100 Fun Things to Do Alone To Embrace Your Own Company
Spending time alone doesn’t have to be lonely. Embracing alone time can be one of the best ways to recharge and explore your interests.
As an introvert, time alone is necessary to recharge your social battery, but not everyone needs this time as part of their regular self-care. Time alone can be challenging for extroverts who prioritise connecting with others, and actively seeking conversation and social plans. If this sounds like you, this list of 100 things to do alone will help you find solo activities you enjoy in those quiet moments.
While there are many fun solo date ideas for when you want to have some special me-time alone, sometimes you need a simple activity for when you’re on your own and looking for things to do when bored. This is the ultimate list of what to do when alone!
100 Things To Do Alone
Learning to love your own company is one of the most special ways to build your confidence and self-love. Sometimes it’s hard to imagine that you can have a fun Friday night alone or that you can have quality time without company, but you absolutely can!
These solo activities are the perfect way to embrace time alone and you may just find that you crave your alone time a little more in future!
Creative Pursuits
- Start a Journal: Document your thoughts, experiences, and aspirations. A daily journal practice is a way to spend a few minutes each day exploring your thoughts, feelings and challenges. Try my 30-day journaling challenge to get you started!
- Try Adult Coloring Books: Engage in mindful colouring for relaxation. Get yourself some quality pencils or markers and a colouring book with designs you find beautiful.
- Craft with DIY Projects: Create something beautiful for your home.
- Take Up Painting or Drawing: Explore your artistic side with watercolours or acrylics or learn how to sketch and draw from online tutorials.
- Write Poetry or Short Stories: Let your imagination flow on paper.
- Experiment with Photography: Capture the beauty around you.
- Do a Puzzle: Challenge your mind with jigsaw puzzles or crossword puzzles. If you have the space in your home, set up a puzzle table so you can work on it a little bit each day. This is also a great screen-free activity.
- Scrapbooking: Paper crafts can be very rewarding, allowing you to document memories while using those creative skills too. Scrapbooking and card making are great hobbies to do in your alone time.
- Start a Blog: Share your thoughts, hobbies, or expertise online. Here are some guides on how to start a lifestyle blog or a travel blog to help you get started.
- Design Printables For Etsy: Creating printables to sell is a fun side hustle to make some extra income that also uses creative skills. Use a free program such as Canva to create printable planners, games, party invitations and anything else you can think of.
Outdoor Activities
- Go for a Nature Walk: Explore local parks and walking tracks, or simply take a stroll around your own neighbourhood.
- Plan a Picnic: Pack some of your favourite foods into a basket, grab a rug and set up under a shady tree for peace and quiet (or some people-watching).
- Visit a Botanical Garden: Take in the beauty of plants and flowers.
- Have a Beach Day: Grab your beach towel, put on your swimmers and don’t forget the sunscreen. Spend a lazy day at the beach, reading a book, taking a dip and just enjoying your own company.
- Try Birdwatching: Learn about local birds and their habitats.
- Practice Yoga in the Park: Enjoy the outdoors while stretching and meditating. You can do this in your own backyard if you prefer too.
- Take Photos of Sunsets: Capture the beauty of the evening sky. Are you an early bird? Capture the sunrise instead.
- Go for a Bike Ride: Explore your neighbourhood or nearby town on two wheels.
- Go Hiking: Challenge yourself with a trek in nature.
- Spend Time in a Local Park: Relax and enjoy the natural surroundings.
Relaxation and Self-Care
- Have a Spa Day at Home: Treat yourself to a relaxing bath and skincare routine with a face mask.
- Practice Meditation: Spend time in silence, focusing on your breath.
- Read a Good Book: Get lost in a captivating story or motivational non-fiction read.
- Watch a Movie or Series: Indulge in your favourite genre without distractions. You can do this at home or treat yourself to a solo cinema trip. This is one of my favourite solo date ideas!
- Enjoy a Cup of Coffee: Relax at a local coffee shop with your favourite beverage.
- Take a Long Bath: Relax with bubbles, candles, and your favourite music.
- Listen to Podcasts: There are podcasts on just about every topic and interest these days plus they are mostly all free to listen to.
