Quench Your Boredom: 100 Ways to Get Through Another Lecture!

And so it begins…the countdown of another hour and fifteen minutes. Listening to a monotone professor ramble on while pacing back and forth as if the ancient topic scheduled for today is a life threatening emergency that needs to be addressed immediately. You read the chapter last night and you are only sitting there in agony because your professor actually takes attendance. If you are looking to quench your boredom in class, try a few of these suggestions from fellow students. Here are 100 things to do in class…besides taking notes!

1. Catch up on the latest Her Campus NCSU articles!

2. Casually “check the time” on your phone.
3. Organize your planner so you don’t get behind.
4. Play with your hair.
5. Try to get your professor off topic.
6. Scope out the hotties in class.
7. Put on chap-stick.
8. Count the ceiling tiles.
9. Rip your paper into little pieces of confetti.
10. Bring up a hot topic to initiate a class argument.
11. “Write down funny quotes your professor says.” – Emily Matthews
12. Do homework for another class.
13. Play Sodoku in the newspaper.
14. Bite your nails.
15. Raise your hand and then when called on say “I forgot.”
16. Check your horoscope.
17. Write a letter to Snooki and ask how jail was.
18. Go to textsfromlastnight.com.
19. Take random pictures.
20. Actually respond out loud to your professors rhetorical questions.
21. Highlight interesting quotes in your book…look busy!
22. Crack every bone you can.
23. Play some good old fashioned Solitaire.
24. Make up some entertaining pick-up lines.
25. Make a pie chart of the different types of underwear you own.
26. Plan your weekend.
27. Clean your backpack.
28. “Look up stuff your professor says on Wikipedia and get carried away clicking on other Wiki pages.” – Marilynn Akers
29. Make a shopping list.
30. Rate your teachers on presentation, skill, looks and humor.
31. Listen to music.
32. Draw a cartoon sketch of your day so far.
33. Go to the bathroom.
34. Update your resume.
35. “Think.” – Ryan Clodfelter
36. Yawn and see if it’s actually contagious.
37. Draw a tattoo on yourself.
38. “See how long you can hold your breath.” – Patrick O’Brien
39. Make a Valentines Day card for the person next to you.
40. Pick the threads on the bottom of your jeans.
41. Eat a banana.
42. Count how many lines are on a piece of paper.
43. Play paper football.
44. Read the newspaper.
45. Stare out the window.
46. Play with your jewelry.
47. Count as high as you can before class is over.
48. Look at people in class and try to figure out their “life story.”
49. “Stumbleupon.com is the best cure for boredom in the world.” – Emory Robinson
50. Make up new “gang signs” with your hands.
51. Go to failbook.failblog.org.
52. “Start dancing in your seat.” – Sara Baucom
53. Try to find images on the wall or ceiling.
54. Cough loud to see how many people jump.
55. Bring weights and work your biceps.
56. Paint your nails.
57. Growl at your neighbor.
58. Play footsies with yourself.
59. Pack up ridiculously early.
60. Stare at one person the entire class.
61. Play tic-tac-toe with yourself.
62. Write a letter to Dumbledore asking where your letter of acceptance is.
63. Compile a list of places you want to visit.
64. Reminisce about your favorite 1990’s games, movies and television shows.
65. Plan your future.
66. Go to dearblankpleaseblank.com.
67. Make origami.
68. Create a title for your life story.
69. “Sleep!” – Daniel Benavides
70. Write a poem.
71. Think about what one thing you want to accomplish today.
72. Make a list of your favorite memories in college thus far… you might actually look back on it one day, unlike those contradicting philosophy notes.
73. Count your freckles.
74. Clean out your emails.
75. Imagine what your professor’s love life is like.
76. Actually listen to the lesson, sometimes taking notes distracts you from actually picking up on the material.
77. Make “Top Ten” lists…Ex: “Ten things that could interrupt this lecture right now,” “Ten reasons I should skip class next time,” “Ten reasons I shouldn’t skip class next time,” “Ten reasons I can’t wait to go out tomorrow night,” etc.
78. Make a playlist for your day. A soundtrack to your life, if you will.
79. “Tally up how many times your teacher says ‘uhm’ or ‘uh’ if they say it a lot.” – Alex Jones
80. Figure out how much you’ll be getting paid for your next paycheck.
81. Get a snack from the vending machine.
82. Ask “why?” after your professor explains a new concept…snowball effect.
83. Answer a question with the lyrics to a song.
84. Step your game up and decide on a workout plan.
85. Compile a list of your pet peeves.
86. Read a book for fun, not for a test.
87. Plan your spring break.
88. “After being handed an important assignment, blatantly stick it in your mouth.” – Caleb Van Voorhis
89. Read over past notes.
90. Imagine what you would do if you won the lottery.
91. Whip your hair back and forth.
92. Try not to lose “the game”…if you know what I’m talking about…made you think of it! (I just lost writing this…)
93. Make a Bucket-list.
94. Figure out why “four is cosmic.” Ex: Ten is three, three is five, five is four and four is cosmic.
95. Write down all of your favorite quotes.
96. Try to lick the tip of your nose.
97. Check the weather for tomorrow . . . snow, again!?
98. Name your body parts.
99. Start making a list of compliments to yourself and rip them out to put in a jar on your desk so you can read a new one every morning.
100. Read this article!