10 Productive Things to Do When You’re Bored at Home
It’s been a little over 7 weeks since I started working from home every day and I’m starting to get bored! School is done in a few days and since I can’t travel, I’m trying to find things to do around the house between making TikTok videos and watching Netflix. If you’re tired of doing nothing or ran out of ideas for productive things to do when you’re bored at home, keep reading.
Cook or Bake
Now is the PERFECT time to try all those Pinterest recipes. I love eating out and one of the first things I did when I started to practice social distancing was cooking and baking more. Most of the meals I’ve made take less than an hour and I sometimes prep during lunch.
I even bought a digital air fryer to make the dinner-making process a little faster. When I have no idea what to cook, I look up recipes from past trips to help my travel withdrawals. It’s a good thing I took the Trini cooking class because I know I’ll be craving a roti soon. If it is a fail, thankfully I can always place an order for delivery as a backup.
Workout
Six months ago I started working out again and joined a gym. While I had no specific “body goals”, joining the gym helped me sleep better at night, helped relieve stress, and allowed me to have something to do when I was home bored.
Seeing the results of consistent workouts was just a bonus. When the gyms closed, I purchased a folding exercise bike along with some other home workout equipment and developed a routine to do workouts at home.
Connect with Friends & Family
If you live alone, social distancing can get easily get lonely, so staying connected with friends and family is a MUST. The news shared across social media can be a lot. I limit my time on these platforms and connect with friends and family via text, phone calls, and video conferences instead. We usually go out to eat for my birthday so my siblings and I catered dinner and video conferenced the rest of my brothers and sisters to sing Happy Birthday. Thank God for technology!
Redecorate your Space
I’ve been putting off redecorating for YEARS and started the redecorating process about a month ago to give me something to do. In addition to adding plants to my space, I converted my walk-in closet to a walk-in cloffice (closet + office).
Within the next few weeks and months, I plan to make some changes to my bedroom, guest room, and living room. Since I’m not big on interior design, I save a lot of ideas on how to decorate my space on my “Around the House” Pinterest board. I’ve learned that I love Modern-Boho with a touch of Global decor so that is the consistent theme for my current two-bedroom apartment.
Declutter
One of the not-so-fun productive things to do when you’re bored at home is to declutter. While it can be tedious, decluttering has many benefits to mental health like reducing stress and anxiety. You don’t have to do everything at once. Start with one small area for a few minutes each day and work until you’re done. Since I started decorating my cloffice I’ve gotten rid of tons of shoes and clothing and sent the bags to ThredUp. I plan to spend more in the next few weeks.
Journaling
One of my nephew’s teachers suggested he start journaling and I thought it was a great idea. I haven’t journaled in years, but it has helped when I’m feeling a creative block or overwhelmed in life.
In times like these when we’re facing a global pandemic, people losing jobs, friends and family members getting sick or dying, and a slew of other things, so it is hard. Journaling can be a way of expressing how you feel whether it is good or bad.
Refresh Your Wardrobe
I’ve been shopping so much I really need to social distance from my debit and credit cards. Through the years I’ve become a lot more conscious about signature pieces in my wardrobe. I know I can save the extra money for travel, but I cut down so much from my closet that all of my clothes for the year can fit in my Ikea Pax unit.
Since pre-lockdown I already worked from home three times a week, I also invested in some loungewear. If I’m home working, I might as well be comfortable doing it.
Support Small Businesses
I am someone that believes you should support small businesses year-round and right now, small businesses need our support. If you have the ability, I encourage you to purchase takeout from your local mom-and-pop cafe or restaurant. Businesses are closing due to a lack of funds and supporting small businesses can mean you’re helping pay for someone’s mortgage or child’s education.
If you’re in need of some ideas for small businesses to support online, check out my list of 100+ Caribbean and Black owned businesses. If you’re in the NYC area and looking for restaurants for takeout or outdoor dining, check out my list of Black Owned Restaurants in Brooklyn.
Take Online Courses
Being a graduate student has sparked my desire to learn and I have taken advantage of this free time to do online courses. Not only is this a great way to learn something new, but it will also help a lot in your professional and personal development.
Since we’re on lockdown there are many courses and certificates available on sites like Coursera, Edx, Teachable, LinkedIn, and more. I’m currently in the middle of Google Digital Garage’s Fundamentals of Digital Marketing and loving it so far.
Get Some Rest
The last (and sometimes first for many people) productive thing to do when you’re bored at home is getting some rest. This is the longest I’ve been home in a very long time and while traveling is my way of resting and refreshing, I’m learning that I can do that at home too.
Read More
5 Self Care Ideas to Help You Get Through the Winter
How to Use Coconut Oil for Your Hair and Skin
