How do you battle boredom?

[WarKitty]

I'm hitting the point where I'm bored and want to get out of the house more, but I'm not sure what to do. Here's my issues:

- I can't really afford to spend money on what's simply hobbies. I need every penny of that right now.
- I can't commit to volunteering - if I felt I could commit to something like that, it would be something I could earn money at.
- Organized physical activity is not my thing.
- Anything with loud music is also not my thing, unless the goal is to give me a headache.

I could, in theory, sit around the house playing video games and reading all day, but that's not really a good idea. And I'm kind of getting bored with crafts, to be honest - I really want something that's not me sitting by myself.

[NontheistCleric]

Of course, this is personal preference, but when I feel bored and I don't want to be in the house I usually just go on long journeys to nowhere in particular. I usually have some excuse like returning a book to a faraway library or something like that but to be completely honest it's secondary.

The journeys allow me to explore new places, which is something I enjoy, and since I live in a city I find it really interesting to see those little snippets of others' lives that are visible when you pass by. For some reason I also seem to encounter a lot of clueless people who need help figuring how to use automated ticket machines at train stations. Always fun.

I don't know how much that corresponds to your own ideas of what is not boredom, but it's all I have to offer in response to the question in the thread title.

[WarKitty]

Of course, this is personal preference, but when I feel bored and I don't want to be in the house I usually just go on long journeys to nowhere in particular. I usually have some excuse like returning a book to a faraway library or something like that but to be completely honest it's secondary.

The journeys allow me to explore new places, which is something I enjoy, and since I live in a city I find it really interesting to see those little snippets of others' lives that are visible when you pass by. For some reason I also seem to encounter a lot of clueless people who need help figuring how to use automated ticket machines at train stations. Always fun.

I don't know how much that corresponds to your own ideas of what is not boredom, but it's all I have to offer in response to the question in the thread title.

It sounds interesting but I'm not sure how practical it is given where I live. The city I'm in isn't really a walking city - the actual downtown area is very small, maybe 2 or 3 streets. Everything else is very spread out.

[Palanan]

How about going for a bike ride? If where you live is spread out, then there may be bicycle trails, or at least extensive neighborhoods where you can go for a spin.

I love cycling and do my best to get out when I can. It’s healthy and fun, and I find that I can get work done on stories and background by just letting my mind wander as I ride. I usually carry a pen so I can jot down notes as concepts come to me.

This also lets me get in some impromptu birding, and in the evenings I’ll often see a fox or two down certain side streets, not to mention listening to frogs and cicadas, which I love. Cycling puts me outside where I can be part of the world.

[pendell]

I'm hitting the point where I'm bored and want to get out of the house more, but I'm not sure what to do. Here's my issues:

- I can't really afford to spend money on what's simply hobbies. I need every penny of that right now.
- I can't commit to volunteering - if I felt I could commit to something like that, it would be something I could earn money at.
- Organized physical activity is not my thing.
- Anything with loud music is also not my thing, unless the goal is to give me a headache.

I could, in theory, sit around the house playing video games and reading all day, but that's not really a good idea. And I'm kind of getting bored with crafts, to be honest - I really want something that's not me sitting by myself.

Have you considered some of the crowdsourced science projects at zooniverse ? There are a bunch of different projects to tackle from your computer. Discover extrasolar planets. Transcribe Greek texts. Track and identify giraffes.

There's something interesting for everyone, and since it's all volunteer, there's no need to commit to anything. Just sign in, do something, then sign out. It's perfect for a person with little time and resources. If I was retired or unable to work, I'd definitely be putting in time on something like this.

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[WarKitty]

I think something that gets me off my rear and out of the house would be preferred? But those tend to cost money.

[Palanan]

Bicycling.

Technically still sitting down (unless you’re in a recumbent) but definitely out of the house, breathing fresh air and engaged in some solid exercise—which doesn’t even feel like exercise.

[pendell]

I think something that gets me off my rear and out of the house would be preferred? But those tend to cost money.

Walking , then? Just explore your neighborhood. That's also something I do.

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[WarKitty]

Walking , then? Just explore your neighborhood. That's also something I do.

Respectfully,

Brian P.

Possible, but to be honest there's only so much I can take of staring at suburbia, so something a little more repeatable would be nice.

[Palanan]

Is there a park near you? Some place with trails you could walk?

You don't seem to like the bicycling idea, since you haven't responded to that, but maybe you'd prefer a woodsy trail rather than suburbia. I certainly do.

[WarKitty]

Is there a park near you? Some place with trails you could walk?

