One of the main problems most of us face on a daily basis is boredom.  We sit at home, with nothing to do, and stare at a wall while trying to think of something to do.  Most of the time, our minds run blank and we get nothing, but there are a ton of different things to do.

You can listen to, and discover new kinds of music.  If your taste in music only consists of one specific genre, you’re missing out on a whole world of amazing music.  Although you may be comfortable staying within one genre, if you only listen to that type of music, you’ll never discover anything new.  That would be like me saying “French fries are my favorite food, so I’m only going to eat french fries for the rest of my life.”  The most common ways to gain access to new music are through different apps and on the radio.  With all of the new apps that are emerging, the radio is becoming an underrated music source.  But in reality, the radio is the easiest place to discover.  With the push of a button, you can move from genre to genre.  And if you hear a song you like, but don’t know the name of, Shazam is your best friend (as long as you’re not driving).  Shazam can tell you the name of any song, tv show, or movie all you have to do is push a button, hold your phone up to the sound, wait a couple seconds, and the name of the song and the artist(s) will appear on your screen.

You can find new TV shows to watch, or just re-watch the classics.  Watching TV is probably one of the most popular ways to pass time.  It requires little to no thought and is easy to get lost in.  Streaming services are gaining popularity among people of all age groups.  Netflix is, of course, the most well known of the bunch and has thousands of shows and movies to choose from.  Finding new shows is as easy as looking at the shows that are recommended for you.  Within that list, try to look for shows you’ve never heard of.  Or, you can simply search a show that one of your friends recommends.  I normally think that friend recommendations are the way to go, because we tend to gravitate toward people with interests similar to our own, meaning that they’ll most likely recommend something you’ll enjoy.

Cooking is always an option.  Cooking is something that can cure anyone’s boredom.  If you’re one of those people that’s a fire hazard whenever you get within three feet of an oven, don’t cook alone.  A great place to get recipes is the app/website Tastemade.  If you’re too lazy to download the app or look for the website, Tastemade also has a Snapchat story.
For each dish, they have a video tutorial, and a written recipe.  They have a wide variety of unique recipes from desserts to full meals.  I have personally made plenty of dishes I found on the app, and all of them have been wonderful.  My favorites are the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cups, No-Bake Brownies, and S’mores Kebabs.

Don’t ever discard writing as an option.  For most students, the thought of writing is a nightmare.  In school, the word “write” is a precursor for the word “essay”.  Writing an essay is almost always a chore.  I don’t know a single person who actually wants to spend their free time writing a three page synthesis essay about whether or not the American Dream is still attainable.  After being told to write a certain way for so many years, the “rules” that our teachers live by have become the standard guideline that most students follow for everything they write, but it doesn’t have to be.  Writing isn’t always a form of torture assigned by the English teachers; it’s a form of expression, a great way to pass time, and oddly therapeutic.  I believe that short stories and poetry allow the most freedom.  For short stories I have found that fiction is the most interesting way to go; you are able to turn a single thought or sentence, no matter how illogical, into an entire universe.  While with poetry, I have found that taking scenarios from your everyday life not only allows your thoughts to flow, but also makes the final product more powerful.  If you get writer’s block, Google will be your new best friend.  Just searching “poetry/story ideas” yields millions of results.

Although most people prefer tv, reading is also a fantastic option.  There are millions of books in circulation throughout the world, and a plethora of different ways to access them, whether you read the hard copy, the digital version, or listen to the audio book.  I like to think of reading a book as watching a movie in your head.  It pulls you out of your life and throws you into someone else’s.  A few of the books on the New York Times Best Sellers list are The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins, The Woman In Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware, and The Girl With The Lower Back Tattoo by Amy Schumer.

Playing video games is also a fun option.  My personal knowledge about video games is limited.  The most I know is how to kick a tree in GTA for 30 minutes straight, and I can’t even do that very well.  Aside from my struggles, video games are appreciated more now than they ever have been before.  They serve as a way to escape the physical world around you, as well as a way to let your mind to go completely blank while focusing on a “mindless” task.  If you’re normally not very into video games, there’s this great new thing called the app store.  There are thousands of games to choose from, so there is definitely something for everyone.  One of my personal favorite games is Infinity Loop, which is like a puzzle game.  

Although most people normally prefer video games, board games are definitely still an option!  Due to technological advances and all of the games we have at our fingertips at all times, board games and card games tend to fly under the radar.  Yes, the games on our phones and our computers are fun, but sometimes you need to peel your eyes away from the screens.  If you have enough enthusiasm, the games we used to play as children are just as fun now as they were then.  You have a whole new understanding about why the games are the way they are.  As time goes on, the games we consider to be the “classics” from our childhood gain competition as new games are created.   Some of my favorites are Clue, Slamwich, Sorry, and Peanut Butter and Jelly.

If you’re really feeling creative, get into art.  Art is a way of expressing who you are and how you feel in a certain moment.  Art comes in various different forms
such as photography, drawing, painting, sculpting, music, and many more.  When I’m bored, I like to doodle 3D shapes and make weird designs all over everything (even the walls).  My two favorite 3D things to draw are cubes, and hands.  But, the possibilities don’t stop there.  You can do potato stamping, origami, or even make your own bath bombs!

Boredom is an inconvenience, but you don’t have to let it take over your world.  Just find something to do!