30 things to do when bored: How to overcome boredom

Written by: Kerstin Lakits, Jul 27, 2023

You are sitting in your room, staring at the walls and marinating in boredom. You have nothing to do and minutes feel like hours. You ask yourself: “What to do when you are bored?”. STUWO to the rescue! We have six categories of ideas to overcome boredom as well as numerous tips! Combat boredom by learning something new, tapping into your creativity, moving your body, experimenting in the kitchen, playing games or being productive! This means: Good riddance, boredom!

Table of Content

What to do against boredom: Learn & discover something new

The best remedy for boredom are new stimuli for your grey matter! Completely new tasks and activities are interesting and fun! Try these tips against boredom!

Gardening

Gardening is not only good to combat boredom, but also for your body and mind! Working in your garden is a moderate strength and endurance training. Furthermore, your own green paradise makes you happier because you decorate your room, (STUWO) apartment, balcony or garden. You are surrounded by green and feel victorious as you watch your plants grow. If you want to start small, you can try growing kitchen herbs (e.g. cress, basil, mint, parsley).

The STUWO student accommodation Smart Living Graz is a great spot for your gardening adventures in the garden with fruit trees and raised beds. Here are tips for urban gardening and indoor plants!

Learn a new language

A new language opens the door to a completely new culture. The VHS offer numerous affordable language courses for all levels. You can also attend language courses at the Language Learning Centre at the university during semester and during summer break. You can attend many classes online from the comfort of your home! At home you can also use apps such as Babbel or Duolingo for exploring a new language. There is an endless amount of Youtube videos and podcasts to learn the basics of a language.

New music & playlists

New music helps against boredom! Browse through music platforms like Youtube or Spotify and discover new artists, albums, songs and playlists. Create a new playlist that you can really dance to. You could also create your own study playlist. Get some inspiration for a study playlist here!

Off to a binge-watching marathon! ©Adobe Stock

Stream blockbusters & TV series

Nowadays, you can stream thousands of movies and series at any time. A series marathon or movie night is the perfect cure for boring hours. A small snack like popcorn or sweets is the ideal complement. The most popular streaming providers for this are:

Read a book

It can be so easy to dive into a new world! Grab your favourite book or a completely new book that has been on your to-be-read list for a while and discover this new world! If you don’t know what to read, take a look at our book recommendations for students!

Audio books & podcasts

How about an audio book or podcast for a change? Numerous apps and streaming platforms offer audio books of all types and funny, interesting, captivating, educational and varied podcasts to listen to!

Here are the best podcasts for students!

There’s surely still a lot to discover at the museums in your area! ©Adobe Stock

Visiting a museum

Another idea against boredom is a visit to a museum! There are tons of museums in your city to choose from. They offer a varied program with permanent exhibitions, special exhibitions and guided tours! Not only is it fun, but you’ll also learn something!

STUWO tip: If you live in Graz or are visiting the Styrian capital, you should pay a visit to the coolest museums in Graz!

There’s surely still a lot to discover at the museums in your area! ©Adobe Stock

Creative ideas to combat boredom

If you ask yourself what to do if you are bored, we recommend an arts and crafts project. When you dive into your creativity, hours can pass by in a heartbeat. 

Drawing & painting

When was the last time you grabbed your watercolours or pencils and started drawing? Let your imagination run wild. If you need some guidance, look for explanatory videos or online drawing classes.

Making a photo album

Bring beautiful memories into the present by creating a photo album. You don’t need much besides printed photos, an album, some glue and pens. How about making a photo album of your last travel adventure or your study experiences?

Origami

You can fight boredom with only one resource: paper! To fold origami figures, all you need is paper. Ideally, you should use origami paper, but you can also use regular paper if that’s all you have. You can find plenty of instructions on the internet. For visual learners, there are also video tutorials online.

DIY modelling clay

If you don’t have modelling clay at home, you can easily make your own. You only need the following ingredients:

  • 400 grams of flour
  • 200 grams of salt
  • 2 table spoons of citric acid
  • 500 ml boiling water
  • 3 table spoons of cooking oil
  • Liquid food colouring

Mix all ingredients in a big bowl, knead it with your hands until it comes together and done!

Things to do when bored: Cooking & baking

It’s easy to fight against boredom in the kitchen. You will not only have tons of fun and have a wonderful time in the kitchen, but you will have a delicious result at the end!

Make ice cream

You don’t need an ice cream maker to make ice cream at home. You just need a few ingredients and can easily create your own flavours. Let your imagination run free with the thousands of flavours and types of ice cream to try! Here are easy recipes!

Brew your own beer

For beer lovers we have a special boredom buster: brewing your own beer! It’s really easy to brew beer with a brewing kit for at home. If you want to give your beer a personal note, you can start with this basic recipe!

Cooking classes

A cooking class is the perfect cure for boredom! No matter whether you are a complete beginner or a Michelin star cook, a cooking class is fun and ideally delivers an excellent meal! There are numerous cooking classes online or at cooking schools and event centres. Your STUWO common or apartment kitchen offers everything you need for your culinary adventures!

New recipes

If you are not only bored, but also hungry, look for interesting recipes in a cookbook or on the internet. If you prefer to have a fancy drink, there are many cool recipes for coffee, tea and cocktail creations!

How to overcome boredom: Sports & exercise

Sports and movement are things to do when bored! Plus, it’s great for your health and body! Find a sports and form of movement you enjoy!

