101 Ways To Pass The Time

Boredom: we’ve all experienced it in one form or another. The trick is figuring out creative, constructive (and fun!) ways of getting past it. Here’s a list of things that you can do when you’re bored for any reason, like when you’re waiting for something (like a surprise or for someone you love to call or show up) or when you’ve just got nothing to do all day and a lot of time to do it in.


1. Take a walk

2. Type random things into a search engine (like google)

3. Write poetry

4. Spend some time on Stumbleupon

5. Play drums on a table, counter or box. Try to do awesome drum solo type tricks.

6. Teach yourself a few words in another language

7. Design a class that you could teach to show others how to do something you already know how to do.

8. Watch funny/sad/science/ etc. videos online

9. Read a book

10. Go look for butterflies

11. Take pictures of flowers

12. Dance (with or without music)

13. Make yourself a sandwich

14. Lean back and put your feet up on the wall

15. Meditate

16. Call relatives or friends you haven’t talked to in a long time

17. Draw something (even if you don’t normally draw)

18. Clean something

19. Make designs with mustard

20. Do some sit ups or jumping jacks

21. Build (or add to) a blog on a site like Wordpress or Blogger.

22. Experiment in the kitchen and try to create something new

23. Line up empty soda cans and throw rocks at them

24. Teach yourself to type faster.

25. Modify a piece of clothing to make it more awesome

26. Read something passionately to yourself (To be, or NOT TO BE!)

27. Find an online forum where you can meet other people who are bored.

28. Lay on the rug and move yourself around in circles with your feet.

29. Build action and/or sci-fi movie props out of cardboard

30. Check your email inbox relentlessly.

31. Find a stranger to flirt with (even if you don’t think it will go anywhere, it will make them feel good getting the attention.)

32. Give someone a hug.

33. Write a book (This guide shows you how to do it in 8 hours.)

34. Create a series of crazy situations, then diagram out what you would do to escape/overcome them.

35. Dress up a pet.

36. Dream up new ways to use the time when you’re normally bored to make money

37. Create a new invention.

38. Fix something that needs to be fixed.

39. Watch the clock and see how many words you can say in one second.

40. Look around your home and find things to sell or throw away.

41. Contemplate the enormity of space.

42. Tell someone who doesn’t know it that you love them.

43. Find ways to be smarter.

44. Work on improving your natural awareness

45. Make jewelry/necklaces out of whatever you can find.

46. Work on improving your reflexes

47. Stand up for a the rights of a group of people who are being oppressed.

48. Make up new words and give them definitions.

49. Play around on Free Rice

50. Paint something.

51. Draw on yourself

52. Play some free flash games online.

53. Make something out of paperclips

54. Volunteer your time helping people (either at a location or people you know)

55. Teach yourself a new skill (like how to use photoshop or how to play an instrument)

56. Construct creative metaphors

57. Sing and try to hold a note for a long time

58. Join/attend a LARP group

59. Build a time capsule

60. Observe an insect to see what it does and where it goes.

61. Throw a party (or a potluck)

62. Write a letter to someone in government telling them to change something that bugs you.

63. Pick up litter and throw it away.

64. Build a secret passage, cubby, doorway or box of some kind to hide stuff in.

65. Read a piece of classic literature.

66. Visit this sponsor (and help a starving artist in the process!):

67. Create your own RPG or board game.

68. Dig for treasure

69. Put a bunch of words in a bag, box or hat and draw them out at random to make a poem.

70. Research a local urban legend (or create your own!)

71. Interview someone’s grandparents

72. Look for lessons on how to do something on Youtube. Watch and learn!

73. Do some gardening.

74. Come up with a top ten list. The items on it could be anything!

75. Go watch a movie

76. Go somewhere and pretend to seriously believe that all feats of technology are actually MAGIC!

77. Run down the aisles at a store and pretend to be batman

78. Play Kingdom of Loathing (www.kingdomofloathing.com)

79. Do karaoke

80. Write a list of things you like about someone, then leave it where they can find it.

81. Write a list of interesting facts about yourself

82. Put on an alter ego for a while (pretend to be someone else!)

83. Perfect your action roll

84. Go pole vaulting

85. Go sky diving

86. Lay on your chest on a bed, put a fan so it blows at your face, close your eyes and pretend that you’re flying.

87. Teach yourself to juggle

88. Memorize some famous quotes

89. Worship a person who is important to you (in print!) and send it to them.

90. Try to write a story using as few words as possible.

91. Give your voice machine or voicemail a funny new message/greeting.

92. Take an imaginary person on a dinner date. Hilarity ensues.

93. Take a person out to a meal who would really appreciate it.

94. Speak only gibberish for a day

95. Construct a song, a symphony, an opera or any other kind of musical performance.

96. Call a food and/or beverage customer service hotline and ask them why they put high fructose corn syrup in their food/drink.

97. Catch up on much needed paperwork and/or do your taxes early.

98. Take random surveys and quizzes. Post the results publically.

99. Spin around in a chair

100. Make an account/profile on every site like Myspace, Friendster and Facebook that you can find. Play games, add random people and talk to them.

101. Make a list of things to do when you’re bored.