If you’re the kind of person who gets bored easily, it can be difficult to find ways to pass the time.
You could always settle for just scrolling through your phone, but why not try some activities that are a little more interesting?
The good news is, there are plenty of things you can do at night when bored. So next time you find yourself with nothing to do, here are some suggestions:
Budget
If you’re bored at night and want to get ahead, you may want to spend your time working on your budget. You could go over your expenses for the last month, find ways to save money, or even look for ways to earn more money.
Phone a friend
If you’re out of ideas, don’t worry. It is time to reach out to your friends and see what they are doing. A friend might be having a party or could even come over and help you figure out what there is to do. You can even call someone who lives in another state to catch up on life.
Make yourself something to eat
Sometimes we’re just too lazy to make our own food, but when you’ve got nothing else to do, why not make something? Cooking can be fun and relaxing – it’s almost like therapy! You can spoil yourself with the dish of your choice that night, or you can make some delicious leftovers for the rest of the week. Why not try cooking a new recipe? You never know when you might discover your next favorite meal!
Take Pictures Of The Night Sky
Go outside and take pictures of the night sky. You don’t have to be an expert photographer, but hey – maybe you’ll get lucky and catch a meteor shower or two. If you love taking pictures or if you’re an amateur photographer looking for some practice, this is the perfect opportunity for you.
Watch TV
You could watch something on Netflix or Hulu and relax while doing so. If there are any shows that have been recommended to you but never got around to watching, now would be a good time.
Read a book
Do you have any books in your home that need reading? Have they been waiting for long enough? Reading will help improve your imagination and also allow for some alone time when everyone else is asleep.
Learn how to save money
A lot of people have trouble saving money. However, if you make saving a priority, it’s easier than you think. It can be as simple as putting away $5 or $10 out of every paycheck or making an automatic withdrawal from your checking account every month.
Play video games
Video games are a great way to keep your mind busy and have some fun at the same time! If you don’t have any video games in your home already then consider buying one from Amazon or another store online where they sell used copies for cheap prices.
Decorate your space
If you’ve been meaning to find a place for that new painting or rearrange the furniture, the night is the perfect time to do it. It can be relaxing to arrange things just so, but even if you don’t love rearranging your space, you’ll certainly enjoy the finished product—plus, you can sit back and admire your work when the job is done.
Start a side hustle
If you’re already doing all of the above but still have some free time to spare, you could use it as an opportunity to earn extra income. You could even use the time to start a business.
If you’d like to learn how to start a side hustle, check out our guide on making money from home.
Rearrange a bookshelf
Bookshelves can be used for more than just displaying books — they’re also great for decorating your space. If you’re feeling inspired, take some time at night to rearrange yours into something that makes you happier when you see it every day.
Read any financial book
Learning how to manage money is one of the most important things you can do in life. You don’t need to finish it in one night — make it a goal to read a chapter or two each night until you finish. Then move on to another one.
Do all your laundry
Get all your dirty clothes together, sort them out by color, wash them, dry them, fold them, and put them away. This is something we all have to do anyway — so if you find yourself with nothing else to do, it may as well get done now.
Deep clean the house
Do all those little cleaning tasks that never seem to make it onto your regular cleaning schedule. Wipe down baseboards, shower doors, light switches, doorknobs, dust ceiling fans, and window blinds, and clean out the junk.
Organize your closets
Most people wear only 20% of their clothing 80% of the time, so chances are good that there are items taking up space that you don’t need anymore. If that’s the case, it’s time to purge those clothes and donate them to charity. If it’s too late at night for that, set up a box in the corner and add to it throughout the week until you have enough to donate.
Improve your resume
You always want to update your resume whenever something positive happens — an award at work, extra certifications, etc. But even if nothing has happened recently, just making sure everything looks right on there (spelling errors and formatting) will help put your mind at ease when it’s time to look for another job.
Clean out your medicine cabinet
Cleaning out the medicine cabinet isn’t exactly thrilling, but it’s one of those chores that is always on your to-do list and never gets done. But don’t put it off! It’s necessary to clean out the medicine cabinet so that expired medications don’t get mixed in with your current ones.
Play with your pet
If you have a pet, spend some time playing with him or her! Whether you play fetch or just sit and pet them (or both), you’ll be glad to have some company, and so will your pet.
Call someone and chat on the phone
Sometimes it feels like you’re the only person on earth who ever gets bored at night, but if you call a friend or family member, they might be able to keep you company for a while. You can talk about anything from funny things that happened during the day to what each of you did over the weekend.
Curate your Instagram feed by unfollowing anyone who doesn’t inspire you
If you have an Instagram addiction, you probably spend a lot of time mindlessly scrolling through your feed. The problem is that it’s easy to get caught in a cycle of following people based on recommendations and end up with a feed that just doesn’t inspire you.
Sometimes, the best thing for your soul is to hit the unfollow button on someone who isn’t really resonating with you anymore. If their posts no longer resonate with your interests, then it’s time to give yourself a break from their content.
Organize the pantry
Sort through everything and toss expired spices, sauces, and condiments. Check the dates on canned goods, too.
Organize your refrigerator
Throw out any expired condiments and produce you don’t intend to use soon. Wipe down shelves (and bottles of condiments) with a sponge dampened with soapy water.
Learn a new language
Whether you’re looking to become a polyglot or just want to pick up a few new phrases for your next vacation, there’s no better time than the present. The Internet is full of free language learning tools and tons of apps that can help you get started.
Try out an investment calculator
If investing is something that has been on your mind lately but you’re not sure where to start, an investment calculator can help you figure out how much money you should be putting away each month to hit your retirement goals.
Do some yoga or meditation
You don’t have to be a yogi or a meditation master to reap the benefits of these powerful mindfulness practices. Just a few minutes of either can help you feel calmer, sleep better, stay focused, and even make you happier.
Learn how to knit or crochet
You can make all sorts of things with these skills: scarves, hats, blankets, stuffed animals, etc. It’s a useful skill to have and it keeps you busy. You can even sell what you make online or at craft fairs to make some money.
Start an emergency fund
I know this might seem like something that could wait until tomorrow, but honestly, why not now? Start small with just a $20 deposit and then start increasing it.
Exfoliate your body
We all love a good exfoliation every once in a while because our skin needs to be refreshed from time to time. So grab your favorite scrub and give yourself a good scrub down. This can be relaxing and it will make your skin feel soft.
Go through some old photos
There is nothing better than looking through old photos, especially if they are of you and your friends or family.
Meal plan for the week
Figure out what meals you’re going to make during the week so that you don’t have to come up with things on the spot when dinnertime comes around. This will save time.
