So You’re Bored?
If you’re reading this, you’re most likely saying to yourself, “there’s nothing to do.” The reality is, there are limitless options of things to do, and there is no wrong choice. What do you enjoy doing? Do you want to learn something new? Do you want to relax? Are you feeling creative? You may fear doing nothing, but doing nothing isn’t necessarily a bad thing either.
I have created a list for you to hopefully spark your own creativity. Feel free to use these as inspiration for your own boredom curing endeavors. If anything, I hope I at least entertain you for four minutes of your day.
Mateo’s List of Boredom
Make the perfect PB&J: If you are not allergic to peanuts, you most likely have experienced the great American delicacy which is the peanut butter and jelly sandwich. With this sudden free time, you can finally find the seemingly impossible perfect ratio of peanut butter to jelly. Experimental with diagonal and horizontal bread slicing, different types of jelly, and crust or no crust is also encouraged.
Binge Netflix: Netflix is a wonderful resource to keep you busy during a time of boredom. From dating shows, to documentaries, you are sure to find something you enjoy. Hopefully, you will pick a show or movie that will teach you valuable information, maybe about nature or history. Odds are, you will be like me and maybe question your show choices after watching “The Office” for the fifth time.
Puzzle time: “Oh, a thousand pieces, that seems easy!” You may say that at first, but seven hours later you will not. After you finally come close to finishing it, be careful your dog doesn’t eat the final piece. If you do manage to finish the puzzle, I can guarantee an ear-to-ear smile of accomplishment. If you’re still looking for something to do, you can put it in a frame!
Make a playlist: Music makes everything better, so hopefully it can cure your boredom as well. You can make a playlist for any possible mood. One for when you are in your feels, that late night drive, hanging out with your friends/family, or at the gym. You are guaranteed to be in a good mood with your head bopping. You may also be in tears after listening to fifty sad songs. One of the two.
Explore the depths of YouTube: YouTube can teach you absolutely anything, from what people do when they dream to how people make pools, you are guaranteed to kill some time and learn something. There are also videos of cats doing funny things. That’s good too.
Go to the dog park and play with other people’s dogs: This is sure to boost your serotonin because who doesn’t like dogs! You can get all the fun of playing with your new furry best friends (with their owner’s consent) without any of the barking and poop scooping in your own daily life. Unless you are into that. In that case you won’t be bored and probably won’t sleep for the next couple weeks. Your house might smell too.
Learn Pig Latin: earninglay ayay ewnay anguagelay isyay alwaysyay unfay andyay igpay atinlay isyay eyvay easyyay otay earnlay. ouryay iendsfray ymay uestionqay ouyay enwhay ouyay artstay eakingspay ikelay isthay, utbay atthay isyay ustjay ecausebay eythay areyay ealousjay eythay on’tday owknay igpay atinlay ootay.
Turn your kitchen into bakery from Cupcake Wars: After you have watched three consecutive seasons of cupcake wars, you might convince yourself that you’re a better baker than the ones on the show. You should log onto that computer, get your recipes, and preheat that oven. Warning: you may gain 30 pounds after eating all the cupcakes you have made.
Train for a Marathon: After you have gained 30 pounds from eating cupcakes, it is time to burn that off. After you set up a regiment for your training, you can look forward to your 6am sessions followed by extreme soreness and a feeling of accomplishment. You may quit 3 days in, but at least you finally got outside.
Pretend that cleaning your living space is fun: You know you have reached peak boredom when you have convinced yourself that deep cleaning your surroundings is enjoyable. Grab your vacuum and cleaner, put on some music, and get at it. This can last as long as you would like, as there is always something new to clean.
Listen to podcasts about serial killers: If you want to wake up every hour of the night to make sure your windows are locked; this one is for you! Crime podcasts are always entertaining and being spooked will hopefully make you feel some type of emotion besides boredom.
This one is very interesting: Man in The Window
Did any of these ideas spark your interest? If so, you most likely wouldn’t be reading this right now. Whether you acknowledge it or not, you are not doing nothing. You just read an article, got thinking, and killed time. Constant mental stimulation isn’t a necessity either. Meditation or a nap are options as well. Do not feel guilty about it either because a break is not a bad thing. If you still aren’t satisfied, go write your own list, and post it to medium.com. You can pass on the temporary boredom cure because there is always someone who needs it.
