37 Fun Things to Do Alone (How to Spend Time with Yourself)

There are many unique ways to spend time with yourself. Below you will find the list of ideas of fun things to do alone. As a bonus, most of them are either free or super cheap to pull off.  

For some people, spending time with themselves can be scary and make them feel lonely. But knowing how to spend quality time on your own will help create a better you. 

I know that it took a while for me to understand this concept fully. There were days when I would try to escape life by watching endless hours of movies. I didn’t have many creative ideas on how I could make better use of my time. 

Eventually, I found the incentives to fulfill my life as I spent more time with myself. My eyes were opened to new possibilities after asking for help from others. Reading books and listening to podcasts also proved to be helpful.

In return, I want to share this knowledge with you. As you reach the end of this article, I hope you will gain a few ideas on how to have fun on your own. Take the time to grow and work on yourself. I promise it will be worth it! 

1. Read

There are many options to choose from when it comes to reading. Gain a better understanding of the world. Try and immerse yourself into the stories you’re about to encounter. As a start, check out books, magazines, newspapers, or blogs on the internet. 

2. Paint Your Nails

A little spa day for yourself is a fun way to pass the time. This will give you a chance to practice applying the colors you love on your nails. Plus, it will make you feel better after putting on a fresh coat. 

3. Watch TV

A subscription to Netflix, Hulu, or Disney Plus is not a bad thing. Binge-watch one of the shows you’ve been wanting to see for a while. Surround yourself with a few snacks. If you’re feeling adventurous, try and get a small pack of ice cream to round out with dessert. Just make sure that you don’t overdo this one. 

4. Face Mask

Treat yourself to a little something that requires minimal effort. It will make you feel fresh and gorgeous after the 15 minutes are up. Feel free to add some cucumber slices for your eyes. 

5. Write in a Journal

Writing is a great way to relieve stress. You have a couple of options on how to go about this. You can search Pinterest for inspirational journal prompts or write about your week. Discover how you’re feeling and write down your thoughts on paper. It will help make you feel better.

6. Explore your City Like a Tourist 

For an authentic experience, take a camera with you, but feel free to use your phone. Snap some pics of the tourist attractions that can be found in your town. For a challenge, try and see if you can capture Instagram worthy pictures that you can post later on. 

Be creative with this one. If you don’t know where to start, look up free walking tours that might be offered in your area. For a personalized experience, I suggest that you come up with your list of sites to visit. Hop on your computer before leaving and do a quick internet search of the best places to explore. 

7. Make a Vision Board 

The best time to make a vision board is when you’re alone. Creating one allows you to see the goals and dreams you have for yourself. It gives you a chance to visually manifest the things that you want to accomplish in life. 

Vision boards are fun to make, and they will put your creative skills to the test. Don’t forget to draw your inspiration from the best person around: you. 

8. Make a Scrapbook

A scrapbook allows you to reminisce about the special moments in your life. Pick out your best pictures, put them all in one book, and give descriptions of what those memories mean to you.

9. Go to a Free Museum 

There are plenty of museums in major cities around the world. Check out their admission fees online or give them a call. Take plenty of pictures and enjoy yourself. 

Hint: Most art museums are free to attend. 

10. Draw

Even if you’re not the most creative, you can still draw or doodle. I can doodle for an hour or two and find it relaxing. Shapes are a great place to start. A typical doodling session for me involves hearts, stars, flowers, and leaves. 

You can also find inspiration by doing a quick search on Google or Pinterest. Take this time to learn something new or find a few pieces that you can recreate. 

11. Have a Karaoke Sing-Along

Find your hairbrush and have a mini-concert in your home. Choose a fun playlist on your phone to sing along to. If you don’t have a set selection of songs you’re too fond of, see the next idea below. Don’t forget to warm up your singing voice as you’re completing your karaoke tunes playlist.

12. Make a Playlist

To reference the point above, make a unique list of songs that you’d have a blast singing along to. I usually name this playlist “road trip songs,” but feel free to go bolder and name yours “karaoke fun time.” Yes, I’m not the most creative in the world, but I know you’ll come up with your own kick-ass name. Select the types of music that you can rock out to without a care in the world. 

On its own, you can also create a few other playlists. You can separate these based on your mood. The best one I like to make is my favorites list. Have fun and get creative. 

13. Dance

Dance like nobody’s watching. Because guess what, they’re not! It’s a fun activity that brings out your inner-childhood. 

