Readers had a great comment thread the other day about ways to shake things up when you’re bored with life, so we thought we’d open it up for a larger discussion today and also share some tips. If this is something you’re currently feeling, maybe you’ll eventually realize it’s time to look for a new job, change careers, go to grad school, or move to a new city — but in the meantime, try one of these smaller changes to brighten your life a bit and shake things up.

If you’ve ever realized you’ve become bored with your life, what did you do, and how did it help? What are your best tips for how to shake things up when you’re bored with life, or in general to overcome personal stagnation?

Note: If your boredom with your life feels like it could be depression, please talk to your doctor. If you have thoughts of death or suicide, immediately call 9-1-1, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255, or text “HOME” to the Crisis Text Line at 741741. You are not alone.

How to Shake Things Up When You’re Bored with Life

Try a New Hobby

Ideally, this activity would be especially adventurous or fun, but it doesn’t have to be — any new challenge or situation is good for your brain. (Coincidentally, GQ published an article today called, “The Brain-Changing Magic of New Experiences,” which is worth a read.) With things opening up and with more and more people vaccinated, you can now (or soon!) go out in the world and try, say, indoor rock climbing or barre or parkour.

Kat’s written before about how different hobbies sate different needs, such as non-verbal hobbies that give you quiet time, repetitive hobbies like swimming laps can be like meditation, and others can even give you a connection with older friends or networking opportunities with new ones.

If you want something more low-key and less physical, take an online class of your choice or consider an activity like subversive cross-stitch, knitting/sewing/crochet, photography, cooking/baking, learning a new language, thrifting, building your own computer, writing a novel, brewing your own beer… share your ideas in the comments!

{related: how to find fulfilling hobbies}

Volunteer

You can weigh the merits of strategic volunteering, such as joining a board, doing pro bono work, or serving on a committee in a professional organization vs. volunteer activities unrelated to your career, such as mentoring a child or fostering kittens — but either way, there are tons of opportunities out there. (Re kittens, as a former animal shelter employee, I have to mention that spring is kitten season, so now is a great time to foster. And, come on, KITTENS!)

If you can’t find anything that interests you in your community, don’t worry — virtual volunteering is a thing! Either way, check VolunteerMatch or Idealist for ideas. Mutual Aid Hub helps you find mutual aid networks near you, as does Idealist.

(Related: It’s always a good time to donate blood! It’s a quick, easy way to make a difference and feel good about it.)

Plan a Vacation

Even if a vacation won’t be in the cards for a while (either because of COVID or budget reasons), planning a vacation is almost as fun — and it’s always nice to have something to look forward to. (Sure, planning a trip can also be stressful, so check out our post on taking the stress out of vacation planning.) Need new ideas for destinations? Last year, when travel wasn’t yet safe, readers discussed their fantasy vacations.

If you’d rather not do any planning, in the past we’ve shared ideas on companies that plan surprise vacations and vacation packages for busy women. And if a standalone trip isn’t possible right now, wait until business travel is back to normal and then tack on a couple days to your next work trip, if you can, to allow yourself to explore.

Make a Bucket List

This can be fulfilling to do by yourself or with a friend or partner. (Bucket lists would be a fun topic for a future post, actually – we’ve talked about bucket-list hobbies, though!) You can make a list of “30 Things to Do By 30 [or 40, etc.],” if you’d prefer something more immediate. (I think the phrase “bucket list” can make it seem like you need to fill your list with huge achievements like, I don’t know, climbing Mount Everest — but smaller things are totally fine, too!

Here are 100 random ideas for bucket list items, in case you need inspiration.) A fun type of goal to set is “Do every X,” like “Cook every recipe from [a famous cookbook].” You can even buy scratch-off posters for this, such as national parks, 100 must-read books, 100 dates, and 80 travel destinations. (If you have kids, this family adventure kit looks intriguing.)

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Change Your Look

OK, so this won’t miraculously change your outlook on life, but it’s fun, and you can make a little project out of it. Think about getting new glasses, getting a new haircut or trying new ways of styling your hair, shopping your closet, using an online styling service, or checking out our Next Step series, where we explore how to take the next step up in work clothes, office heels, stylish work bags, and professional jewelry.

Think about splurging on something you deserve, and get some ideas from our posts on the best splurges, splurge purchases on basic items, and what purchases are worth the splurge. (OK, “splurge” doesn’t even look like a word anymore.)

Readers, what are your favorite ways to shake things up when you’re bored with life?