Don’t Ever Feel The Boredom, Here Are What To Do When You Are Bored

Why on earth will you be bored? When There are a lot of productive things

to do when bored. On Quora, user

Visakan Veerasamy proposes the use

of elimination. I took that theory

one step further, expanding to also

include two other types of

activity. Here are some productive

things to do when bored based on

the principles of elimination,

consumption and work.

×Work on your craft

If you don’t feel like doing

something career-related, try

something artistic! Creative

activities like painting or creative

writing could be the

perfect productive things to do

when bored.

Eliminate quick tasks

Even if you don’t have

enough energy for a big task, you

might have enough to do a small

one. Check off items on your to-do

list that can be done quickly like

making a phone call or sending off

an email.

× Consume knowledge

When you’re bored is an opportune

time to learn. Productive things to

do when bored might be to read

how-to books or watch YouTube

tutorials.

× Consume data

Information isn’t the same as

knowledge. Are there names, terms,

dates, statistics or something similar

you need to ingrain in your head?

Studying data is one of the most

productive things you can do when

bored.

× Consume fiction

You have to be careful with this one;

you can’t just watch an episode of

your favorite TV show and call the

time you spent productive. But time

can be well-spent watching or

reading or listening to something

that inspires you.

Eliminate clutter

One of the reasons you’re not as

prolific as you want, may be that

you have too much clutter.

Productive things to do when bored

include tidying up your desk,

removing books you’ll never read

from your bookshelf and deleting

the smartphone apps you never

use. Not only will you have done

some housecleaning, the task might

also give you energy to move on to

the next, bigger task.

.×Eliminate distractions

Is there anything in particular that’s

distracting you? If you’re looking for

productive things to do when bored,

zone in on what specifically

is slowing down your productivity.

Social media is a popular detractor,

for example. Sign out of your social

networks so you can focus on things

that actually matter.

×Eliminate the unnecessary

There are a lot of things in our lives

that might be nice, but are

distractions to our productivity

because they’re not necessary. Find

out what those things are and

remove them from your place of

work.

×Eliminate concerns

Are you worried about something?

Is that concern getting in the way of

your productivity? Deal with

the problems that are keeping you

from spending your time as well as

you should. Examples include tasks

like double-checking your schedule

and sending follow-up emails. By

removing all of your stressors, you’ll

be a lot more prolific.

×Consume culture

By consuming culture not only are

you enriching yourself; you’re also

trying a new experience. Taking part

in activities you haven’t done before

can be very productive things to do

when bored.

×Work on your work

Work is probably the hardest thing

to do when bored, but it’s still

possible to muscle through the

lethargy and get things done. If

you’re unmotivated, remind yourself

that your time best spent is doing

the work that pays your income. A

cash incentive goes a long way

towards productivity.

×Consume non-fiction

Non-fiction is less risky for your

productivity than fiction, but it’s

also a treacherous path. Still,

reading a biography about someone

in your profession or an account of

historical events relevant to your

career can be extremely productive

things to do when bored.

×Work on your mental health

Boredom is often in reality

something akin to anxiety or

depression. Try doing mental

exercises that help you focus on

positive experiences and

mindfulness to alleviate you of what

you’re perceiving as boredom. A few

simple steps towards improving

your mental health can go a long

way, not only towards productivity

but your happiness in general.

×Work on your physical health

If you don’t have a lot of energy to

do something mental, hopefully you

at least have the energy to partake

in a physical activity. Some

productive things to do when bored

are running, walking, biking and

lifting weights. Any kind of exercise

is likely to free you from boredom.

× Work on your emotional health

Is there a personal issue that’s

making it5 Things You Can Do When You re Bored hard for you to be

interested in anything? If so,

address it. You’ll find productivity a

whole lot easier.

Then you’re done for the boredom