We all have them – days where we’re not quite sure what to do with ourselves or are bored and can’t quite settle on anything. Here is a list of ideas to fill those dragging dreary days when they strike, for whatever reason, and turn dull into fun.
You can do them alone or call up a friend who might be looking for some anti-tedium therapy too.
If you’re not sure how to go about some of the suggestions here – such as making home-made make-up – then just tap the appropriate words into an Internet search engine and take your pick from the mine of information at your fingertips.
Who knows – what started out as an effort to skip past a bored spell might even result in a new hobby, new style or new skill!
1. Dip dye your hair
Dip dye your hair with a purpose-made home kit or make your own home dyes.
2. Put make-up with eyes closed
Put your make-up on with your eyes closed and see what happens.
3. Experiment with over-the-top make-up
Get a friend around and experiment with outrageous, over-the-top make-up looks on each other.
4. Try a new temporary hairstyle
Look on the Internet for some inspiration for crazy temporary hairstyles and try them out.
5. Give yourself Bantu styled knots
Braid your/a friend’s hair if it is long or if it is short equip yourself with lots of bands and give yourself/your friend a Bantu type, all-over knotted look.
6. Give yourself a manicure
Paint your nails and give yourself a pedicure and a manicure. You can even try experimenting with fake nails. That can be a lot of fun.
7. Do a fun photo session with your friend
Take time to get your hair and make-up looking its best together with a friend or two and then do glamour or fun photo session shoots with each other.
8. Bake something and decorate to the max
Bake cookies, muffins or a cake and then decorate them to make them as pretty and sparkly as you can.
9. Tie dye an old t-shirt
Tie dye an old piece of clothing or make yourself a tie dye scarf or headband out of strips of material.
10. Make posters for your bedroom walls
With a friend, get some large pieces of paper and make posters for each other’s bedroom walls.
11. Decorate an old pair of shoes
Decorate an old pair of shoes with paints, sequins, beads or whatever else you have to hand.
12. Make jewelry using recycled materials
Make bracelets, anklets or headbands from shells, beads, seeds or from old jewelry you don’t want wear any more.
13. Make some home-made make-up
Make some home-made make-up or toiletries.
14. Make a book of inspirational quotes
Make up a book of inspirational quotes or song lyrics which are meaningful for you.
15. Go out on a picnic with your best friend
Call up a friend on a summer’s day, dress in your prettiest girly clothes, make up a bag of your favorite things to eat and go for a picnic.
16. Shop for outrageous clothes at a second-hand store
Go on a tour of the second-hand stores with a friend to find the most outrageous clothes you can with a pre-arranged prize for the winner.
17. Learn a dance move
Learn the dance moves to a routine you’ve seen on YouTube or TV or even an old fashioned dance such as the Charleston. You can even make up something of your own.
18. Start reading a new book
Pick up a new book at the bookstore or online and start reading it.
19. Sell old clothes and stuff online
Clean out the clothes and other stuff that you’re not wearing and using anymore and start posting them online for sale.
20. Have a selfie photoshoot
Dish out that self-timer on your phone and dress up and do your own own selfie photoshoot at home.
21. Write down a list of all the things that make you happy
Feeling down? Try writing down a list of things that make you happy and that you’re thankful for. And if you can, make a habit out of it everyday.
22. Clean a specific part of your house or room
Choose a part of your room or house, whether it’s the dining area or your workspace, and clean it as thoroughly as you can.
23. Create a new Spotify playlist
In the mood for some new sounds? Build a whole new playlist on Spotify and listen to it the whole day!
24. Make yourself a luxurious bath
Make yourself a luxurious bath, which can include your favorite bath salts and aroma-scented candles. Wine is also highly recommended.
25. Make new styles out of your old clothes
Feeling creative? Why not pull out some of your oldie but still goodie clothes and see what you can make out of it by cutting or sewing it anew.
26. Start learning a new language
Keep your brain working by challenging yourself to learn a new language. You can easily start by learning a few basic worlds to begin with.
27. Start learning through an online class
Speaking of challenging yourself, why not sign up for Coursera or Udemy and check out an online class that you can start as well?
28. Color an adult coloring book
Get yourself an adult coloring book and your favorite coloring medium (e.g. crayons, colored pencils, watercolor paint, etc) and get creative and colorful with it.
29. Create a collage of your favorite trip
Look back on your favorite trips and collect your favorite photos, tickets, and other memorabilia to create a collage.
30. Use a face mask for your skincare needs
Give yourself a break and use that face mask you’ve been wanting to use for that extra skin glow.
31. Make a no-holds-barred bucket list
Dream big and write it down by imagining your bucket list for the months and years to come.
32. Have a spontaneous movie night
Whether you’re just by yourself, with friends, with a special someone, or with family, you can schedule a movie night complete with popcorn and drinks.
33. Do some research on a topic you’ve always been curious about
Now that you have some time to kill, you can do a research online of that one topic or thing that you’ve been thinking of and have been curious about.
34. Try your hand at cooking one of your favorite dishes
Push yourself in learning more by trying your hand at cooking one of your favorite dishes right at the comfort of your own home.
