How to keep yourself busy at home (31 things to do when are bored)

21.5K

Are you bored yet? Still afraid to go out? Don’t worry, we’ve got your back. Here are several amazing ideas on how to keep yourself busy at home when you can’t leave the house. Yep, we’ve done the leg work for you and assembled a great list of 31 unique things to do when you are bored and stuck at home.

How to keep yourself busy at home

If your bored and stuck at home we’ve got your back. Sure, we love to travel here at the CBoardingGroup but there’s not a lot of that going on these day is there? The kids home, right? The spouse? You’ve loaded up on toilet paper, rice and ammo, but now what?

Read a book

A tried and true method, but why not read a good pick? If you are like us you probably have a stack of unread or half read books on your nightstand. Dust off the covers crack ’em back open. Reading is the OG way to keep busy at home.

Need some inspiration? Here’s something to get you started: 47 Amazing Travel Books.

Watch a movie

If you are trying to keep yourself busy (and not bored) watching a movie is another reliable method to pass the time. Grab the kids, pop some corn, and start the entire Star Wars Series…that’s like 3.4 billion hours of movie!

Binge watch a new show

How to keep busy at home? Binge. Watch. Everything. lol…

There are so many new shows that have recently dropped (or are about to). Ozark hits Netflix in a few days. Homeland recently started up again. Better Call Saul is midway through it’s 5th season.

So much good stuff!

Here are some more ideas: Best NEW Shows to Watch While Not Traveling

Do some crafts with your kids

If your kid is asking, “How do I keep myself busy at home, Dad?” you can always turn to the tried and true method for killing time and having fun: crafts. With crafts you can go as big or little as you want. Maybe it’s just some tape, scissors and paper, or get the paints out. And if you don’t have kids you can still be crafty with yourself or your partner.

Joann’s has lots of great items on sale right now that are perfect for this, as well as a special program where they are helping folks make face masks…supplies are free!

Have a staycation

Financial guru Dave Ramsey loves the idea of a staycation to save money but still enjoy the little things. A great way avoid boredom and keep your mind busy is to plan a staycation. If you can’t travel, you can still make some time and do something fun.

We’ve published several ideas on how to make your backyard staycation awesome this year:

• Best Backyard & Outdoor Water Toys
• The 25 Best Backyard Games for Summer
• How to plan a Backyard Staycation

Start exercising

Stuck at home? Bored? Why not hit the treadmill. Yeah, I know, it’s not as fun as binge watching Better Call Saul…but…hear me out…why not do both at the same time?! Yep, use this time to get back on the exercise machine.

If you are are looking for some sport headphones one sale right, check out our article.

How to be busy at home? Clean! Groan…

We hate to admit it, but when you’re stuck at home and looking for something to do there’s always cleaning. Yup…good ole fashioned cleaning. You won’t love it, but it can help the time pass.

Finally organize that closet

Speaking of cleaning, one thing you can do when you are stuck at home (and need to stay busy) is organize that closet you’ve been ignoring for the last 4 years.

Declutter pretty much anything (Go Kondo!)

It might be time to go straight Marie Kondo on your place. De clutter! A great way to keep yourself busy at home is to declutter pretty much any part of your house.

Find some new blogs to follow

We love reading other blogs and there are so many amazing ones out there. If you like travel bloggers we’ve built a massive list of the best travel bloggers to follow here.

Organize your spotify playlists

Are you playlists a total mess? If they are like most of us, the most definitely are. One interesting way to stay busy and stave off boredom at home is finally dig in and start reorganizing your playlists and music collection. Maybe it’s Apple Music or Spotify, but use the time to get your tunes on point.

PS…Amazon has a special going on right now where you can get 3 months of free Amazon Music.

Listen to a book “on tape”

Sign up for a new Audible membership and start listening to books on tape. Maybe reading isn’t your cup of tea. Most books have an audio companion version which pairs nicely with the closet cleaning we talked about earlier. 🙂

Update your resume & LinkedIn profile

The economy is in a total free fall right now. Will we all have jobs? Hard to say, but why not take the time to update your resume and your LinkedIn profile. Can’t hurt, can it?

Take a class

One amazing and productive way to stay busy at home is to take a class. Finally sign up for that college class you’ve been thinking about, or take a free class from Khan Academy. Be sure to check out how to Become a Disney Imagineer (for free) and other Free Online Courses available now!

Start learning a new language

If you’ve ever wanted to learn a new language now is the time! Sign up for Babbel or Rosetta Stone and start learning Spanish or Italian or Russian.

Dust off that guitar and start watching some YouTube videos

Grab that tired guitar out of the closet, wipe the dust off it and find that bag of picks you have in your drawer. Learning how to play an instrument is a great way to keep yourself busy at home. There are TONS of YouTube videos that teach you how to do it for free!

Build a pillow fort in your living room (works with your kids or just your significant other)

Gather up every single blanket, pillow and sheet in your house and build a massive pillow fort in your living room. Kids love this and it’s a great way to keep yourself busy at home and if don’t have kids, do it with your spouse. We bet it ends up being kinda romantic.

Take a Virtual tour

Many famous museums, zoos and parks offer virtual tours. If you are struggling to find ways to stay busy try killing some time with some of these great tours:

• British Museum of the World
• Musee d’ Orsay in Paris
• Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam
• San Diego Zoo
• Yosemite National Park

Start a blog

There are nearly 32 million bloggers in the United States which means a little more than 1 in 10 people have a blog. Why not add your blog to the fray? It’s incredibly easy to start a blog, but far more difficult for it to be a successful blog. Learn how to start your blog here.

