Productive Things To Do When You're Bored or Uninspired

Have you been having one too many lazy days recently? Think about how your week went--if the time went by too quickly and then you realized you didn't do much but watch Netflix and eat Doritos, you might be in need of a productivity boost.

But as we all know, it's so hard to get and stay productive for so many reasons -- maybe you have too much to do and don't know where to start. Or you don't really feel like tackling big, important tasks right now. Or perhaps you've been too caught up in daily life and don't remember much about your long-term goals?

Fear not! When feeling bored or unfocused, one of the best ways to get back on track is to start doing something productive. It doesn't have to be the big, scary task you've been avoiding -- it can be just cleaning your room! But once you start doing something, your brain finds it easier to accept, and welcome, the next useful thing you do. And it's easier to move forward from there!

The other benefit of just getting started with some small, productive tasks, is that you feel good about yourself. You lose that sluggish feeling, and your brain starts ticking again!

Here are a few suggestions for productive things to do to get your Success Spirals started!

How to Stay Productive in your Free Time

Tackle the Little Tasks

If you don't want to get on important tasks right now, for example, why not do something small you've been procrastinating on to keep yourself busy? Here are some ideas:

Clear your Inbox

You may have a lot of unanswered or unneeded mails just sitting in your inbox and taking up storage, so why not get to them? Go on a proper read-and-reply or delete spree to clean your inbox and only save emails that are important to you.

If you achieve Inbox Zero, imagine the sense of clarity and peace that comes with it!

Sign Up or Unsubscribe

While going through your emails, you may find a lot of newsletters and ads you don't really want to receive, or perhaps a reminder for a service you've been meaning to sign up to. Take the time to deal with these as suitable. If you know you're not interested, just unsubscribe! Why let them clutter up your inbox?

Clean that Messy Desk or Drawer

We all have that one corner of the house or workspace that is just a mess, which you swear you will get to someday. Perhaps, today is that day? Cleaning up overdue messes can actually be quite therapeutic. So put on your cleaning gloves and tackle that mess to free up some space (and mind space as well!)

Update your Profiles

If social media and networking are a big part of your job, it's important to make sure your online presence is active. But the process itself can be a bit tedious, which is why you put it off. Is your LinkedIn updated? Have you entered your new job and the certificate you've worked for?

The next time you find yourself at a loose end, just consider going online and finally completing your user profile.

Catch Up on the News

Who reads the newspaper anymore, right? But really, if you've heard some tidbits on the world of the latest affairs and want to know more, take a few minutes to get yourself informed -- who knows, the knowledge may come in useful the next time you're trying to impress someone at a party with your understanding of world politics!

Organize for Work-Life Balance

If you have work-filled days and can't keep up, spend that free hour you have to set yourself up for future success! Spend some time installing some organization and management systems into your routine. It'll pay off big dividends and perhaps bring some well-deserved work-life balance into your life!

Make a New Schedule

Instead of just dealing with the flood of daily tasks, practise making daily, weekly, and monthly to-do lists and then create a schedule that makes sense. Tons of productivity apps nowadays come with a scheduling tool and other features like the Pomodoro technique, which makes the process easier too.

Plan and Prepare for Long-Term Goals

Apart from your daily work, you may have some big goals, projects, and other ideas you want to get started on, but don't really know how to go about it. So, why not use your extra time to write down what you want to do and how you would be able to do it? This simple exercise can bring an immense amount of clarity to your life.

Spend Time on Efficiency

Whether it's optimizing your work environment, getting a standing desk, or simply learning how to time yourself better, take steps to help bring in efficiency to your work. Have you been dealing with a broken mouse for weeks -- and haven't fixed it yet? Have you been meaning to buy a tool that will save you hours of work, but haven't actually pulled the trigger yet, because you need to research first?

Spend the extra time you have to get these little things out of the way, and make life easier for Future You!