STUWO tip: We have gathered some tricks to save money when working out!

Going for walks & discovering your area

If boredom takes over your home, get outside! You can discover nearby parks, walk through nature or explore the city or neighbourhood. Maybe you even discover a new café or a nice spot to tan, relax and read! You could also participate in a Free Walking Tour and learn something new about your city.

Fresh air, tasty snacks, and surrounded by nature - what more do you need! ©Adobe Stock

Picnics

If the sun is shining outside and the temperature is comfortable, nothing is stopping you from having a picnic. Grab a blanket or towel, your favourite snacks and find a cosy spot in a park or recreational area. If your friends cannot join you, you can relax outside by yourself. Just bring a book or your headphone for your phone with you!

Yoga

No matter how flexible or experienced in yoga you are, there is a yoga flow for you! You can find your centre with different types of yoga: relaxing yoga, strength yoga, flowing and playful yoga. You only need a yoga or fitness mat, a towel and something to drink. There are online sessions on different apps and platforms.

STUWO tip: Furthermore, you can calm down with these mindfulness exercises!

Dance

Dancing makes you happy and releases endorphins! Play your favourite song and dance or try a dance workout video. You can find these videos on Youtube. If you want to formally learn to dance, you can participate in a dance class in a dancing school. Some dancing schools even offer online classes!

Bicycle, roller skates or skateboard

Another idea to combat boredom: take your bike, roller skates and skateboard for a spin! You not only move your body, but also spend some time outside. Another benefit is that it’s good for your cardio-vascular system and it clears your mind. By the way: Don’t forget your protective gear!

Here are some beautiful biking tours in and around Vienna!

Ideas for boredom: Fun games alone & with friends

Fun and games help against boredom. There are great board and card games that will make the time fly by. If you live alone, we also have games that you can play alone.

Company games

Hours feel like minutes when you’re playing with your friends or family. Board games are not only a great way to pass the time, but they’re also insanely fun. Here are some good board and card games:

  • Cards Against Humanity: fun and creative card game
  • Phase 10: card game for people with strategic thinking
  • Monopoly: the classic board game to build an empire
  • Eclipse: strategic board game
  • Detective: board games for a group of detectives
  • Skip-Bo: ambitious card game

Xbox, PlayStation & Co

If you have a Wii, PlayStation or Xbox at home, you can let your inner child out and play a round of Singstar, Just Dance, Mario Kart or the like! It’s more fun together, so invite your friends and make it a game night.

Doing a puzzle

With puzzles you can spend many hours and put together great pictures. Puzzles come with a wide variety of motifs and in a wide variety of shapes (3D puzzles, 2D puzzles…). It’s not only fun, but also provides moments of success when you solve the puzzle, and it trains your brain.

Escape Room

Are you good at solving puzzles? You can put that to the test in an Escape Room. With a few friends you have to find clues and find your way out of the Escape Room. Nowadays there are Escape Rooms in all major cities. In the meantime, there are also online puzzle tours.

Boredom busters: Making the most of your time

Boring moments are the perfect opportunity to get productive and check off items on your forever-long to-do list. This way, you’ll not only banish boredom, but also get a lot done at the end of the day.

To-Do List

Think about what you have to do in the next day or what you have to do in the next weeks. Are exams and tests coming up that you need to prepare for? Does your apartment need a thorough cleaning? Write down everything you need to do and create a to-do list, ideally with a schedule.

Bucket list

When you’re bored and sitting in your room, take some time to dream and think about what you want to achieve and do in the future. What do you really want to experience? Where would you like to travel to next? What are your goals for the future?

Cleaning & mucking out

Is your closet overflowing? Is your desk drowning in a mess of papers? Does your room look like a bomb exploded? Are dirty dishes piling up in the sink? Then now is the time to tidy up and clean out. You’ll be surprised how much you can get done in a short time.

STUWO tip: Pick your favourite playlist and listen to music while you clean!

Redecorate your balcony

If you have a balcony, you could take some time to make it more homey and pretty. After you’ve cleaned it up a bit, you can add new decorations, plants or furniture! Make your balcony a cosy retreat.

Let your creativity run wild and create amazing DIY projects! ©Adobe Stock

Repair work & DIYs

If you don’t have anything to do at the moment, you could also tackle any repairs. True to the motto “There’s always something to do”, you’re sure to find items that you can repair or polish. To combat boredom, you can also make everyday products yourself. Try out these DIY instructions!

Let your creativity run wild and create amazing DIY projects! ©Adobe Stock

Get on with your studies

Use your boredom wisely to do something for your studies. Read exam-related literature, do homework, write papers, revise lecture notes, and prepare for the next class… This time is well spent and you will be proud that you were so productive. Check out our blog for articles on the Pomodoro Technique, effective study strategies and more!

Check your finances

Turn your time into money. It would be very beneficial if you could get a better overview of your finances. What are your monthly income and expenses? How much do you have left for free time and savings? Are there any expenses you can reduce? Here are tips on how you can easily save money!

Conclusion

When you’re bored, there are thousands of ideas to liven up your day. We’ve already given you some tips here, but you can also let your creativity run free. Think about what you want to do. If you don’t feel like doing anything, just relax and enjoy the fact that you have nothing to do right now! That can also bring you joy.

We hope you have fun finding ideas. 😊

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