- Do Some Deep Breathing Exercises: Focus on your breath to relieve stress.
- Try a New Skincare Routine: Pamper yourself with new skin care products and commit to a new nighttime skincare routine.
- Reflect on Your Day: Spend quiet moments thinking about what you learned and experienced.
Learning and Personal Growth
- Take an Online Course: Learn a new skill from the comfort of your home.
- Read Educational Articles: Expand your knowledge on topics of interest by reading journal or newspaper articles.
- Watch Documentaries: Discover new perspectives and stories while learning something new.
- Learn a New Language: Use apps like Duolingo or online courses to start your language journey.
- Listen to Audiobooks: Enjoy books in a new format. Graphic audio is even more fun, with a full voice cast and sound effects. Like a movie in your ears!
- Make a Gratitude List: Reflect on the good things and good people in your life with your own list of things to be grateful for.
- Write Down Your Goals: Reflect on your aspirations and plan actionable steps to achieve your goals.
- Create a Self-Care Ritual: Design a personal routine that nurtures you. Create a self-care menu so you can practice regular self-care in your daily life.
- Attend a Virtual Workshop: Gain new skills and knowledge online.
- Explore TED Talks: Find inspiration and ideas from speakers worldwide.
Food and Cooking
- Cook New Recipes: Try your hand at a dish you’ve never made before.
- Bake Something Sweet: Indulge in the joy of baking cookies or an indulgent new dessert recipe. Up to you if you want to share or enjoy it all alone too!
- Explore a New Cuisine: Experiment with dishes from different cultures.
- Plan and Prepare Meals for the Week: Get organised with a weekly meal plan and save time (plus money since you’re less likely to waste food when meal planning).
- Enjoy a Gourmet Coffee or Tea: Treat yourself to a delicious drink.
- Make a Charcuterie Board: Create a beautiful assortment of snacks to enjoy on your own.
- Visit a Local Farmers Market: Explore fresh produce and artisan goods.
- Have a Dessert Night: Savour your favourite sweets or try new ones for an indulgent night in. This is a once-in-a-while sort of alone activity though…
- Do Meal Prepping: Plan and cook healthy meals in advance to save time during the week. I love doing batch cook-ups every few weeks to make some freezer meals for busy nights or weekday lunches.
- Write Down Your Favorite Recipes: Create a personal cookbook.
Social Connections
- Call a Family Member: Catch up and share stories with loved ones. While this is a social activity, you can do it when you’re alone and still fill your social cup.
- Video Chat with Friends: Host a virtual hangout from home.
- Unfollow Negative Social Media Accounts: Curate your online experience for positivity with a social media detox.
- Send a Handwritten Letter: Connect with someone in a meaningful way.
- Join Online Forums or Communities: Engage in discussions on topics you love. Keep it kind though! There are a lot of keyboard warriors out there.
- Plan a Future Trip: Dream and research places you want to visit.
- Create a Playlist of Your Favorite Songs: Curate music that lifts your spirits or a different playlist for each mood and purpose – workout, cleaning, dance party, etc.
- Start a Virtual Book Club: Share and discuss books with friends online. This is social but still a solo activity since you’re not leaving the comfort of your home to engage.
- Do a Random Act of Kindness: Drop some freshly baked treats to a neighbour or pay for the coffee for a person behind you in line for the ultimate mood boost!
- Join a Local Fitness Class: Try yoga, pilates, or dance and you might even make some new friends. While you aren’t alone during this experience, it can be daunting to go to a new class for the first time where you don’t know anyone.
Physical Activities
- Go for a Run: Clear your mind and boost your mood with exercise.
- Try Yoga or Pilates: Put on a fitness video from YouTube and complete a new routine.
- Practice Tai Chi or Qigong: Engage in gentle, flowing movements for relaxation.
- Explore New Workout Routines: Use online videos to find new exercises.
- Go Swimming: Enjoy the water for a refreshing workout with some laps in the pool.
- Sign Up for a Fun Run or Charity Walk: Get active for a good cause. Yes, you will be surrounded by people but still a solo adventure!
- Dance It Out: Put on your favourite dance playlist and dance around your house!
- Take a Fitness Challenge: Push yourself to achieve a new goal such as a 30-day workout challenge.