Listen to a great podcast (or 10)

Podcasts are the new radio. Traditional radio is petering out, but podcasts are one of the fasting growing markets in the country. Here’s a few interesting ones:

• RadioLab
• We Travel There
• Miles to Memories (Points & Miles focus)
• How I built this
• Amateur Traveler
• Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend
• Extra Pack of Peanuts

Take a hike, walk or bike ride with your family

We all may be social distancing right now, but that doesn’t mean you can’t kill some time outside of your home. Jump on your bike, or grab your hiking boots and explore the neighborhood around you!

Group facetime with family and friends

Now’s the perfect time to call your mom. Catch up with an old buddy. Do a group chat with your entire family. If you are looking for ways to keep from being bored, talk! Today’s technology allows you to have face-to-face virtual conversations with friends and family.

Catch up on your Fortnite gaming

If I had asked my son how to keep myself busy at home he’d answer with one word: Fortnite. When you are stuck at home, gaming can be a surprisingly fun way to pass the time. And, with facetime, headsets, hangouts and more you can play your game with your friends and family no matter where they are located.

Maybe Fortnite isn’t your jam, but there’s always Minecraft, Call of Duty, Warcraft and so many other great games to play.

Order some more toilet paper (haha!)

You could keep yourself busy by bulk purchasing some more toilet paper. Just saying…but good luck. Most of it’s already gone!

Pick up a side gig on Fivver

Do you have underutilized skills lying dormant? Maybe you are an amazing editor or can churn out copy at a fast pace. Consider picking up some side work on places like Fiver and earn some extra coin while you ride out the quarantine.

Update your stock portfolio (wait…scratch that…don’t even look at it right now!)

Actually, if you have some cash laying around it might be an amazing time to snap up some stocks at bargain prices. We are certainly not financial experts here at the CBoardingGroup, but when it goes low, you buy and when it goes high, you sell.

Lot of stuff low right now…real low.

Start a YouTube channel

Feeling bored? Why not start a YouTube Channel. It’s free and it could make you some serious money. 8 year old YouTuber Ryan’s World earned over 26 million dollars in 2019. Wait, what?? Was that 26 MILLION? Yep. You probably won’t earn that much, but you could kill some time and who knows maybe you could make a few bucks. Guess what…there’s a YouTube video on how to start a YouTube channel:

Learn how to draw

Drawing is surprisingly harder than you might think. However, there’s hope! Buy a book on learning how to draw, or watch a great video on YouTube like this one:

Detail your car

If you are like me, your car is not always the cleanest one of the block. A great way to keep busy at home is to detail your car. I am not talking about just cleaning it, I am talking about detailing it. You know…get a toothbrush and start scrubbing the air vents clean. It’s hard work, but very rewarding when it is all done. That is until your kids spills his Frosty all over the seats again.

Build something

If you find yourself bored at home and looking for more creative ways to pass the time, go get some inexpensive wood from Lowes or Home Depot and build a birdhouse. We ordered this book from Amazon which had all kinds of interesting birdhouse ideas.

If birds ain’t your game, then build something else like a book shelf, or frame, who knows…get creative. Here’s something to inspire you:

Learn how to cook

Learning how to cook is one of the best ways to stay busy at home. Cooking isn’t that hard and with all of the cooking videos and blogs available these days it’s never been easier.

Summary: 31 things to do when you are stuck at home

Here’s a summary of our 31 things to do when you are stuck at home. Feel free to print it out and hang it on your fridge!

1. Read a book
2. Watch a movie
3. Binge watch a new show
4. Do some crafts with your kids
5. Have a staycation
6. Start exercising
7. Clean!
8. Finally organize that closet
9. Declutter pretty much anything (Go Kondo!)
10. Find some new blogs to follow
11. Organize your spotify playlists
12. Listen to a book “on tape”
13. Update your resume & LinkedIn profile
14. Take a class
15. Start learning a new language
16. Dust off that guitar and start watching some YouTube videos
17. Build a pillow fort in your living room (works with your kids or just your significant other)
18. Take a Virtual tour
19. Start a blog
20. Listen to a great podcast (or 10)
21. Take a hike, walk or bike ride with your family
22. Group facetime with family and friends
23. Catch up on your Fortnite gaming
24. Order some more toilet paper (haha!)
25. Pick up a side gig on Fivver
26. Update your stock portfolio (wait…scratch that…don’t even look at it right now!)
27. Start a YouTube channel
28. Learn how to draw
29. Detail your car
30. Build something
31. Learn how to cook

Stuck at Home and need more things to do?

If the preceding list of things to do at home when you are bored doesn’t suit your fancy (or you’ve blown through them already) here’s a few other ideas:

• Coronavirus Memes – why not laugh?
• 7 Creative Ways to Travel When You Can’t Leave Your House
• Best New Shows to Watch while NOT traveling (plus some deep cuts)
• Practical advice for leading a team remotely during a crisis
• 17 Tips on Successfully Working from Home

Beyond that…you are going to have to go full Mad Max is the world doesn’t get our stuff together!

Thanks and now you know how to keep urself busy at home!

Who knows who long this current crisis will last, but now you will be prepared with several creative ways to keep yourself busy at home! Good luck, be safe and stay busy!

Like many of us, you are probably struggling to find your new normal. Perhaps you’ve done that and are simply bored. We’ve got your back. Here’s a ton of recent content that revolves around what’s facing us today, including working from home ideas, what to watch, things to read, and how to avoid boredom. Enjoy.