Are you feeling bored or stuck in a rut? Or maybe you’ve fallen into a routine of work, home, and sleep, and you’re itching to break out and find fun, adventurous things to do? We all get bored occasionally, but what can you do about it, and where do you start? Here are 101 ideas of fun everyday things anyone can do to shake off our boredom and inject excitement into our life.
What is boredom, and why it’s good for you
There’s no shame in feeling bored. Boredom is a universal feeling everyone experiences at some point in their lives.
The biggest problem with feeling bored is that it can lead to apathy and detachment from life, like you’re just going through the motions without any real purpose or passion. This can be incredibly depressing and make finding motivation or meaning in daily activities difficult.
Although boredom is often seen as a negative emotion or state of mind, it can actually be a blessing in disguise. Here are a few reasons why:
- Creativity: When we’re bored, our brains are more likely to wander and make connections between seemingly unrelated ideas. This can lead to increased creativity and problem-solving skills.
- Reflection: Boredom can provide an opportunity to reflect on our lives and priorities. It can give us the space we need to think deeply about our values and goals, and make changes to align our actions with them.
- Appreciation: When we’re constantly occupied and stimulated, it’s easy to take things for granted. Boredom can help us appreciate the simple pleasures in life, like spending time with loved ones or enjoying nature.
- Relaxation: Sometimes, boredom can be a signal that we need to slow down and take a break from our busy lives. By embracing boredom and taking time to rest and recharge, we can reduce stress and improve our overall well-being.
While boredom may not always feel good in the moment, it can ultimately be a beneficial experience that helps us grow and appreciate life in new ways.
Boredom is a sign of another root problem.
Some of the greatest thinkers in the history of humanity have tried to solve the puzzle of boredom, including Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard (1813–1855), who had a lot to say about boredom.
In his book “Either/Or,” Kierkegaard wrote that “boredom is the root of all evil,” but Kierkegaard wasn’t suggesting that boredom is a bad thing in itself but a symptom of our inability to find meaning and purpose in life.
If we confront boredom head-on and explore its underlying causes, Kierkegaard believed that boredom could be a catalyst for personal growth and self-discovery and a means to find deeper meaning in life and unlock our full potential.
So while boredom may not be pleasant, it’s usually a sign of another root problem which are unique to each individual and not always easy to describe or identify.
- Sometimes boredom is a fleeting response to a circumstance, like waiting in a long line, sitting through a long meeting, or watching a dull movie.
- Sometimes boredom is a symptom of your ongoing existential crisis (what does it all mean?), like something, is missing or that your life lacks meaning.
- Boredom might result from unfulfilled aspirations like a dead-end job with nothing to do with your passions or interests.
- Sometimes you can feel bored and unmotivated by activities you used to enjoy, which can be a call to explore new interests and passions or push yourself out of your comfort zone.
- Restlessness or a sense of being stuck in a rut
How to eliminate boredom, according to Kierkegaard
The rotation method
One of Søren Kierkegaard’s solutions to combat boredom was something he called the”rotation method.”
Kierkegaard used the analogy of crop rotation in agriculture to explain his method of addressing boredom.
Just as farmers alternate the type of crops they plant in a field to prevent the depletion of nutrients in the soil, Kierkegaard suggested that people should seek out new experiences and activities to prevent the depletion of interest and meaning in our lives. This way, we can continuously discover new and exciting experiences that keep us engaged and fulfilled without needing to change the core of who we are.
His method of rotation encouraged going deep with intensity rather than wide.
Examples of the rotation method to overcome boredom.
While Kierkegaard’s rotation method is most commonly associated with matters of the heart and relationships, the concept can also be applied to other areas of life.
Like a performer that needs to keep an eye on each spinning plate and avoid letting any of them fall, the rotation method encourages individuals to pay attention to different areas of their life and prioritize them at different times.
Here are a few examples:
- Work: Some companies practise something called “Job Rotation.” It’s a practice where management moves employees between two or more jobs or assignments at regular intervals to reduce the boredom employees experience from doing the same job every day and to explore an employee’s hidden potential.
- Relationships: Instead of breaking up or seeking out an affair, you could use the rotation method to introduce new experiences and excitement into your relationship. Take up a new hobby together, plan surprise dates to new restaurants, take dance classes together, etc.
- Food: If you’re bored cooking the same type of food daily, mix things up and learn to cook different ethnic foods.
- Health and exercise: Exercise can get monotonous and boring: Mixing in new routines, such as yoga and pilates, during the week can keep you motivated.
- Travel: Instead of always visiting the same destinations or taking the same types of trips, you can use the rotation method to explore different parts of the world and have varied travel experiences. This can help you broaden your horizons and prevent travel burnout.
- Hobbies: Instead of sticking to one hobby or activity, you can use the rotation method to try out different hobbies and interests. This can help you discover new passions and prevent boredom in your free time.
- Socializing: Instead of constantly spending time with the same group of friends or engaging in the same social activities, you can use the rotation method to meet new people and try new things, which can help expand your social circle and prevent social burnout.
The possibilities are endless, and the key is to be open to new experiences, step out of your comfort zone, and strike a balance between the excitement of new experiences and the stability of established routines.
Leap of faith method
Kierkegaard also suggested another solution to boredom, called the “leap of faith.”
This solution involves taking a risk and committing to a particular belief, faith or way of life, even if it goes against reason and logic, which consists in accepting something as true or real without fully understanding or being able to prove it.
Kierkegaard believed that this leap of faith could help someone find the motivation and inspiration necessary to overcome boredom, achieve personal growth, and have a sense of purpose and meaning in life, which could help overcome feelings of boredom and despair.
This method can be applied in various life situations where one must decide based on limited information or uncertainty.
