Let’s face facts. After more than a year of living with a global pandemic, boredom is a real factor in our overall well-being. Many are frustrated with remote work and missing the socialization that comes from working in an office. People have watched all their favorite movies and television shows repeatedly and want something new.
1. Find a new hobby on YouTube
If there is something you’ve ever been remotely interested in attempting for a hobby, someone likely has created a YouTube video on it. A member of my family, who showed zero interest his entire life in this hobby, recently took up painting. Not only is he enjoying it, but he is also surprisingly talented.
While I’ve always loved sketching and doodling, even my wife recently began exploring drawing to combat her boredom. She never considered this idea before and is learning and expanding her horizons with this new hobby. You may uncover a hidden talent of your own!
2. Learn to appreciate quiet
In a world where we are constantly stimulated with our phones, tablets, televisions, and computers, we sometimes forget to power down. Turning off devices can be a frightening thing, especially when talking about how to stop being bored. Is that not contradictory?
Combat your boredom by gradually reducing the noise around you.
- Turn the volume down on the television.
- Put your phone in silence mode.
- Listen to nature sounds through an app (but don’t use your device while listening to the nature sounds).
3. Alter your routine
Changing up the order you do things, even when you do something slightly different, can make a difference in how you feel. If you always get up at 7:15 am, shower, get dressed, etc., in the same order. Even something as small as showering, then brushing your teeth, or vice versa, can alter your day. Or when you first get up, if you don’t usually exercise until later in the day, walk around your room a few times, dance a little, or practice a few arm stretches to shake things up.
4. Stop multi-tasking/switch-tasking
I am a massive fan of getting things done as efficiently and quickly as possible. I love having multiple projects and tasks to switch back and forth between them when my brain wants to work on one thing more than the other. But prolonging your activities can help ease some of your boredom.
Let’s say you usually check your email, schedule your day, and review phone messages in the first 30 minutes of your day. With these tasks, you likely switch back and forth between them.
Alternate Method
- Scan emails only (quickly reading for essential messages you’ll need to address that day)
- 15 minutes
- Review phone messages (no calls – prioritize who you need to call first)
- 5 minutes
- Schedule your day (besides meetings already in your calendar, what tasks and projects will you do at what times?)
- 10 minutes
Following this method of completing one task before moving onto another will likely feel strange at first. However, it can help you stay focused and not feel scattered or bored as you begin your day.
5. Set a time limit on social media scrolling
Part of why we feel bored is because we are overstimulated. Our mind is continually taking in new information and is exhausted. I love the funny cat videos, but it can feel overwhelming when I spend too much time on social media. Set a timer on your smartphone or smartwatch, and then when the timer goes off, stop scrolling. If that idea is too much of a stretch, you can do this multiple times a day as long as you do other things in between your social media time!
Our lives are forever changed since the pandemic began but we adapted to that global change, we can adjust further and find new, healthy alternatives to handling boredom. When we take care of our boredom, it makes it easier for our friends and family to feel calmer and happier (plus likely are not irritating them!)
About the Author: Michelle Forsyth pivoted from executive assistant and manager in various industries, including oil and gas, home construction, and a financial institution, to become a successful virtual technical assistant, only to shift again to her real purpose of coaching women with their productivity and to share their voices with the world with their unique books.