Things to do if you’re bored, or sick of your usual routine or technology*
- go for a jog
- go bowling
- have a deep convo with a parent or sibling or friend
- make a new card game
- eat ice cream
- read a new series
- write a new series
- take photos
- plan your dream life
- film a video and talk about what’s stressing you out, things you bought recently, life hacks, or whatever makes you feel nice
- buy a bunch of clothes in a certain color (i recommend yellow)
- go for a lounge walk
- look at old work for places of improvement or decline
- smile until it hurts
- write up what you believe your medical records look like
- take a bath with music and candles
- call someone and hang up
- put on a crazy outfit, name it, rate it
- make lemonade (and a stand if you’re feeling crazy)
- walk around naked
- get a split
- make a smoothie with the most random combinations you can think of
- assign fonts to your classes (like Times New Roman for English, Arial for History, etc)
- draw a self-portrait. then draw another one of what you wished you looked like. then put them side by side.
- think of your dream name - one different from your first and last name. look up that name on Facebook. see if you can find people w that name and stalk them (just on Facebook, no breaking the laws here)
- find a singer you like on youtube
- look yourself up
- design your dream house
- apply for scholarships/contest
- design your dream house
- make a structure out of toothpicks
- trace a picture, then try to draw it
- mix different drinks (that you can legally drink), name them, rate them
- watch a movie series you’ve never watched before- in reverse
- go around door to door saying you’re taking a survey and ask an odd question (example: take the second letter of your last name, find that number and add 3, what do you get?)
- write a note. put it in a bottle or ziplock or whatever. bury it.
- look at random Facebook groups (whether its colleges, TV shows, book clubs)
- find out the history of a current, past, or future school/university
- look up job opportunities (and if that’s what you do in your spare time, look at a random job)
- photoshop yourself and someone else, or any two people. just morph people.
- look at pictures of cute babies or animals or anything that makes you happy
- look around your house or a room or a desk and count the number of things with a common trait (example = yellow, circular, has holes, can be held in your hand)
- create a map of the places you want to go in your free time, whether next door or miles away (then work like hell to go)
- write a speech for if you were valedictorian, emmy winner, or whatever
- plan out a murder (but DON’T carry it out)
- Memorize things that makes you seem smart, whether you think you are or not (examples = pi, alphabet backwards)
- take a course online, don’t even finish it if you don’t want to (it can be a new language, some weird math concept, really whatever you want)alison.com is recommended for free ones- if you wanna pay go ahead but i recommend this
- paint your foot.
- write a story about your life in the dr. seuss format
- decide the names of your kids and what they’re like and what they look like and what traits they have (so also sort of create a husband)
- stick a whole bunch of post-it notes on the wall. write things on them. see when they fall off, see which one stays on the longest- see if that has any meaning based on what you wrote
- create a color-coded list of something (christmas list, potential colleges) and just print it out and look at it. and let it please you.
- reminisce over the fact that i almost said color-COATED in the last idea if you’re feeling dumb
- write down everything you regret. then tear out the pages (yes it must be handwritten). then go to a fire or garbage can or garbage disposal of some sort of thing that represents destruction to you and- well you know what to do
- close your eyes and draw something then make meaning out of it
- buy a pumpkin and carve it. i don’t give a fuck if it’s halloween or not.
- create a language - whether it’s written or spoken just do it
- take a picture of yourself screaming or eliciting some type of powerful emotion
- write a song based off of another song you like - like it’s prequel or sequel
- drive to some place (at least) one hour away. go to the library. get a card there using fake information (assuming they don’t ask for ID - if they do then leave). check out a book. put the book in a bush so that you can kind of see it but only a little bit. then never go back.
- do crazy make up and take a before and after picture, see what you like and what you don’t like
- invent a new holiday; distinguish the people who celebrate it, traditions, foods, music, anything like that
- go buy yourself a birthday cake and put as many candles as you can fit on it and then blow that mother fucker out and then eat it all or sleep or die. whichever comes first.
- find a work (whether it’s a play, a book, a movie, or something like this; just anything written down) and critique the shit out of it
- open all the umbrellas in your house, snip all the scissors you can find, and do anything unlucky. see how things turn out
- donate a dollar, three dollars, five dollars, ten dollars, fifty, one hundred, a million, whatever dollar amount you’re comfortable with to some charity or organization that you like.
