If you’re the type who can’t stand being alone with your thoughts for more than five minutes, it’s time to level up your solo skills.
Being content in your own company is a superpower. It frees you from needing constant external stimulation and validation. Boredom is a state of mind, not a state of circumstances. And some people have mastered the art of keeping themselves eternally entertained, no matter how much empty time stretches before them. Here are their secrets.
1. They read voraciously and omnivorously.
Truly content solo artists always have their nose in a book, online article, or audible tome. They don’t just stick to a narrow range of genres — they’ll devour everything from Russian literature to celebrity memoirs to dense philosophy to raunchy romance novels. Reading opens portals to limitless worlds and minds. It’s a chance to absorb the wisdom of the ages, learn about topics you didn’t even know existed, and mentally try on different lives. A well-stocked Kindle is an all-access pass to endless adventures.
2. They pursue offbeat and wildly varied hobbies.
Those who are immune to boredom don’t just have a hobby — they have a whole smorgasbord of niche interests that light them up. They’re the types who will spend a weekend learning to blow glass, mastering the ukulele, spelunking in caves, or trying to beat their personal best solving a Rubik’s cube blindfolded. They’re infinitely curious and see the world as a giant playground to explore. Forget knitting — although if that’s your jam, you do you.
3. They get lost in creative projects and crafts.
Source: Unsplash Self-entertaining savants know the joy of making things with their hands. They always have some sort of creative venture in the works, whether it’s building a coffee table from scratch, cross-stitching a wall hanging with an obscene phrase, shooting a stop-motion Lego film, or concocting a 12-ingredient cocktail from the herbs in their windowsill garden. For them, free time is a chance to get lost in the flow of bringing something unique into the world.
4. They find fascination in everyday details.
For the terminally entertained, boredom simply isn’t in their vocabulary because they find intrigue in the mundane. They’re the ones who can gleefully spend an hour in the grocery store, marvelling at exotic spices, chatting up the fishmonger, and experimenting with fruit they’ve never tasted. They’ll happily get lost on a walk, enthralled by the gnarled tree branches and rogue wildflowers peeking through cracks in the pavement. They see poetry where others see the mundane.
5. They’ve curated a diverse group of friends with fascinating stories.
People who relish their alone time also cherish the company they keep. They’re intentional about surrounding themselves with friends of different ages, backgrounds, and life experiences who captivate them with their stories and expand their horizons. When they do crave human interaction, it’s always stimulating. Whether debating geopolitics with their 84-year-old neighbour over a game of chess or going on an urban foraging expedition with their chef pal, their friendships keep them perpetually intrigued.
6. They dive deep into writing, journaling, and recording their lives.
Source: Unsplash Solitude and self-reflection go hand in hand for those who savour their own company. They don’t need an audience to find meaning in their experiences. They relish solo writing sessions, pouring out their thoughts in journals, penning short stories, or collecting poignant bits of daily life on their blog. Getting their mental clutter out on paper helps them process the world and find significance in the seeming randomness of being human. Alone time is meaning-making time.
7. They’re at peace just wandering and exploring with no agenda.
Source: Unsplash Boredom-proof people experience serene solitude because they’re content to just wander and observe without needing a plan or a point. They’ll meander through an unknown neighbourhood, admiring the architecture and smelling the garden roses. They’ll strike up conversations with the locals at the dive bar or the used bookshop. To them, getting a little bit lost is the best way to discover something new, externally and internally. Wandering feeds their sense of wonder.
8. They look for opportunities for stillness and introspection.
Source: Unsplash In our results-driven culture of constant pings and productivity, it’s a rebellious act to intentionally embrace silence, stillness, and inactivity. Those who enjoy solitude don’t run from discomfort — they breathe through it and befriend it. They take long walks with no podcast blaring. They sit and stare at the ocean with no phone in sight. They have the audacity to nap with no alarm set. Solitude helps them reset, recharge, and come home to themselves.
9. They feed their minds with documentaries, lectures, and brain-teasers.
Source: Unsplash For the incurably curious, alone time is a chance to give their intellect an all-you-can eat buffet. They’ll go down a rabbit hole of watching obscure documentaries, listening to podcasts on niche historical events, taking an online class in coding or philosophy, or challenging themselves to complete the Sunday crossword in pen. Their hunger to learn and grow is insatiable. For them, having an afternoon with no social obligations means having the freedom to let their geek flag fly.
10. They know that solitude is where they process, reflect, and rejuvenate.
Source: Unsplash Those who embrace alone time understand that solitude isn’t a sad consolation prize — it’s essential nourishment for the soul. It’s the fertile ground where they plant the seeds of new ideas, process life’s ups and downs, and return to their centre. They’re protective of their solo time because they know it’s the foundation for showing up fully and vibrantly when they do engage with the world. Boredom isn’t even on their radar. Solitude is home base.