Get Healthier

It's something we all procrastinate on, but it's important for our productivity and overall well-being. So,  the next time you find yourself with an hour of nothing to do, take it as a sign to start thinking about these points:

Meal Planning

Regular, healthy meals are important to help keep up your energy levels and make sure you stay focused and alert throughout the day. Figure out your ideal diet regime and do some meal prep to make things easy for the workweek! Imagine how good you'll feel when you come back home late on Wednesday night, and your food is already prepped!

Exercise

Get those muscles moving! Hop on the treadmill, lift weights, or do some yoga to clear your mind and get re-energized.

Sometimes, it's even enough if you take the time to get some fresh air. A quick walk around the office or neighborhood, or a longer hike if you have a good amount of time, will help you exercise, reconnect with nature, and break out of the daily work routine.

Physical Activity Classes

If you don't want to work out at home, go to your nearest gym or health center and find some classes that interest you. Not only will this get you exercising, but it also becomes a way to socialize a little and have some fun.

Unleash your Creativity

If you want to spend your free time on something fun, try one of these:

Join a New Hobby Class

Be it cooking, sewing, music, or dancing, trying something new with a group will bring some positivity and fun into your day and also help you develop new skills that can be useful anywhere.

Do some DIY Arts and Crafts

Make your own bird feeder, coaster, or wall mural with DIY kits you can find in any hobby store near you, or online. It's not just fun, but also therapeutic and relaxing!

Redecorate a Room

Turn your bedroom or living room upside down and change its setting to get some novelty and new energy in the house. This could also help you declutter and get your space more organized.

Try New Recipes

Get on YouTube and find a recipe you've never tried before, to build your cooking repertoire and help you make and eat healthy, home-cooked meals. Plus, you get to bask in the glory when your friends can't get enough of your perfect risotto.

Make Photo Albums

You can fit thousands of photos on your phone, but we're not sure it compares to the joy of flipping through carefully curated and decorated photo albums filled with memories of your loved ones. Create one as a treat for yourself and share it with family members and friends.

Dive into Self-Care

Often in pursuit of productivity and progress, we forget to take time for ourselves. If you're at a loose end, treat yourself! Try these suggestions to help you feel good and happy,

Create a New Skin-Care Routine

Make a mask or lotion with naturally soothing and relaxing ingredients and treat yourself to some good skin care. This will not just make your skin feel better but also make sure you sleep well and wake up fresh and ready to tackle the next day.

Start Journaling

Write about your big goals and plans, fears and setbacks, joyous occasions or anything that catches your fancy at any particular moment. Journaling is a good way to get your mind ticking and letting out emotions that make you feel overstimulated or anxious, and improves mental health and wellbeing.

Identify your Good and Bad Habits

Start making a list of things you do that benefit you, and those that can have some adverse impacts. This will probably only take you a few minutes -- but once you have this list, it's a great starting point to build on! You can then make a plan to do away with the bad habits and get better and more consistent with the good ones, to help you reach the best version of yourself.

Meditate and Do Yoga

Breathing exercises and simple yoga can help you refocus, bring down your stress levels, and allow you to approach things with a clearer mindset. Learn some easy exercises you can do anywhere. What better way to spend some extra minutes you have?

Declutter your Physical Space

Remove anything that does not spark joy! Clearing things that you no longer need or want around you will help make you feel better and see things differently.

How BaaS helps you stay productive

If you're inspired by this list, but afraid you won't be able to keep up with it, why not let Boss as a Service help you? Our real, live bosses are trained to keep you accountable to accomplish any goals, projects, or habits you may have by checking in daily, reminding you of your to-do lists, and pushing you to follow through on your intentions! Try BaaS today!

Final thoughts

There are always ways to fill your free time with fun, useful, and productive things that will help you improve your lifestyle and mindset. This is a long list, but it's definitely not all-inclusive. There are lots of things to do and ways of staying productive at home and work instead of wasting time. You can tackle common home tasks, take steps to socialize, and stay in touch with your family and friends, and sometimes the most productive thing to do could be to just stay in a particular moment -- take in your surroundings, read, talk to people with you and enjoy yourself!