Firstly, you should know that if you came to this post looking for “what to do when you have nothing to do,” you might be surprised that I’m not first recommending an actual list of things that do, but rather an attitude change.
See, unlike my list of things to do on your phone to be productive or my list of things to do when you’re bored, talking to someone who is interested in figuring out what to do when they have nothing to do is a bit different.
Because if you think you have nothing to do, then the problem lies with you, not your environment.
You could be stuck in a room by yourself staring at empty walls, but the person who is going to get through that experience and not lose their sanity is the person who doesn’t focus on having “nothing to do.”
Let’s face it, even if you’ve got nothing around you, no tools, no anything, you could still teach yourself new skills.
Learn to do 20 push ups in a row, run in place to build your fitness, practice your singing voice, do some meditation and focus on mindfulness.
And the fact of the matter is that most of us have a lot more around us than empty walls and no one to talk to.
“Having nothing to do” for many of us is because our brains have been trained out of their creativity and we have stopped aspiring to grow or to learn new things.
Sitting at home like a couch potato, wandering around in your sweatpants is fun for a day or two, but when you make that your life?
That’s when you become the kind of person who complains that they have nothing to do.
Okay, so let’s say that you have adjusted your attitude and you understand that you have to make your own fun and take responsibility for finding things to do, but you still want a list of things to do.
Here’s my best list of things to do when you have nothing else to do, or can’t think of what to do.
Quick Boredom Busters
- Learn something new online with online courses at Udemy
- Play an innovative strategy board game like Forbidden Island
- Get a “Wreck This Journal” and go to town destroying it!
1. Reach Out to a Friend or Family Member to Talk
Human connection is always one of the best things to do when you feel like you have nothing to do.
Reach out to someone you haven’t heard from in awhile and start up a conversation, whether that’s by phone, e-mail or text.
Often, we can fall into the trap of waiting for people to reach out to us without realizing that we need to be putting in 50% of the effort as well.
Even better if you can arrange to Skype or check out Zoom from my list of “getting things done” tools someone who lives far away or meet up with someone in person to catch up.
Face to face contact, as much as possible, keeps us happy and healthy and not the kind of people who sit around bored on the internet.
2. Learn a New Language
If you’re going to be on the internet googling stupid things like what to do when you have nothing to do, you might as well make the most of that time and do something productive on the internet.
Try learning a new language using an online app like DuoLingo or software like Rosetta Stone, or even just listening and watching YouTube videos that teach you language and spelling.
The world is becoming increasingly more global by the day, and you’ll be in a much better position in the future if you have some additional language skills.
If nothing else, it will open up the world of places you can travel and still understand the conversations.
3. Start a Blog
If you’re looking for a new challenge and you like to write, starting a money-making blog is a great option to get your thoughts out there and learn new skills.
As I go over in my post on how to make money with a blog, you should really chose an area of expertise in your life and write about that, not just about what you ate for lunch (unless you’re a food blogger!).
Believe it or not, there is a lot of money to be made in blogging and you can take advantage of that.
You can get started for free on a site like WordPress.com to see if you’ll stick with it, and then later on, move over to buying your own domain and writing for business reasons rather than just a hobby.
4. Take Online Coding Classes
If you haven’t noticed, the world is increasingly going online.
You can take online coding classes on the internet as some of the most interesting courses online to teach you skills that could help you go out and snag your next job.
It’s great because you can mostly teach yourself and don’t need to worry about needing to go to a physical place to take classes, and coding skills are in such high demand.
If you’re sitting here wondering what to do when you have nothing else to do, there you go – make yourself useful, teach yourself how to build a website and do some coding and then you can do some freelance work or join a future job with a higher salary due to your coding skills.
I prefer Udemy for the best online learning platform as it’s easy to use and not too expensive.
5. Use the Konmari Method On Your House
If you’re around the house with nothing to do, it’s time to get organized and get productive around the house.
If you’re not familiar with the KonMari method, you can read more here about how she asks that you organize your home and declutter your belongings.
Many people have already heard of it due to the Netflix show, and the phrase, “does this bring you joy?”
The idea is that if an item doesn’t bring you joy or doesn’t fall into one of a few essential categories, you should get rid of it as it’s cluttering up your house and life.
Got nothing else to do?
Great, do that for your entire house and have a huge Spring clean no matter what time of year it is.
This cleaning and decluttering printable will help keep you organized and make it more fun.
6. Clean Out Your E-Mail Inbox
If you have to stay on your computer or phone and are looking for things to do there, don’t just keep scrolling Reddit.
Instead, clean out your E-mail inbox.
This doesn’t just mean making sure you’ve responded to all of the emails in your inbox or deleting old messages, but rather to actually go through and unsubscribe from the mailing lists that you no longer want to be a part of.
So many times, we get signed up for things from buying something online that we then never cancel and we get marketing e-mails for years that clog up our inbox.
No more!
7. Go Outside and Get Some Exercise
You’re really looking for something to do?
Get your butt outside and go for a walk or run or even leisurely skip around the neighborhood or a local park.
If that fails, do a workout video or get some exercise in your home gym.
If you don’t want to move your mind, move your body!
