Bored with Life? Try Our Action Plan for Jaded Guys

By Jennifer Richardson

I wonder if our ancestors become bored, or is this a modern-day phenomenon?

With such a fast-paced hustle culture, how is it that anyone could possibly become bored?

But some people do. Our minds are advanced, and our comfortable living standards have meant we do not need to apply our mind to hunting food, or basic survival.

So what do we do now? Where is the guide on how to live after our basic life necessities are covered?

Boredom does not seem that serious of a problem. But it could lead to (or be caused by) depression. It can also lead to other serious and even dangerous pursuits.

The good news is that we have a solution – Action!

menPsyche is all about practical, actionable and novel solutions. Read on for tips for the bored guys who don’t know what to do next.

Are you Bored?

Probably everyone is bored on an occasional basis. The real problem might come when you lose interest in life in general.

Boredom might be confused with depression or other states in some people.

Some signs you might be bored are:

• You complain a lot, and you “know-it-all”
• Like to sleep more than you want to be awake
• Don’t know the day of the month
• Can’t seem to find sense in the daily tasks
• Don’t want to try new things

It might be worth speaking to a qualified professional to check for other causes if you are struggling to get motivated and it’s unrelated to a one-off incident.

Action Plan for Boredom –

1. Learn Something RARE

When was the last time you tried something new, let alone a rare experience?

There’s a reason many of us like to go on vacation and try new things,

Doing rare things will make you feel alive. It can become your mind’s sanctuary- something that revitalizes you, that becomes your identity.

Apart from stimulating your brain, it can benefit you by helping you to accomplish things you never thought possible for yourself.

A bonus for taking on new concepts and skills is it will also help you break free from the thoughts of everyday ‘problems’ – the ones that make you lose all motivation, especially as they are all you think about.

Here are a few  ideas –

• Learn to play an instrument
• Try to hone a skill like calligraphy 
• Learn to ‘fix’ things (electronics, mechanical etc)
• Take a course in an unexpected domain you have not tried before
• Become an ‘expert’ in a rare topic

As kids, we had hobbies or sports, but as adults, we often get busy and let the ‘fun’ aspects of our lives go.

Read our article – Hobbies for Men in their 20, 30s, 40 and 50s for more ideas.

2. Start a Business

You’ve always wanted to try your own thing. What’s stopping you?

I never thought I would start a business. And I never thought I would be involved in several businesses in the largest country in the world.

But you never know what life has in store for you.

One thing I can confirm is that starting a business is a surefire way to remove any trace of boredom from your life.

If this idea intimidates you – we are not referring to SpaceX scale here. It could be a simple hobby-based business, something online or joining a partner in their business.

But it will be almost impossible to become bored as you create a future for yourself, make money and hopefully find something to put your time into that sparks a passion and re-invigorates your interest in life.

Here are some tips for those interested in starting a Business –

Learn All You Can About The Digital World

Even if your business is offline, a part of the business process will definitely be online.

It’s a commercial reality that many businesses require a digital strategy to make money and promote their goods or services.

Even if tech is not your domain, there is a benefit in learning a little about the following:

• Websites
• Social Media
• SEO
• Email Marketing
• Paid Advertising

Understand Payments

Depending on how your customers pay you, you might need to get up to speed on the latest systems, payment gateways and technology. Things in the banking and payment space are progressing fast.

Many people, for instance, rely on credit cards as safe ways to make payments online. There are lot of great options available in the market for receiving payments like credit card readers. (You can get a credit card reader here).

At the end of the day, it’s all about the customers, convenience and sales.

Back-Up Plans

Nobody likes thinking about rainy days, especially when the sun’s shining bright. But having an umbrella handy is never a bad idea. 

That’s where a crisis management plan comes in. It’s your guidebook for those “uh-oh” moments, whether it’s a data mishap or a sudden storm.

Having a plan means you can bounce back faster and keep the trust of those who matter most – your customers.

Customers Come First

Customer feedback may be a secret weapon for your business.

It’s a great way to quickly earn what you are doing right (and wrong).

Set up a way for them to share their thoughts – whether through online surveys or good old-fashioned suggestion boxes. 

The insights you’ll get? Pure gold. It’s like having a cheat sheet to make your business even better. 

3. Ground Yourself in ‘Real’ Life

This is a great, practical way to stop the boredom taking over the potential of your life.

Get busy with the everyday tasks, the mundane, the necessary.

Can you cook your food? Clean your own home? Maintain the garden? Have you taken the kids out somewhere cool lately?

Understanding the realities of life can help you ground yourself. It can make you see what really matters and distinguish it from what you think matters.

How to Start Getting Back to Basics –

1. Write down what you need every day to live:

• e.g. Food
• Living Space
• Money
• Electricity
• Internet
• Entertainment
• Vehicle

2. Write down some notes on how those things are currently getting done –

• Who cooks your food? 
• Who serves you the food?
• How are they managing it?
• Who cleans your room? 
• Who cleans your dishes? 
• Who washes your clothes? 
• Who pays for the services that you get?
• Who pays the electricity, gas bill and rent? How are they paid?
• Who brought your deliveries? 
• Who drove you to work and places? 

When you see the people responsible for your survival, you may also feel a sense of responsibility, and feel like taking control of more parts of your life.

Trust me, you won’t have time for boredom!

4. Set Personal Challenges

What we mean here is slightly elevated from ambitions like “have a shower daily” (although if you are depressed, this is a good one to start with).

I challenged myself as a first-time author to complete my book and publish it within three months. Now, it took a few more months, but it made me work hard. I had no spare time at all, and it was something I wanted to accomplish.

So, in the words of Barney Stinson – Challenge Accepted!

Here are a few ideas to start you off – 

• Set a weight loss or fitness goal
• Innovate or create efficiency at work
• Complete a book (reading or writing)
• Learn a Language
• Master a New Computer Game
• Create a Family Vacation plan
• Create a new image or look for yourself

These are just a few ideas to get you thinking

If you have a bucket list, start there. Or create a unique personal goal according to your life goals.

5. Audit Your Life

Here’s where we start to track and monitor so we can assess what’s going on with your life.

The goal is to get to the heart of why you feel bored.

Write down all the good things in your life.

There are several ways to keep track of and audit your life –

• Keep a Simple Journal or Diary
• Try a Gratitude App
• Keep an Excel file

Try it for a month.

(If you need more help see Chapter 2 of my short guidebook on How to Handle a Life Crisis).

Conclusion

Anyone can become bored with life, especially when others look after so many aspects of our ‘survival.’

Knowing how to get out of the rut before it turns into something more serious is the key.

It also helps to know what we truly want from life. And most of us don’t think about that too often.

Taking action is the best way to pull yourself out of a slump.

 You only need to take one small step to head in the right direction and live the life you deserve.

Jennifer is the co-founder of menPsyche and the creator of a self-help system for people to tackle their life problems (in particular, when people cannot find any assistance). She has survived many life crises, moved to a new country to live, set up businesses, became an author and has a vast range of unique professional and personal experiences to draw upon.

References

1. https://psychcentral.com/depression/boredom-and-depression
2. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-science-of-boredom/