10 Ideas for Fun and Productive Things to do Bored at Home

Many of us are stuck at home with the new Shelter In Place guidelines that have been put in place all around the world. We’ve all learned new terms like Social Distancing, Self-Quarantine, Shelter In Place, and many more. The Coronavirus (COVID-19) has thrown a metaphorical wrench into our society, and as a result many of us are stuck at home. However, that doesn’t have to mean we are bored and staring at the wall watching paint dry all day! In this post, we are giving you 10 ideas for fun and productive things to do bored at home. These are great indoor activities that you can learn at home, and will bring a smile to your face!

Before we get started, a quick note. Our hearts and thoughts are with everyone around the world who has been severely affected by the Coronavirus. This is a devastating challenge for those who have been directly affected.

Let’s get into it. 10 great fun and productive things to do bored at home!

1. Learn to Cook a New Dish

Cooking a new dish at home is a GREAT activity that you can do each and every day! Heck, if you love it you could even do a new dish at each MEAL of the day!

Before you were stuck at home, you probably had a handful of dishes that you knew you could make. These few dishes were always delicious when you made them, and were a staple whenever you had company over. Why not add one or two dishes to your repertoire!

Heck, you can even make this activity fun and travel-related! We just got home to Minnesota from New Zealand recently, so we tried our best to make our favorite New Zealand staple: meat pies! This recipe from Food52 was a great teacher, and our pies turned out delicious. We got to experience a small slice of New Zealand while also learning how to make a new meal.

When you learn how to make a new meal, you won’t be looking for things to do bored at home. You’ll be having fun, making a mess, eating yummy food, and building your repertoire of dishes you know how to prepare!

2. Purge Your Closet

A closet purge is kind of like going to the proctologist. You aren’t looking forward to it, but you head into a deep dark hole and emerge from the experience healthier, cleaner, and glad that you did it!

To best purge your closet, go through a 3 step process:

Step 1: Throw everything from your closet onto your bed (and/or the floor)
Step 2: Organize
- Hold up each item, and if you absolutely NEED it, then hang it back up
- If you don’t need the item, put it in a donation bag
Step 3: Note everything you are donating and drop it off at a donation center

Note: Make sure to keep notes on donations so you can write them down on your tax returns

There are really two big reasons why purging your closet is a therapeutic and rewarding experience. First off, you feel a huge weight off your shoulders when you open your closet and see a nice, clean, organized set of clothes. You’ll start each and every day with a less stressful morning routine, trust us. We don’t know exactly why this happens (we aren’t psychologists, we are travel bloggers) but it assuredly happens. The feeling is wonderful.

The second reason purging your closet is a feel-good at-home activity is because you end up with a great big bag of clothes and shoes to donate! Donating clothes is without a doubt a great deed, and you’ll be able to feel great about giving the clothes you no longer need to people who are less fortunate and more in-need.

When we have donated big bags of clothes in the past, it feels like you are getting rid of junk. However, we’ve also been on the other end of the spectrum, browsing a Goodwill a finding a treasure that we absolutely love! Donating is an act of kindness. Even if it is a small one, it will be big for someone else down the road. Donate the clothes and shoes you no longer use.

3. Do an At-Home Workout

An at-home workout is a great way to stay in shape, boost your mood, and break up the day when you are cooped up at home. Let’s look at 2 quick facts here before we get into the details on how to best do an at-home workout.

Fact 1: Time Stuck at Home Can be Stressful

This 2017 study showed that employees who work from home have higher stress levels than their counterparts who work in the office.

Fact 2: Exercise Boosts Endorphins and Reduces Stress

When you exercise, your body releases chemicals called endorphins. These endorphins interact with the receptors in your brain that reduce your perception of pain.

Endorphins also trigger a positive feeling in the body, similar to that of morphine. For example, the feeling that follows a run or workout is often described as “euphoric.” That feeling, known as a “runner’s high,” can be accompanied by a positive and energizing outlook on life.