- Try A New Sport: Go kayaking or stand-up paddle boarding, play squash or any form of sport you can do alone.
- Practice Martial Arts: Learn self-defence while getting fit.
Unique and Adventurous Ideas
- Visit a Museum or Gallery Alone: Enjoy the exhibits at your own pace.
- Go to a Local Event or Festival: Immerse yourself in the community.
- Spend Time in Nature: Go for a hike, sit by a lake, or simply enjoy a park.
- Try an Escape Room: Challenge yourself with a puzzle adventure – this is the ultimate challenge if you are someone who loves solving mysteries. There are a lot of online and printable escape room games to try too.
- Attend Live Music Events: Enjoy local performances and discover new artists.
- Explore Thrift Shops: Hunt for unique finds and vintage items.
- Take a Class in Something New: Try pottery, photography, or cooking.
- Volunteer at a Local Charity: Give back to the community while meeting new people.
- Visit a Theme Park: Who says you need company for a day of thrills! Head to your local amusement park for some solo fun! Bonus: The single-rider lines are shorter!
- Go to a Karaoke Bar: Sing your heart out at a local karaoke bar where no one knows you and you don’t have to worry about feeling shy!
Productive Alone Time Activities
- Deep Clean Your House: Pick an area or room of your house and give it a thorough clean.
- Declutter Your House: Start with an area of your house that is especially cluttered and get rid of anything you no longer need. Do a little at a time, whenever you have time to spare.
- Do Nothing for a While: Enjoy simply being without distractions. You might be thinking ‘That doesn’t sound very productive’, but giving yourself time to just do nothing can be the reset you need.
- Prepare for the Next Day: Make lunches, plan your outfit, organise your desk or prepare your schedule and to-do list for the upcoming day.
- Make a Budget: Get your finances sorted with a household budget so you can start saving for vacation or another big financial goal.
- Create a Pantry Inventory: Create an inventory of everything in your pantry so you can start ‘shopping your pantry’ when planning meals. You can also do this with your freezer and refrigerator.
- Plan an Event: If you have a special event coming up, take this time to plan the details – guest list, date, time, theme, activities and menu.
- Schedule Your Month: As part of my monthly reset, I always schedule my calendar and set up my planner for the month ahead. This makes it easier to plan your time and feel less stressed when you know what’s coming up!
- Inbox Zero: Use your alone time to clear out your email inboxes, deleting anything you don’t need, filing emails you want to keep into relevant folders and actioning the rest. Unsubscribe from unwanted newsletters to help you stay on top of this.
- Digital Declutter: Delete unwanted photos (blurry, duplicates, old screenshots etc) and sort through your computer files to delete anything you no longer need. Organise the rest into folders to create a system that makes it easy to find them in future.
Random and Fun Activities
- Start a Collection: Collect items that interest you, like coins, stamps or postcards.
- Create a Bucket List: Dream big and outline your goals and desires.
- Create a Quit List: On this list, add things you are no longer wanting to do – like getting involved in other people’s drama, wasting time scrolling social media and things you don’t have time for.
- Test Your Brain: Do brain teasers or trivia to challenge yourself.
- Spend Time With Your Pets: Enjoy quality time with your furry friends (or feathered and scaly friends). Pets are pretty awesome companions when feeling lonely!
- Explore Local Hidden Gems: Discover places you’ve never been to in your town.
- Have a Themed Dinner at Home: Cook a meal based on a theme or cuisine, just for you!
- Play a Solo Game: Challenge yourself with a solitaire card game or Bananagrams, or have a solo gaming session on your favourite console.
- Write a Letter to Your Future Self: Reflect on your hopes and dreams and set a reminder to open your letter on a certain date. You can also use free websites that will email you a letter to your future self at a set time.
- Visit the Local Library: Find yourself some new reads or enjoy a bit of solo quality time at your local library reading in a quiet nook.
Embracing solo time is a great way to discover new interests, recharge, and have plenty of fun all by yourself. Spending time alone can be just as fulfilling as being with others and can be a necessary way of learning more about yourself and what you really love to do! And if you want to make it extra special, make sure you check out these fun solo date ideas!