- learn greek/latin roots. they’re fun and useful, and you can find good quizlets on them
- eat something out of season, like chocolate bunnies or candy corn or turkey or sweethearts
- open your window or go outside so that you can be heard and either A) make animal noises or B) sing
- invent your ideal boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse/friend/person to do SOMETHING with. if you’re daring enough, make them a Facebook
- make a list with all the people you’ve found inspiring or they’ve just done something that you have always held on to. make it pretty.
- start a memory box, fill it with pictures and souvenirs and letters to yourself and random shit
- look up a life hacks account. take the number of letters in your first name and multiply it by three. successfully complete that number of them
- find a new type of social media or whatever that you’ve never used before, say Pinterest, snapchat, twitter. and…well… use it.
- Find an old phone or computer that is worthless and you can never use anymore. after making sure nothing you need is on it. destroy it. make a big ass metaphor out of it. write a story or poem about it.
- take a buzzfeed quiz (that’ll probably lead you to bunches more)
- look at the FBI top ten most wanted list. investigate into one person that stands out to you. write down your theory on what you think happened to them
- challenge - make a bracelet out of food
- think of people who you sort of look up to (in past or present) but don’t know really well (someone maybe older who you’re slightly acquainted with. maybe a teacher/professor, a babysitter, school president). make up a profile of their life- the good, the bad, and the really bad
- create a magazine, online or on paper. make it about whatever you want. make it something that you would want to be CEO of (which you technically are) and you would completely side track from what you’re doing now
- take a good look into politics, all the candidates for president or your local board of finance. really form an opinion on it and then go vote! (if you can)
- follow some researcher who is focusing on something that interests you (flying cars, a disease, why a butterfly has butter in its name) and follow their research. go see them speak live if you can
- come up with cool anagrams for your name- do first, first and middle (if you have a middle), first and last, first and middle and last, last, middle
- call up someone who you consider a superior (a boss, maybe even a friend or sibling). say something sassy as shit to them
- There are more or less 206 bones in a human body. see if you can find all of them on yourself
- next time you have to fill out some type of form to register or sign up for something (heck even pull one up now if you want), put 911 as your emergency contact
- read about someone who seems to have had a really really sad life. compare that to your current situation. contrast it. make a mess of it. clean it up. idk.
- buy a gallon jug of water and drink it as fast as you can (note: this will cause frequent urination)
- buy X different deodorants and go on X different dates with a guy. then ask him which day he noticed your smell or thinks you smelled best
- make a collage of photos of yourself from birth to now (literally take a picture of yourself right now)
- tangle headphones. untangle them and time yourself
- color-code your closet
- take body posi photographs. i don’t recommend nudes if you’re under eighteen
- collect all the clocks and watches in your room or house or however far you’re willing to go. look at all the times on them- i assume they’re different. think about how they got that way
- find a restaurant or pub or store from a specific country, learn a few sentences in that language, go in there and speak. keep coming back and at one point explain the truth in that language
- buy or put on a REALLY fancy dress
- boy? wear thongs for a day. girl? wear boxers for a day. not sure? do whatever feels different.
- go to your next door neighbor and ask if they wanna have a heart to heart
- write a card for someone who you miss or haven’t seen in a while or is dead. then buy a helium filled balloon and just let it go.
- on THAT note, you could also write a message on that balloon and include an email (phone number is probably too risky but do what you want) and get a new pen pal
- write an exploratory essay on something that really interests you (OWL @ purdue has good info on how to write one). get a friend to write one too. then grade each others.
- write down the weirdest names possible that you can think of for a person or pet or whatever
- make a family tree of what you wish your family was like
- buy or find a completely neon outfit and go out in public. count how many people stare at you. count it out loud
- if you’re allergic to a food (but not deathly) eat it. have your epi pen ready! just yolo dude
- try to see if you can cry on demand- i know some people can do this. if you can’t then look up tutorials and don’t stop until you can do it or you’re crying from the stress of trying
- create some camp or club (it doesn’t have to actually exist) and make THE weirdest application. put it in mailboxes or post it as a flyer downtown. put a box near it to put filled applications. see what you get.
- go to a hotel or mall or any place with an elevator. stand in there all day with candy and just hand it out to people. record how many people take it and how many don’t because they think it’s poisoned
- count how many things are on this list
*yes, i know that a bunch of these involve technology, going against the point, but it’s something new. i also realize that not all of these can be applied to everyone. whether you’re not old enough or don’t have the resources, keep in mind that these are all suggestions! also, make sure to stay appropriate, legal, and of course safe. this wasn’t designed to guarantee you happiness, but i hope it does! build off of these if you want - this whole thing is just some food for thought.



