We’ve all been there.
Your workload is not too busy, your to-do list is full of mundane tasks, you spend your lunch break sitting at your desk and you’ve been in the same room, looking at the same screen for hours on end – you’re just plain bored of working from home.
Luckily, due to a fair amount of experience in this area, I’ve devised a few ideas for when you’re both on and off the clock at home to keep you entertained.
Entertainment And Relaxation
1)Put some music on
I love having a bit of radio on in the background when I’m working on the easier tasks.
It keeps my mind occupied and gives my mood a boost, especially when a massive tune comes on!
This, or curating your own playlist will help liven up your environment and help stave of boredom when you’re working.
2)Change scenery
Occasionally I take my laptop into the living room and work from the sofa or the kitchen where there’s better natural light.
I feel a bit more alert and the change of scenery definitely gives me a bit of a mental boost for a few hours.
If it’s a nice day and you have some outside space, go out and get yourself some vitamin D to help improve your mood.
3)Look at some memes
A good browse through some funny work from home memes is a good way to get a 10 minute chuckle.
They can also help offer some perspective on our work lives as well as helping us feel better by understanding that everyone in the same position goes through feelings of boredom and the demotivation.
4)Read
A good book can take you away to a place far from the boredom of your home.
30 minutes of reading on your lunch break can reframe your mind and give you some inspiration.
Whether it’s fiction or non-fiction, or a skill based book, they’ll all help occupy our mind.
I loved Atomic Habits by James Clear as a way to give me some inspiration whilst considering how my behaviours were impacting my mindset.
Wellness And Productivity
5)Get outside
All too often when we’re working from home we spend all day cooped up in the same room which leads us to feel gloomy and uninspired.
Getting out for a walk or jog on your breaks, lunch or before work does wonders for keeping your energy levels high.
It’s also beneficial for your mental health.
If you’re lacking in motivation to do so, try to incorporate an errand into getting out like posting a letter or picking up some food to help.
6)Exercise
I go for a couple of lunch time jogs twice per week.
Not only does it help me keep fit, but getting outside and killing 45 minutes doing something productive makes the days a lot less boring than when I spend the entire day inside barely moving.
Check out this post on work from home exercise ideas to a number of activities with varying degrees of intensity.
7)Time management
When I’ve been bored working before I’ve sometimes been able to attribute it to poor time management.
A lack of structure to how I was working and not planning out my day meant that I became bored because I was feeling overwhelmed by not making much progress.
Knowing how to break down your time and ensure that you’re not doing the same thing for longer than 2 hours is a surefire way to keep your brain engaged.
Try some of these time management tips to see if they benefit how you structure your day.
Weekly Work Planner
Take control of your work week with this simple to use planner
8)Create a to-do list
To aid with good time management a to-do-list gives me a good way to focus my time throughout the day.
Try and make it as comprehensive as possible so that when you’re bored all it takes is a glance to find something to be getting on with.
I like to write down everything, work related or otherwise, that I’m going to try and get through in the day.
There’s something cathartic about crossing items off – it gives a sense of achievement, like a mini victory with every completed task.
Work Environment And Routine
9)Go into the office or work somewhere new
If you can, try to get into the office at least once per week. I work a 4:1 home to office hybrid role.
I find getting out of the house to work that day so refreshing; talking to colleagues, being in a different setting, even the commute!
If you’re fully remote, a local library, cafe, or co-working space can equally offer the same value.
10)Change work setup
Our brains are hardwired to let boredom creep in whenever there’s a lack of new stimulus in our direct environments, visual, audio or otherwise.
Changing up your work from home setup and adding in a few items to make it more engaging could be a useful tactic.
Creating somewhere where you want to spend your time, feel comfortable and inspired will help keep the boredom levels at bay.
11)Embrace flextime
If you have the ability to mix up your working hours in your contract, it’s thoroughly worth exploring how to utilize flextime.
Maintaining focus for blocks of up to 4 hours is one of the biggest reasons people get bored working from home. It’s a lot of time to be spending in one place doing the same thing.
Rearranging your working day to suit your needs and activities into more manageable time slots could drastically help you reduce boredom by breaking up blocks of repetitive work.
12)Routine
I went years without having much consistency to my work from home days.
As soon as I started introducing a consistent work from home routine the days felt more productive and I found myself becoming bored a lot less.
There’s an element of trial and error involved in this. It takes a bit of time to discover what works for you and to implement it into your day, but it’s thoroughly worth it in the end.
Personal Development And Connection
13)Learn a new skill
I tried about 6 months of learning the keyboard in lockdown because I was so bored.
I learned a couple of tunes and it probably took up about 10 hours of my week for about 6 months.
I don’t feel downhearted that I stopped, more glad that it gave me something to fill the hours.
You don’t have to go into learning a new skill or hobby thinking that if you don’t master it or do it forever that you’ve failed.
Some things are just for experimentation and fun.
If there’s an area of interest you have in this department, why not give it a go?
It can banish hours of boredom and give a sense of fulfilment, whether you become a guru or not.
If you’re looking to make a bit of money, this article on how to make money from home has some ideas.
14)Connect with friends and family
If you need a boost, try reaching out to your family and friends.
Or even better a work colleague.
It’s more than likely that a coworker might be going through the same thing, feeling the same way as you do.
They might be able to offer up some ideas. Even if not, it helps to connect with people that are going through similar situations to make us feel better.
15)Community
There are a number of remote work communities where you can discuss literally anything related to remote work – including how bored you are.
Joining forums on Reddit or networking and joining discussions on LinkedIn to connect with individuals in the same boat offers a handy outlet to share ideas and learn about others’ situations.
16)Ask for more work!
No, I didn’t bang my head!
But there is the odd occasion when you get bored working from home because there is no actual work to be getting on with.
It can be a nice thought for a week or two, but lethargy tends to set in as you begin to feel like you’re wasting your time.
When I’ve been in roles like this I also feel like my skills can begin to diminish if I’m not using them.
I know it doesn’t sound like the most fun request to make to your boss in the world, but if you feel this way, then maybe give it a go.
Bored Working From Home Conclusion
Take time to discover what ideas work for you when you’re bored working from home.
The best remedy is to be proactive and find solutions through experimentation.
Once you’ve got some of your best counteractive ideas in place you should be in a good position to banish boredom as often as possible.
Frequently Asked Questions
James Waite
Founder of Remoteopia, James has worked in remote roles for 6 years. After a stint in recruitment, he now works as a director of website strategy in tech.