35. Call or message a friend or family you haven’t talked to in a while
Get in touch with a family member or friend that you haven’t talked to in a while, and just make some time to catch up and update them with your life as well.
36. Listen to a new podcast
Listening to podcasts are a great way of learning more or getting entertained while you’re on the go!
37. Plan your week ahead
To avoid getting even more bored, better create a to-do list and plan some activities that you can do for the week.
38. Write down small and big goals for the coming months
Think of all the things that you want to achieve, regardless of how small or big they are, and write them all down to keep yourself on track.
39. Spend at least 30 minutes to workout
Give yourself some much-needed endorphins by doing even just a quick workout whether at home or at the gym.
40. Take some time in the afternoon to watch the sunset
Appreciate nature more and take some time to catch and watch the sunset.
41. Take a walk outside
Take a breather by taking a walk outside and appreciating the small and simple things in life.
42. Rearrange your clothes or shoes in your closet
Get some inspiration from Pinterest and see how you can properly rearrange your clothes and shoes inside your closet.
43. Write a short story
Got a story to tell? It doesn’t matter what it’s about, do feel free to write a short story down and see how far it’ll take you.
44. Read your horoscope for the day, the week, or the month
Check out what the horoscope for your zodiac sign has in store for you for the day, for the week, and for the whole month.
45. Take your dogs for a walk in the park
Have some quality time with your dogs and take them for a walk in the nearest park.
46. Look for designs for a possible tattoo
Whether or not you already have a tattoo, it’s quite fun to search for possible tattoo designs!
47. Meditate for some time
Set aside even just a few minutes of your day and try to meditate. You’ll be surprised the big difference it can make to your day.
48. Memorize the full lyrics of one of your favorite songs
Stop humming and start singing by learning all the lyrics to one or a couple of your favorite songs.
49. Check out a new documentary on Netflix
Discover a whole new world beyond your own by checking out a new documentary on Netflix.
50. Treat yourself to some sweet treats
Stop feeling guilty and treat yourself to some of your favorite sweet treats like a cupcake, ice cream, or a cookie.
51. Learn a new skill
Whether it’s learning how to properly chop onions or change a car’s tire, it’s very beneficial to take some time to learn a new life skill.
52. Set a date with your bestie(s)
Plan ahead and set a one-on-one date with one of your most favorite people in the world. Nothing beats good food and even better company.
53. Change up your sheets
If you haven’t done so in a while, maybe it’s time to change your sheets and see how you feel about it in terms of your sleep quality and how your bedroom looks like.
54. Map out your career goals in the coming years
What do you want to achieve in your career in the next few years? Write it all out and map out what you see yourself doing in your chosen field of work.
55. Create a new diet and exercise plan for yourself
Feeling lazy and unhealthy lately? Do some research online and create your own diet and exercise plan that you’re comfortable with.
56. Discover new music artists and songs on Spotify or YouTube
Get inspired by just randomly clicking on new artists and songs that you haven’t heard or watched before yet. Who knows, you might just find your new favorite artist!
57. Declutter your workspace or study table
Help yourself to focus more on the tasks at hand by cleaning up your table that you use for work or study.
58. Go on an outdoors photo shoot
Call up your best friend and go to your favorite locations around the town for a photo shoot.
59. Play the “try not to laugh challenge” with your best friend
Put on a funny videos compilation on YouTube and play the ‘Try not to laugh’ challenge. Whoever laughs first loses the game. You can even introduce a points system to make it more fun.
60. Try out some temporary tattoos
Temporary tattoos can be a lot of fun and there are ton of varieties out there to choose fun.
61. Try your hand at hula hooping
This can take a little practice but once you get the hang of it, hula hooping can be a lot of fun in addition to being a great exercise.
61. Visit a library
Visit a nearby library and checkout some interesting books.
62. Learn to say hello in various languages
Learn to say a specific word like ‘hello’ or ‘love’ or ‘I love you’ in various languages. Simply do a Google search to find articles or videos that can teach you this.
63. Paint some abstract art
Let your creativity run free on a white canvas. Take some paint and paint something cool and abstract.
64. Put on an organic facemask
Create your own organic facemask at home using natural ingredients like Papaya or Banana and try it on. There are a ton of YouTube videos where you can find instructions on how to do this. You will be amazed at the results and might even ditch store brought products for good.
You can also consider making other homemade cosmetics like soaps, deodorants, hair colors etc.
65. Organize your shelves
If you have shelves that are messy and filled with stuff that you do not need. It’s time to organize them and make them look pretty again.
66. Brew fresh coffee
If you love coffee then this is definitely the best thing to do as there is nothing better than the aroma of fresh coffee brewing in your kitchen.
67. Write down what is on your mind
Take out your journal or even just a piece of paper and write down what is on your mind. Read what you have written and do some self reflection.
68. Redecorate your room
Pick out a girly theme and redecorate your room.
69. Find inspiration on Pinterest
Spend some time on Pinterest and you are sure to find find inspiring ideas and projects you can try out.
70. Pamper yourself
Pamper yourself with a face mask, a hair mask, a body scrub and a relaxing candle light bath.