Examples of taking a leap of faith to overcome boredom:
- Relationships: Taking a leap of faith and trusting your feelings and intuition rather than relying solely on logic and reason. For example, deciding to pursue a relationship with someone despite not knowing where it may lead or what the future holds.
- Spirituality and religion: Taking a “leap of faith” in situations can involve accepting certain beliefs or practices based on one’s intuition or religious teachings.
- Choosing a career path: If you don’t have a clear idea of what you want to do with your life or what career path to choose, making a “leap of faith,” decision can involve trusting your instincts, passions, or interests and pursuing a career path that aligns with them.
- Creative endeavours: Taking a “leap of faith” can mean trusting and pursuing your artistic vision, even if it may not be immediately accepted or understood by others.
Everyday adventure ideas to combat boredom.
Here is a list of 101 simple adventures anyone can do to beat that boredom and get out of your rut.
Food Adventures
- Make your own cheese
- Try a food you’ve never tried before.
- Go mushroom foraging.
- Attend local food, wine or music festivals
- Make your own beer, wine or spiced rum.
- Learn to cook every recipe in your favourite cookbook.
- Learn to sign (ASL or another language)
- Become a connoisseur of wine
- Go vegan once a week or for a week at a time.
- Change your eating habits: detox or fast for 24, 48 or 72 hours drinking only water.
- Make an herb garden.
- Grow your own tomatoes or veggies.
- Learn to make sushi.
- Start urban foraging.
- Eat pancakes or cepes for dinner.
Language Adventures
- Teach people English online
- Learn French or another language and then travel to that country.
- Gamify learning a foreign language by downloading a language learning app.
- Learn to read Braille.
Activities and Travel Adventures
- Look for a new job (in another country)
- Take a virtual visit: Here is the Chateau Versaille virtual visit
- Apply for citizenship through descent to another country
- Get a second passport.
- Take a train somewhere, anywhere.
- Go glamping or camp in your backyard.
- Travel somewhere where they speak another language.
- Volunteer abroad in exchange for free room and board. Workaway is an excellent place to start looking.
- Take a day trip to a nearby town or city.
- Try geocaching.
- Go to an amusement park or theme park.
- Host a couch surfer or become a couch surfer
- Go to a new venue: jazz bar, karaoke bar, hookah lounge?
- Go to a museum
- Go to the circus: see the Cirque du Soleil.
- Go to a concert, musical or play.
- Take a midnight bike ride with friends or family (bring a flashlight)
- Watch a foreign film in another language you’re learning.
- Learn calligraphy
- Make a bucket list of places you want to visit and a plan to do it.
Craft and Hobby Adventures
- Build something
- Start crafting: Go to Pinterest.com and search for inspiration.
- Learn to weld and make something useful
- Learn to play an instrument (violin, ukelele, guitar, piano)
- Learn to take beautiful pictures
- Learn to sew your own clothes
- learn to crochet or knit
- Learn to play
chess - Learn to play mahjong
- Make a terrarium
Health, Beauty Adventures
- Start a capsule wardrobe in a preppy, hipster style, à la Française?
- Change your look, your haircut, hair colour etc.
- Go to a spa: get a facial or massage.
Fitness Adventures
- Ride your bike to work
- Take up kickboxing, tai chi or karate
- Take up jogging
- Set a workout goal. (lose 10 pounds, 100 pushups, do the splits or a handstand)
- Go to the driving range and hit a bucket of balls
- Learn to meditate (it’s more complicated than it looks)
- Become certified in yoga, Zumba or scuba diving for the hell of it.
- Learn to dance a particular style (belly dancing, salsa, swing, hip hop)
- Take up hiking
Games, Hobby and Activity Adventures
- Learn the driving rules of another country and then go there.
- Learn to fly a drone and become a drone photographer
- Become an author: Start writing a book
- Learn to solve a Rubik’s cube
- Learn how to build a computer
- Learn to identify all the birds in your backyard
- Learn and find constellations like the big dipper
Learning, Education and Personal Development Adventures
- GET TEFL certified and teach English in another country
- Learn to sing.
- Find a cause you’re passionate about and get involved.
- Read the entire Bible or Koran.
- Learn to write with your other hand
- Get a second degree by going to night college or earn it online.
- Make a goal to read more books and leave reviews for others online.
- Become a history buff of anything
- Join a book club
- Learn HTML
- Become an expert at something
Work and Entrepreneurial Adventures
- Become an internet entrepreneur
- Find a mentor to help you do something you want to do.
- Join a mastermind group
- START A BLOG about something you’re passionate about! Like I did.
- Apply for a job in another country
- Take a career break or gap year and do something worthwhile.
- Change careers even if you don’t know what to do.
Relationship and Friendship Adventures
- Write a love letter to someone you love
- Call someone you haven’t heard from or spoken to in a while. Maybe plans to meet.
- Send a care package to someone
- Go skinny dipping with someone (or alone)
- Find a
pen pal and write handwritten letters to each other. - Plan something special for someone just because
Other Adventures
- Make an entertaining answering machine message.
- Take a walk through a graveyard at night.
- Carve your names in a tree.
- Donate blood
- Get a them-inspired tattoo, or get a French-inspired tattoo.
- Organize and declutter your home, then sell your things at a flea market or garage sale.
- Find religion
- Try some Pinterest hacks
- Adopt a pet- Rescue a dog or cat from an animal shelter.
Wrapping up adventurous things to do every day
Don’t wait for life to come to you. Take action and find meaningful experiences that bring joy and excitement to your everyday life. Whether trying a new hobby, exploring a new place, or learning a new skill, approach each adventure passionately and enthusiastically.
Life is short, so make the most of it by seeking out new and adventurous things to do every day and by finding opportunities to grow and thrive.
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