be a productive hobby.

 

#43 Learn Body Language

Learn how to read the unspoken language of the body. It can help you better understand others and teach you how to position yourself so people better respond to you too.

 

#44 Write a Book

Have you ever considered writing a book? It could be a biography, fiction, or non-fiction about something you know a lot about. Or it could be about something new to you that you’ve always wanted to do more research about.

 

#45 Make a Scrapbook

Most photos are on device these days, but there’s still nothing like passing around a photo album. Print off some pictures and decorate them in a cute book to show everyone.

 

#46 Respond to Messages

Many of us have messages that are waiting to be responded to. Even though they don’t take that long, we keep putting them off.

 

#47 Review Your Subscriptions

I bet there’s subscriptions that you don’t even know you’re signed up to. Go through your statements and emails and make a list of everything. Consider what you can cut out.

 

#48 Brainstorm Healthy Snacks

Stuck in a snack rut? Eating chips every night in front of the TV? Tired of acting like crunch carrots is a satisfying alternative? Take some time to Google and research easy snacks to make that you’ll actually like and that are healthier. Make a list and try a few to see if any are good replacements.

 

#49 Make a Fix-It Plan

If something is broken in your home and you can’t fix it yourself, make a plan to. Whether it’s calling a friend over or making an appointment with a professional, get it done.

 

#50 Start a Side Business

If you find yourself frequently looking for things to do at home when bored alone, consider making a small business. It can be something small online or it can involve selling products in store or on a website like Etsy. Brainstorm things you do for fun anyways and how you can make money off of them.

 

#51 Delete Phone Contacts

Delete all those exes and friends you’ll never speak to again. See ya.

 

#52 Clean Your Carpets

If you don’t have a carpet cleaner, rent one and dedicate the day to finally getting it done.

 

#53 Create a Vision Board

If you’re into the law of attraction and manifesting, spend some time finding photos and putting together a vision board or vision goal book.

 

#54 Discover Tools to Learn About Yourself

There’s plenty of ways you can learn more about yourself. From research-backed personality tests to spiritual practices that hint at human patterns and archetypes, there’s so many options:

• Numerology
• Astrology
• Myers Brigg’s personality test
• Enneagram personality test

 

#55 Research Health Problems

Have a really bad pain in your neck? Research solutions that don’t involve Advil. For example, are there any home remedies? Stretches? Lifestyle changes? Better posture tricks? At home physiotherapy? Could it be serious? Should you make a doctor’s appointment?

 

#56 Sleep

Sleep is associated with being lazy, which is funny considering without it, our bodies can’t be productive. If you have a day off and are looking for productive things to do when bored at home, consider taking a nap. The energy boost may help you get more done after, but it may also be necessary. For example, after a stressful week at work or an emotionally taxing day, sleep could be exactly what your body is crying for.

 

#57 Spend Time With Your Pet

Your pets life revolves around you, so giving some of the attention back is definitely a good way to spend time.

 

#58 Unfollow

There’s many people who we follow on social media that can make us feel worse about ourselves. Or maybe the just add no value and only exist to sell you affiliate vitamins or laxative tea. Go through your list and unfollow.

 

#59 Go Through Your Cord Pile

Yep, go to the places you stuff all your cords, untangle them and throw out everything you don’t need—which is probably like 85%. Remember, you asked for productive things to do when bored at home—not fun things.

 

#60 Create Routines

Consider where you can shake up your evening and night routines to make every day better.

 

#61 Have Sex

Stuck at home with your partner? Sex is a stress reliever, good exercise, and produces happy chemicals—pretty productive, I’d say.

 

#62 Search for Classes

Go online and consider which classes you can take in your area!

 

#63 Play Brain Games

Games are fun but they also serve a role in keeping our brains active and constantly learning. You can Google or search the App store for “brain games,” but even a newspaper crossword or Sudoku are good for getting the juices flowing.

 

#64 Change Notification Settings

Most apps try to send you notifications automatically so you keep using it. Fight back and take your mental energy back. Go through your settings and turn off all the ones that aren’t necessary.

 

#65 Delete Phone Photos

If you’re like me, your phone is constantly running out of storage and you have tons of photos to move off your device. So delete the ones you need to and move the rest elsewhere.

 

#67 Make a Bucket List

What do you want to do before you die? Spend some time creating or update your list.

 

#68 Research Outings

Maybe you’re bored at home today, but you can still plan things to do in the future. Research local places you can go to or new things you can experience.

 

#69 Do Something Relaxing

Wait, this list is supposed to be about productive things to do when bored at home. But truly, if your mind is overloaded on go-go-go then you will actually be less productive. Giving your brain rest is necessary to function optimally.

Besides that, let’s take a moment to question the capitalist golden standard of efficiency. There’s more to life than just being efficient. It’s ok to do things that produce nothing. That aren’t productive at all. In fact, it’s part of a balanced life.

 

Productive Things To Do When Bored at Home

In this post, we’ve listed a whole bunch of useful ideas for things to do at home when bored alone. Doing productive tasks makes you feel like you’re using your time wisely instead of wasting it. However, we hope that you’ll also consider adding some fun activities to your list too. Yes, we need to be efficient in life. But we’re allowed to have a lot of fun too 🙂