You don't seem to like the bicycling idea, since you haven't responded to that, but maybe you'd prefer a woodsy trail rather than suburbia. I certainly do.

I totally didn't notice your previous post. Bicycling might be worth it. But I think I'm looking for something more...occupying? Physical activity for me after about 15-20min tends to be "I am so incredibly bored and it's miserable out, I want to do something else now."

[JeenLeen]

I think it takes some mental discipline (or just practice... er, getting into the habit might be a better phrasing), but walking or bicycling coupled with some sort of meditation could be good. If you're religious, prayer or divine/theological contemplation could be good. If not, just something you enjoy thinking about. Taking myself as an example, I might think about a ruleset for a new tabletop RPG I'd like to do, or how to set up an internally consistent metaphysics for a certain setting. It's easy to get bored, but I think one can entertain oneself that way with practice.

I've also heard some people enjoy 'people watching', which I gather is going to a park or sitting at a diner and watching the folk who go by. I get that it's not meant to be creepy, but it sounds boring to me and like it'd be easy to offend someone or seem like a creep, or just be a temptation to get judgmental about folk. BUT I'm sure there's good ways to do it, since I hear folk enjoy it.

If you can find a park or streets that are relatively unoccupied most of the time, reading a book while walking is an option. (I enjoyed doing this while walking around the college campus, back when I was in college.) Just make sure you look up when crossing the street

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by WarKitty
Bicycling might be worth it. But I think I'm looking for something more...occupying? Physical activity for me after about 15-20min tends to be "I am so incredibly bored and it's miserable out, I want to do something else now."

Well, headphones with a good book-on-tape could help with that, if you’re cycling on a trail where you don’t have to worry about traffic.

I’ve never done that myself, since I can work on scenarios in my mind while I ride, and in general being outside in the world never bores me. What I also love about cycling is that if there’s a challenging section, and I return to it week after week, I can feel myself becoming stronger and more capable of managing it. That’s a good feeling in itself.

[2D8HP]

Bicycle to a library, bookstore, or a cafe.

The last two you have to spend some money occasionally, every so often though to not get ejected.

Bicycling may get expensive, especially if you research ways to spend your money, but it can be really cheap, with research devoted to keeping it inexpensive.

To mix it up a bit, bring a tennis racket, and some balls, and bike to a park with a wall.

Also, have you considered professional dog-walking?

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by 2D8HP
To mix it up a bit, bring a tennis racket, and some balls, and bike to a park with a wall.

This is a great idea. Some trails also have exercise stations, so you can bicycle a few minutes between them and do a different exercise at each one.

Originally Posted by JeenLeen
I've also heard some people enjoy 'people watching', which I gather is going to a park or sitting at a diner and watching the folk who go by.

Enjoying the scenery is part of the fun.

[Tyndmyr]

Going to museums and exhibits can be quite a lot of fun, and I find that most people in an urban area haven't really exhausted everything around them. Often free, or at least, inexpensive admission. Also a bit of walking around and folks to socialize with if it's your thing.

[AMFV]

I'm hitting the point where I'm bored and want to get out of the house more, but I'm not sure what to do. Here's my issues:

- I can't really afford to spend money on what's simply hobbies. I need every penny of that right now.

Well there are plenty of hobbies that don't require a large investment of money beyond a small initial investment. Take fishing for example, it's under (in most places) a hundred dollars for both your license, a cheap rod, and some spinners. I mean there's very few hobbies that have literally no cost associated, if you're counting gas costs or what-not, unless you're talking things that involve sitting around the house and those tend to be not the best choices.

- I can't commit to volunteering - if I felt I could commit to something like that, it would be something I could earn money at.

Well for most people who do volunteering it's more about the enjoyment they get out of it than the potential loss of money or time. To be honest, I wouldn't recommend that as a cure for boredom though, that's more of a social fun-time thing.

- Organized physical activity is not my thing.

You could try disorganized physical activity, like hiking or running or just lifting heavy things, depending on what you're looking for. I mean that's again something that you could do for relatively cheap.

I totally didn't notice your previous post. Bicycling might be worth it. But I think I'm looking for something more...occupying? Physical activity for me after about 15-20min tends to be "I am so incredibly bored and it's miserable out, I want to do something else now."

The answer to that is increased intensity, more intense shorter things, that can leave you drained and feeling good. That's probably what I would aim for.

[JeenLeen]

Going to museums and exhibits can be quite a lot of fun, and I find that most people in an urban area haven't really exhausted everything around them. Often free, or at least, inexpensive admission. Also a bit of walking around and folks to socialize with if it's your thing.

