How To Overcome Boredom

“Perhaps the world's second-worst crime is boredom; the first is being a bore.” – Sir Cecil Beaton.

I have to admit, (not very proudly, as a matter of fact), that I am especially susceptible to boredom.

Put simply, I get bored very easily; probably much more than the next person.

It’s this weakness that I like to frequently hold accountable for my deteriorating grades in subjects that require you to sit down and memorise pages and pages of information. Since I get bored so easily, I usually never make it past the first page before desperately reaching for my phone to entertain myself, usually by refreshing my Instagram or Facebook feed.

Even now, with school out for the holidays, I’m faced with the same problem: boredom. But this time, I'm bored for an entirely different reason: too much spare time.

If you’re like me, and stuck at home rather than being whisked off to some exotic island where the sun is always shining and there’s endless entertainment, you might start to feel a bit bored, maybe even praying for school to start again. However, there are some tips I have gained over the years that can help beat boredom (with obviously lots of input from my mother, who put it so eloquently when she noticed me flopping around from the couch to the armchair, aimlessly flicking at the television remote: “I can’t stand to see you lying there doing nothing anymore.”)

So, here goes.

1. Find a book to read.

If it’s too inconvenient to go to the library, check online for any new pieces you haven’t already read, or, you can do what I have been doing the past few days and revisit some that you’ve read in the past and loved. Some of my personal favourites are the Alex Rider series, The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants series and To Kill a Mockingbird. And if you don’t want to read a book, try what I call ‘Goodreads surfing’. Search for one of your favourite reads, find a list with them such as ‘Top Books To Read Before You Die’ and then make a list with all the titles you’d like to eventually get to.

2. Find a new movie, or discover a new television series.

Ask your friends what they recommend and give it a try. Most of my favourite TV shows are ones that I initially hated when I was introduced to them, but eventually warmed up to after giving them a chance. Once again, here’s some of my faves: The Shawshank Redemption, The Blind Side, The Intouchables for movies, and Friends, Fixer Upper and That 70’s Show for series.

3. Get something you need to do - but don’t want to do - out of the way.

This one is the hardest. Put on some music and fold your clean laundry. Clean up your room. Vacuum the house. Find the chores that you have to do in due time, and do them now. Likewise, if the source of your procrastination is homework, the only solution really, is to take a small break, read a bit of a book you’ve had your eye on, watch one episode of Pretty Little Liars, and then go back to complete whatever you’ve been avoiding. Plan what you need to do, and then start on that essay, or start reading that prescribed novel you’ve been given, boring or not.

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