10 Cures for Boredom For Millennials

It feels like the older you get the harder it is to resolve those “I’m bored!” feelings. When you’re bored as a child you can literally just find a big stick and be entertained for hours. Does anyone else vividly remember the childhood feeling of excitement you had when you found a really big stick in the park? Mom would never let you take it home and you’d have to throw it back on the sidewalk for another kid to pick up, but it was thrilling. I digress. Honestly, if I found a big stick now I’d probably wrap it in yarn, paint it and turn it into some ~Tumblr style~ decor.

Sometimes you might not even realize you’re bored when you can spend your bouts of boredom scrolling on social media for hours until there’s literally nothing new on any of them. When I’m in a pit of boredom I go from Instagram to Snapchat to Facebook to Pinterest to Tumblr and then back around until I realize I need to actually do something besides give myself FOMO. Here are some cures for boredom for millennials to help you feel a little more entertained and possibly even productive.

1. Watch a Horrible Movie

While you might feel inclined to watch a good movie, I always laugh the hardest when I watch horrible movies with friends. Some movies to try might include movies that are famous for being bad, like The Room, or overly cliche and dramatic movies from Hallmark. If you’re of age, you can also create or find a drinking game to play while you watch.

2. Host a Bake Off

You can take inspiration from some of your favorite cooking shows. Have one friend get secret ingredients and play judge a la Chopped. Bake cupcakes and have a decorating contest a la Cupcake Wars. The possibilities are endless. Plus, you get to eat what you create. Food is always a bonus and can be eaten while you watch the aforementioned movie or play the to be mentioned board game.

For a game night with friends, I made double chocolate cookies (recipe here). They tasted like brownies and were delicious even though I kind of botched the recipe. Although I love to bake, I usually make substitutions and estimate measurements while baking…it’s been working out pretty well for me so far.

3. Give Someone a Makeover

It doesn’t need to be a serious one. If you can convince a guy friend (or boyfriend) to let you try out some drag makeup on him, your night can take a fun RuPaul turn. You can even offer to model so your friend can test out her new eyeshadow palette. This can lead to some glamorous (or hilarious) photos. This was always one of my favorite things to do with friends when I was younger, and it’s even more fun now that I actually know how to blend.

3. Play a Board Game

This one is my personal favorites and it can be done in conjunction with or after anything listed above or below. There are plenty of fun board games for millennials. Plus, you can play the board games in your pajamas and order food because that’s never a bad idea. Any cure for boredom that involves pajamas and food is an automatic win.

I’m constantly on the prowl for a fun board game to add to game night with friends and one of my new favorites is Codenames: Deep Undercover. This is the adults-only, mature version of the game Codenames, with all-new words, packaging, “bystanders” and art. There are so many cards and code words, which means you’ll get a lot of use out of it. Plus, every time you play is different because your teammate(s) can always use different clues. For example, my friend Erin used “Gross” as her clue for foods on the board that she knew I didn’t like, but someone else might’ve used a clue like “Groceries” to get me to guess them.

I’m also excited to finally be at the point in my life where I can play the “adults-only” games. Being an adult is fun! Well, when it comes to board games, all other aspects…maybe not.

Codenames: Deep Undercover also has blank cards, which let you add your own words to the game. I’m sure you can only imagine how hilarious (and inappropriate) this game can get. The gameplay is pretty much the same as the original Codenames, where each team has a spymaster looking at a key card, gives their team a one-word clue and a number to locate their team’s words. Overall, if you and your ~adult~ friends want an ~adult~ game to play, this is a good one.

4. Try a New Workout Class

This is a win-win because you’ll get some gains and hang out with friends. I’ve been dying to try kickboxing but I’ve yet to rope someone into going with me. There’s a workout for everyone whether you’re into cycling or want to try something fun and upbeat like kickboxing or even a trapeze workout.

5. Record a Podcast

If you love listening to them or even just have a lot to say, this could be a fun one. Pick a topic and talk about it. Go solo or record with a friend. It doesn’t necessarily have to turn into a huge side hustle, but it can be a fun hobby.

6. Plan a Weekend Getaway

This doesn’t have to be overly expensive if you split the cost among friends. Find an Air BnB, even one that’s a few miles away, and enjoy a fun weekend away from home. Bring board games, alcohol or even hiking boots–whatever is in your perfect weekend plan.

7. Start a Book/Podcast/TV Club

If reading isn’t your thing, you can pick a show or podcast to watch or listen to and then discuss with friends. I mean, I could discuss episodes of some of my favorite shows for hours. This can be a fun way to ensure you schedule time to hang out with friends and even if you don’t end up discussing the things you meant to, you’ll still be with friends and having a good time. Some podcasts I reccomend are Happier with Gretchen Rubin and The Cosmo Happy Hour podcast.

8. Have a Group Yard Sale

Get rid of your crap and make money! Challenge your friends to clean out their houses a bit and scrounge up some things to sell. The best time for this is definitely right after you graduate college or are moving into a new apartment. Set up shop at someone’s front yard and donate the unsold items or sell them online. You can use the money you make to buy dinner…or even a new board game.

9. Hunt for the Best Coffee/Pizza/Etc in Town

After some Yelping and Googling, head out to find the best coffee (or food/drink of choice) in town. Create a Google Spreadsheet and a rating system to make it legitimate. You can spread this journey out over weeks or even try to cram it into one day if your options are limited and you’re jonesing to indulge.

10. Have a Picnic

You can never go wrong with a picnic. Bring games, food and drinks. More tips for planning a picnic can be found in this post.

What is your favorite cure for boredom?

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.