If you are like me when you are bored, you might find yourself endlessly scrolling on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, you name it. As minutes and hours pass by, I sometimes question myself on what I have been doing by just lying there in bed with my eyes glued to the screen. I think that it is important to have down time and do whatever it is that you want to do. But at one point, too much is too much and it is time to get back on track. So here are some productive things that I have done, that I recommend you do as well when you cannot think of anything to do!
- Clean Out Your Closet
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You may be surprised at how many pieces of clothing you have forgotten that you own once you start cleaning out your closet. Go to your closet and section by section, throw all of the clothes that you do not want anymore in one pile and refold the ones that you want to keep to create a neater look. Beware of all the dust that will come out! I sneezed like crazy when I while doing this. Once you have a pile of all the clothes that you no longer want, consider donating or selling them. When I did my closet cleanout a few months ago, I decided to sell them using Depop, and I ended up making a good profit out of it. There are other apps, like Poshmark and Mercari, that you could use to sell your old items, but definitely research and see which option is most suitable for you. Not only will you end up with a cleaner closet, but you could also make some money out of it too!
- Print Out Your Photos
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As someone who loves taking pictures to capture the moment, printing out photos has been super rewarding to me. I cannot imagine how much more rewarding it will be later down the road as I get older and look back on my youth. Having photos on your phone or laptop is great, but there is something special about photos printed out on paper. You could simply go to your local Costco or Walgreens to have some photos printed from your phone. If you want to purchase a small book composed of all your photos, you could use Shutterfly as well. Another fun way to do this is to get a disposable camera and have your film developed if you want more of a vintage or retro look to your photos. These are just fun things to keep around the house or photos that you can even make a scrapbook with.
- Re-Organize Your Room
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As a college student who has been spending a lot more time indoors due to the pandemic, I needed a change. I decided to move a few things around in my room, such as my bed and a few bookshelves. It was nothing dramatic but defintely made a big difference. This switch made my room more open and changed up the whole look of it. It felt weird walking into my room every time because I could not get used to it, but it was fun to have some change. If moving furniture is too much, you can also just change up the decorations in your room, change your bedding, or even repaint your walls. Get creative with it and you never know what you can end up with!
- Clean Your Makeup Brushes
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I am guilty of being one of those people who always forgets to wash their makeup brushes and it is something that I desperately need to work on. Honestly, I am pretty sure that you are supposed to wash them at least once a week but I have gone months without washing mine. But it is one of those things that is just always at the bottom of my to-do list and sooner or later, I completely forget about it. This is so important though and your skin will thank you for it later! It barely takes any time but make sure you allot time for the brushes to dry after washing them. I use a special soap for my makeup brushes, but I have seen small makeup washing machines and other cool gadgets online that you could look into as well! Sephora and Ulta have a variety of options.
- Declutter Your Bag(s)
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Everyone has that one bag or backpack that they bring with them everywhere whether it is to the grocery store or to a lunch out with friends. Overtime, I noticed that I stuffed just about anything in my bag, almost treating it like a black hole. It honestly amazes me how much my tiny bag can hold. But decluttering my bag and throwing out things like old receipts, fliers and empty hand sanitizer bottles has created more room and made it easier to dig my wallet out when paying at the store. When I went to declutter the bags that I had not worn in a while, I found the lip balm that I thought I had lost and a random $20 bill. Maybe if you are lucky after decluttering your bags and backpacks, you might find yourself a nice treat.
It is so tempting to spend all day on our phones, but allocating that time for something else like tidying up your space can serve you well down the road! I hope that these suggestions are useful to you when you have some downtime you are able to do one or more of these small acts of productivity in a state of boredom.