Practice your new moves for your next outing. As a bonus, dancing will get your blood pumping. You’ll be able to kill two birds with one stone and count this one as a workout. 

14. Take a Bath

The most relaxing thing on this list is indulging in a hot bath for yourself. Let your worries and stress melt away. Illuminate the room with aromatic candles, put on relaxing tunes, and hop in. Spend at least half an hour, and clear your mind of anything else. 

15. Take a Walk at Your Nearest Park

Step outside your home and breathe in the fresh air. Take this time to find some cool places and sceneries that you haven’t explored before. Try listening to music or a podcast while on this adventure. 

Find new trails that you can mark as your all-time favorite. Enjoy this serene time for yourself and the natural settings your hometown has to offer.  

16. Bike Around Your Neighborhood 

As an alternative to the above suggestion, biking is a fun idea to spend your alone time. This can also serve as a great workout. It offers a faster way to explore your surroundings and allows you to cover a more significant area. 

If you don’t have a bike already, don’t let this discourage you. For friendly used options that won’t break the bank, check out the Facebook marketplace. For a new but cheap alternative, check out your local Walmart or Amazon. 

17. Take a Hike 

The AllTrails app is an incredible resource in finding the nearest trails around you. Alltrails is available for download as a free app on your phone. They can also be accessed through their website if you prefer desktops. There are plenty of trails in your area that you may not know about. This app will help you find those hidden gems. 

Taking a hike lets you be closer to nature. Any time that I hike, I am a lot more relaxed and destressed afterward. Take this time for yourself and observe your surroundings. You’ll never know what you’ll find. 

18. Try a New Recipe

“Cooking is an art.“ Bring out your creativity and invent a new recipe. If that’s a bit challenging, you could always try improving upon an old recipe instead. 

Don’t forget to take pictures when you’re finished. 

19. Bake

Baking soothes the soul. It will fill your home with a sweet aroma that will help you relax. Try to challenge yourself by baking something healthier with a twist. A gluten-free, vegan pastry should do the trick.  

Don’t forget that you don’t have to eat all of these by yourself. If you find that you baked two dozen cookies, you can always share them with others. 

There are plenty who will appreciate the thought and the deliciousness. 

20. Plan Your Next Trip

A fun pastime that I love doing is planning out my next trip. First, start with the destination. List out as many places that you’d like to visit. Afterward, rank them from your most to least favorite. From there, work on your top destination as this will be the one you’ll be most excited about. 

Plan the tours you’d like to take and the foods you want to taste. Don’t forget to start budgeting for the plane ticket and accommodation. Picture yourself taking the trip and don’t hold back. You never know what the future holds, and this trip could be right around the corner. 

21. Look Through Your Stuff and Find Things to Donate / Declutter

Owning a lot of stuff can be overwhelming. Take advantage of your free time to do some spring cleaning. Pick a few items you haven’t used in a while and consider donating them to goodwill. These can include clothes, books, or gifts that you never even opened. You’ll feel better about decluttering and doing something that would help others.

22. Coloring Book 

Go to your nearest dollar store and buy a cheap coloring book. Better yet, you could print out a sheet online. Coloring can put you in a hypnotic state and allow you to focus on what you’re doing. This will help you relax and reduce your anxiety levels. Have a great time, and feel like a kid again. Feel free to color outside the box like you used to when you didn’t have a care in the world.

23. Eat at a Restaurant You’ve Never Been To 

Have you ever wanted to try a new restaurant but had no one to go with you?

Now is your chance. Don’t be afraid to sit there on your own.

Eating solo is a great way to enjoy the food and the best time to people-watch. You’ll learn that by doing this, you don’t need the company of others to have a great meal experience. 

24. Go to an Open Mic Night

Open Mic is good for solo nights out. You don’t need the company of anyone to enjoy the show. Sit back, relax, and have a fun time. Most of the time, these are free to go to. If you have a hidden talent, maybe you’d even get the courage to perform in front of people later on. 

25. Go to Your Local Library

Search for the location of your nearest local library. Go to the front desk, grab a membership card, and check out a few of your favorite books. Peruse through and see if there’s any that catches your eye. 

Don’t limit yourself to books, as most libraries offer newspapers, movies, and music CDs. The bigger libraries are also more likely to offer other free resources. Make sure to ask them what the perks of your new library card can bring you. This is especially useful when it comes to digital downloads. I personally use Libby and Hoopla to take advantage of ebooks and digital rentals. 