That reminds me: some weekly newspapers/magazines are distributed around my city, for free, each week that have a list of free stuff going on. I think it's also on a handful of websites. Try to find your city's online newspaper and see if they have a place where folk can list free events. Some of them might be well worth your time and interesting. If your city is fairly small, it might be that a lot is in walking distance (save money on gas). Many often provide some snacks, too.

On that note, if you are tight on money and don't mind being a mooch, there's probably a few events going on around town at least most evenings, at which you could get enough appetizers or snacks to count as a meal. Walking there and back gives you exercise, and you save money on a meal. (If there is a local college, this is probably especially true. Though depending on your age it might seem creepy if you show up at college events.)

[WarKitty]

The answer to that is increased intensity, more intense shorter things, that can leave you drained and feeling good. That's probably what I would aim for.

I honestly never got that out of physical activity. For me it goes straight from "I am so bored" to "I feel so drained and miserable and I want to die."

My city is one of those places that has a little tiny actual "city" area and lots and lots of suburban sprawl.

[Florian]

I think something that gets me off my rear and out of the house would be preferred? But those tend to cost money.

Things that worked for me in my "poor student days":

- Find out when free museum days, open vernisages, poetry slams or band contest happen.
- Get up early, be at the local golf club before it opens up, pick up some training balls laying around, use the driving range and concourse for free. (*)
- Get involved with a political party. (*)
- Learn to code and participate in Hackatons or the local Linux club. (*)
- Relocate to a park with free WiFi access. Still somewhat boring, but good for your tan.

(*) Has a social aspect and can also help with contacts for later.

[fire_insideout]

Geocaching is a (IMO) pretty nice way of getting out and exploring. It has a nice adventurous feeling to it and people often leave caches at places they find interesting.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by WarKitty
My city is one of those places that has a little tiny actual "city" area and lots and lots of suburban sprawl.

Are you in the U.S.? And if so, which state or region? Something else occurred to me, but it would help to know generally what area you’re in.

Originally Posted by Florian
- Find out when free museum days, open vernisages, poetry slams or band contest happen.

…What’s a vernisage?

Did you mean vernissage?

Originally Posted by fire_insideout
Geocaching is a (IMO) pretty nice way of getting out and exploring.

I find geocaches fairly often, and I’m not even looking for them.

[Florian]

…What’s a vernisage?

Did you mean vernissage?

Yes. Autocorrect did´n kick in.

And I forgot to mention:
- Find out which companies have their annual shareholder meeting in your area and buy one share each. Can actually be quite entertaining and provides top-notch catering.

[Astrella]

Try looking for local groups that do boardgames or such maybe?

[Mauve Shirt]

Bike to the library. Library library library. Countless books and videos and sometimes video games, Internet if you feel like the Internet, and it's all free.

[AMFV]

I honestly never got that out of physical activity. For me it goes straight from "I am so bored" to "I feel so drained and miserable and I want to die."

My city is one of those places that has a little tiny actual "city" area and lots and lots of suburban sprawl.

Well you have to find a variety of exercise you enjoy. And the hardest part is accepting that it's going to suck for the first little bit. Like six weeks of it being miserable no matter what you're doing. So you should find something that you think is cool, force yourself to do it, and by the end of six weeks to two months you'll be enjoying it, and you can go from there.

[WarKitty]

Well you have to find a variety of exercise you enjoy. And the hardest part is accepting that it's going to suck for the first little bit. Like six weeks of it being miserable no matter what you're doing. So you should find something that you think is cool, force yourself to do it, and by the end of six weeks to two months you'll be enjoying it, and you can go from there.

I guess I feel like if I have to force myself to enjoy something in the hopes of enjoying it in six weeks to two months, that kind of misses the point?

[AMFV]

I guess I feel like if I have to force myself to enjoy something in the hopes of enjoying it in six weeks to two months, that kind of misses the point?

Not really. There are a lot of things worth doing that are frustrating or not super-fun when you start out. And you make yourself in enjoy them, and then you do. Some of my favorite hobbies were that way. You start out not having fun, and then you have more fun than you would have thought possible. The only hobbies that aren't that way tend to have really low entry cost and be less rewarding in the long run.

[2D8HP]

"Lotsa things.... worth doin'... are na painless."

[gooddragon1]

Mod games like skyrim and replay them.
Play f2p online games (planetside 2, tf2, etc)
Make new homebrew for d&d 3.5.