Productive Things to Do When Bored: From A to Z!

Being an avid reader, I often find myself resorting to reading as one of my “go-to” productive things to do when bored.  Anyway, I was reading an article the other day about things that businesses or entrepreneurs can do when business is slow. Some of the things suggested were doing some strategic planning, catching up on paperwork etc.

That got me to ask myself, ‘What would be the self-improvement equivalent of business being slow?’.  Just then I looked up and noticed an elderly couple having a conversation at a nearby table at Starbucks.  The man was blabbing away, and the woman could not have looked more…bored!

Aha, that’s it.  Boredom could be the self-improvement equivalent of business being slow!

What are the Causes of Boredom?

I read an interesting and frankly surprising (to me anyway) statistic the other day.  According to Psychology Today, “30 to 90 percent of Americans report feeling bored at some point in a typical day.”  But why does it happen I wondered?

I started to do some research on the causes of boredom and I have to admit, it got pretty…boring!  And from what I read, researchers are still trying to pin down exactly what it is and what causes it.  According to Scientific America, “Boredom, like so many quirks of the brain, remains a mystery. One step toward unraveling it would be to develop better tools to measure boredom. There might even be different types, ranging from the existential, always present ennui to the transient, toe-tapping kind. As a result, different explanations may apply to different situations.”

Ok, So We May Not Know Exactly What It Is, But…

I think most of us know when we are bored.  So, let’s let the scientists keep working on the what and the why, and instead let’s come up with some creative and productive things that we can do when we feel boredom starting to creep in – whatever exactly ‘boredom’ is…

An A-Z List of Productive Things to Do When Bored

So, without further ado, here is the Prime Your Pump list of some productive things to do when bored – from A to Z:

Abs!  Do you have a six-pack? Yes, well then you want to keep it.  No? Well, it’s time to work on it! Whether you want a six-pack or not, a strong core is important for functioning well in life.  So, what are you waiting for? Get down and give me 20!

Blog about something you are passionate about and that you know a lot about – share your knowledge! Blogs are super easy to set up and writing is a great way to express yourself.

Clean out your messy closet!  Using the 5S method is a great way to get it done.

Do something nice for someone else without expecting anything in return.  It will make their day and seeing their joy from your random act of kindness may just make yours too!

Embrace your creativity and really explore something you are curious about!

Fornicate  Because everyone needs a little naughty time.

Go for a walk somewhere you have never been.

Hustle, side hustle that is.  Maybe think about starting a business on the side in an area you are passionate about.

Investigate some places you would like to travel. I have found that traveling really changes your perspective on things and it’s a great way to learn.

Jokes and comedy – Look up a new joke or watch a comedy video online.  Laughter is important and sometimes we need a little more levity in our lives!

Kama Sutra  You can never go wrong spicing up your love life by learning some ‘new things’.

Learn a new language Either a spoken language or a computer language – yeah that’s right, learn how to code.

Meal prep for the week  Check out a previous post to learn the benefits of batching.

Network and meet some new people.  Start up a conversation with someone you don’t know, it may turn into a lifelong friendship!

Organize and declutter different parts of your life such as your head, material things in your life, and relationships.

Quickie  Only bored for a bit, then why not a quickie?  I know, I know – there’s already enough sex in this blog post with fornicate and kama sutra.  Actually, you have a point – but look at it from my viewpoint, you try and come up with a better idea for Q!  Actually, if you can think of something better, please share in the comments below!

Reach out to someone you haven’t spoken to for a while.  I am sure they would LOVE to hear your voice and vice versa.

Study what other successful people have done to get where they are by reading their biography or doing some other research on what has made them successful. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel.

Take some time to think as Bri discussed in a recent article.

Udemy, Coursera, and other online learning sites are a great way to spend time learning new stuff.

Visualization – Take some to do it before you do it by practicing some visualization.

Workout! Get off your ass and hit the gym. I find the gym is good for the mind, body, and spirit, plus who doesn’t want some endorphins?!?!?!

Xeroxed  “Wait, what?” you say, ”You are suggesting I make copies?”…LOL, no!  Sorry, I stopped writing for a moment to play Scrabble with a friend.  Did you know that xeroxed is worth 22 Scrabble points? Playing games, doing puzzles and trivia are examples of some good productive things to do when bored as you keep the grey matter between your ears in shape.

Yoga or another physical activity that you have never done such as Pilates, Crossfit, a Bootcamp class, high-intensity training.

Zip/zilch! As in do nothing, as in enjoying your boredom.  Especially if you are running around like a maniac 24/7, sometimes it’s good just to do nothing.

Wait!  “What about the letter P? You forgot the letter P!” you say…

Right!

Come on!  You know what it is…

Prime Your Pump! by reading this blog and learning some new entertaining and actionable self-improvement strategies.

As for the couple at Starbucks…

Suddenly the woman’s eyes closed, and she started snoring, but the man didn’t miss a beat and kept blabbing away.  So, either he was practicing hypnosis or as I assumed earlier…she was just bored.

Until next time, don’t snore in public, use the alphabetized list of productive things to do when bored above and as always…PYMFP!
–Rick

Use It or Lose It:

  If you are bored simply try some of our suggestions from the alphabet of productive things to do when bored above.

When to Use It:

  When you have some downtime and need some idea for productive things to do when bored.

What Do You Think?

  Do you get bored and if yes, what do you usually do? Is there anything from our A-Z list above that you may try? Did it make you think of something else? Please share in the comments below.

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