From WebMD

Okay, that’s why working out while at-home is important. Let’s talk about the best at home workouts. Here are 5 of our favorite ideas:

Stream a Guided At-Home Workout
Go for a Walk/Jog/Bike Around Your Neighborhood
At Home (or Outdoor) Yoga Session
Turn a Daily Activity Into a Workout
Make up Your Own!

Our favorite is number 4, turning a daily activity into a workout. For instance, some of our lamer ideas:

Dance while brushing your teeth twice per day!
Go on a walk/run/bike while lunch is cooking
Push-ups and crunches while reading or listening to podcasts

4. Launch a Blog

We started this very blog as a fun project a few years ago! We were passionate about traveling, enjoyed writing and taking photos, and decided to combine all of those hobbies into a blog. The best part about starting a blog is that your passion can eventually become a career! Successful blogs can be a revenue generator, so this is without a doubt one of the most productive activities you can do if you are stuck at-home.

Step 1 on starting a blog is deciding what to write about. Do you love to cook? Maybe you have a lot to write about parenting? Travel can be a wonderful topic. Politics and sports are great topics as well.

Step 2 is to pick a name. Brainstorm as many names as possible, engage family and friends in the idea generation. Don’t rush to land on a name, let each idea simmer for a bit. Choose a name that is personal to you, on-topic, and that you love.

Here’s more on how we started this blog while working and going to school full-time in Chicago.

5. Start a Fun Social Media Account

If you aren’t ready to start a full-on blog, a great project can be to start a fun social media account! Social media of course has its pros and cons, but one of the HUGE benefits is that you can reach people for free!

Instead of diving into the whole process of creating a blog, working on search engine optimization, and all of that, you can create an Instagram account and start creating content right away! Here are the 5 best platforms to create a social media account and start sharing content.

On The Road | Our Year Living the Van Life

Watch this video on YouTube

Also, just like with cleaning out your wardrobe, you can put together a big pile of things that you can donate! The things that you think are junk will be a treasure to someone who needs them. When you take a few hours and organize your space, you can feel great about what your doing while also taking steps to measurably improve your life! Sounds like a win-win.

9. Read a Book

Reading books is one of the single best hobbies a person can have. On earth. Of ALL the possible hobbies. Reading is right up there as one of the very best.

Now, the fact that you are reading this sentence right now means that you aren’t totally against reading. However, some people out there aren’t completely sold on reading. Maybe they were forced to read something they didn’t want to read back in elementary or middle school. Who knows. For some reason or another, some people don’t like to read.

In my opinion, those people have been reading ALL THE WRONG THINGS! Saying you don’t like to read is like saying you don’t like movies. If you watch crappy movies that you hate, then you won’t like movies! Same is true with books.

Therefore, what you have to do is find what you love to read. Then you’ll love reading! Simple as that. Do you love sports? Read sports books. Do you love comedy? Ready comedy books. Drama? Drama books. Business? Business books. Stories? Read memoirs. History? Holy CRAP are there a lot of history books out there. Get the picture?

While you are stuck looking for things to do bored at home, try picking up a book. Take some time to choose a book that you think you’ll genuinely love, and read that one! Reading is one of the best things to do at home whether or alone, with your family.

If you do love to read, and you have a book suggestion for us, we’d love to hear it in the comments! We are always looking for great book suggestions.

10. Get Crafty – Make a Gift!

Getting crafty is something anyone and everyone can do. And the best part? You get an awesome hand-made finished product! Maybe something you can hang, set on the coffee table, have in your bedroom or bathroom, or best of all, can give as a gift!

This recycled t shirt rug and giant paper dahlias are 2 great examples from HGTV that you could try out. Heck, if you rock out and make something incredibly beautiful or useful, you can even try and sell it on Etsy and turn it into a little side-hustle!

Well folks, there you have it. Our list of 10 awesome and productive things to do bored at home. Just because you are stuck indoors doesn’t mean you can’t have a day full of fun indoor activities! These great things to do at home will leave you with a fun and fulfilled day, enjoy!

If you liked this article, please use the below images to Pin it to Pinterest and save for later.