26. Go Window Shopping

Shopping doesn’t have to be expensive. I’ve gone on plenty of window shopping sprees by myself. Try on dresses or walk the runway to the mirror with every single pair of shoes you can get your hands on. You don’t have to limit yourself to clothes. Browse through a bookstore or go into a jewelry shop.

Be creative and have a fun time.

Go into any store that you think you’d have an enjoyable time exploring. 

27. Work Out

Working out solo has its advantages and YouTube videos have come a long way. Subscribe to channels whose style of exercise is to your liking. I personally like choosing different channels for each body part I want to work on. There are plenty of options and most of the videos are of high quality. 

Being able to work out from the comfort of your own home is great. You can set a steady pace for yourself. Plus, there’s no one around to watch you. This will help you feel more relaxed going into the workout. 

28. Meditate

There’s no better time to learn meditation than when you have a few free hours at home. The best way to start is to check out this book on How to Meditate which will give you a beginner’s guide. 

After learning a few of the basics, your next step is to practice it. Take small steps and try to aim for 5 minutes in the beginning. Afterward, slowly increase the time limit until you’re able to do much longer sessions. 

29. Brain Teasers or Puzzle

There are endless options when it comes to puzzles and brain teasers. You can easily print out sudoku or crossword games. There are also plenty of mobile apps available for download if you want a digital version. 

You can also go the old-school route and buy a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle. Even better, try your hand at a 3D or lego puzzle. 

30. Look Through Old Pictures

Sometimes sifting through old pictures and reminiscing is a relaxing activity all on its own. I like doing this on my phone and sometimes if I feel up to it, I will assign my photos to folders. This is a good pasttime and it helps make it easier to search your photos later on. 

A different take on this would be to go through old photo albums and making digital copies. It never hurts to have a second place to store things. Plus, you can easily upload these to social media if you’re feeling a #throwbackthursday #tbt.

31. Learn a New Hairstyle

Learning a new hairstyle can be daunting. It’s brand new territory and our hair could end up even messier than intended. But, try to make this a fun event for yourself. I personally prefer learning new braid styles. Let your imagination go wild and hop onto Pinterest for inspiration. 

32. Try Learning a New Language

The Duolingo app has been a life-changer for me. Not only is it free but they are tailored to beginner learners. Plus, they offer most languages that you could ever think of. 

Keep it simple in the beginning and set a basic goal, such as learning your first twenty words. While this may seem easy, it could take you half an hour to accomplish this task. 

Afterward, decide for yourself if you find it interesting enough to continue. You can switch up the language if a different dialect might be a better fit.

33. Make a List 

Start a list you will need in the foreseeable future. Examples are groceries, things to do for the weekend, people to catch up with, or your upcoming bills to pay. Getting organized will benefit you in the coming days. It will help you relax knowing that the things you need to do are written down on paper.

PS. You can also make your own list of fun things to do alone. Feel free to copy some of the items in here to your own. 

34. Take Yourself on a Date

Do you have the image of a perfect date in your head? Do it. Yes, you’ll be alone but think of it as treating yourself to what you deserve. 

If the date consists of a romantic dinner, start the day off by curating the perfect shopping list. While you’re at the store don’t forget to grab a bottle of wine. Then, go all out and cook the most romantic dinner you can think of. Pour yourself a glass of vino, and add some chocolates to the mix.  Maybe the date ends on a solo stroll around your neighborhood while gazing at the stars. 

35. Take Selfies

The Snapchat app is excellent for taking selfies. Their filters are a perfect addition to when I feel both fabulous and bored. Don’t forget to post your picture on their storyboard. 

36. Write a Handwritten Letter and Post It

There’s no better way to show people you care about them than writing and sending a handwritten letter. Create a list of people you haven’t seen in a while but want to keep in touch with. 

Try out this fun idea: Buy postcards from your local area and mail those out to family and friends. 

37. Create a Bucket List

Creating a bucket list is something everyone should do for themselves. It allows you to explore what you want to do with your life. It will also help create extraordinary memories that you can look back on. Building a bucket list is perfect during your alone time, as it will be about you. 

Check out this article of bucket list inspirations. This should help fuel your brainstorming session for living an adventurous life.

Time to Have Fun

There are many things that you can do to make the best of your “me” time. Get to know yourself better and remember the quote, “it doesn’t mean I’m lonely when I’m alone.” Embrace this wonderful time and have a fantastic day on your own. 

Comment below which of these you’re interested in doing next! If there’s anything that you’d like to see added to the list, let me know as well.