What do you do when you've got nothing to do?

Tell you what kitty clean all the kitchen cabinets, and when you have done that, come and do mine.

Or you could just sit and think ( be a philosopher!)

From Punch 24th October 1906.

(Cartoon featuring the vicar's wife talking to a rustic old man laid up by an injured foot.)
Vicar's wife: Now that you can't get about and are not able to read, how do you manage to occupy the time?
Rustic man: Well, mum, sometimes I sits and thinks and then again I just sits.

By Gunning-King.

Love it!

My late son ( then in his very early 20s) shared a flat with a lad who used to sit for hours staring into space. It drove my lad mad so he persuaded his flatmate to try reading. Once led to water, as they say, the said flatmate was never seen without a book...

One of my DD's friends who we have known since she was a little girl (now in her 40s) said to my DD recently 'how's your mum? Is she still
running around everywhere like a mad thing?' I didn't realise that was how I was viewed

I go so slowly trough my jobs these days that any sitting down time is illicit.

I rarely have nothing to do, but quite often don`t feel like doing what there is to do, so I either visit my laptop, or sit and have a read, which is why I get through so many books!

I'm in an obligatory post op state of doing nothing apart from physio . I picked up a sampler which I had started umpteen years ago and decided in the preceding nerve racking weeks I would use it as a soother. I'm filling in the spaces very randomly and I'm enjoying doing nothing watching the squirrels eat the windfalls and the clouds scud by. We've changed roles. DH is doing the cooking and wrestling with dishwasher and washing machine and I am feeling rather sorry for him as he and I had the old fashioned sort of marriage . I could carry on doing nothing. Quite happily.

If you're doing nothing how do you know when you are finished?

Oh you are never finished but you are frequently interrupted! Lol!

I was going to say most of you make me feel guilty but I'd be fibbing.
I do housework and shopping in the mornings what's not done by lunchtime gets done another day. Afternoons are for reading, playing solitaire GN or other "stuff" on the Kindle, colouring watching crap on TV or doing a jigsaw. Sometimes I have notion to clear out my wardrobe or the junk draw or whatever, other times I have a notion to do b'*""r all ! I'm amazed some of you never have nothing to do.

My DM used to say that 'a woman's work is never done'

The trouble is that she was much better at doing it than me

I read a book or do knitting or needle work, but mainly, just read.

Anyone that photocopies Times crosswords and does them whist eating a sandwich is nearly beyond help. Would take me a week and I would need all sorts of help.

Learn some interesting relaxing technics and practice them. You could then review them for gransnet and we could give them a try.

Do you ever have a really good laugh? That's relaxing

I wasn't counting the knitting, as that's 'doing something' and being productive
Anyone that photocopies Times crosswords and does them whist eating a sandwich could get indigestion

Rosesarererd - "sit and think" - or just "sit."
But I sit and worry - how am I going to manage to do so&so? And when the time comes I cope ok ( usually.)
Seriously, I do some cooking or baking. Made some nice soup this pm.
Also ring friends.

ajanela, actually DH and I laugh a lot. I am not a stressy person and don't need to relax. I just can't cope with having nothing to do! Out of practice I guess!

I go swimming several times a week and play badminton. These are my favourite hobbies. I have a list of fun things but even some days i am not in the mood to do sporty stuff. I think you must get out of the house every day even for a couple of hours. One of the things I do especially in the summer is get on any bus that takes my fancy using my bus pass, browse around the shops in the town I ended up in, then get the bus back a few hours later. You don't need to do this with anybody. Sometimes it is nice to do things on your own. Try it.

Algeswife even if I had a bus pass I couldn't do that as the busses around here are only local I'd need to get a train first.
Lucky you

There is not such thing as nothing to do in my life. This is because standing and staring is doing something

Good point Thatbags...

There us never 'nothing to do' , if I've done everything I'm supposed to do, I read . Simple as that . There us never nothing to read, I have always got something to read.

dorset, you are a woman after my own heart. You can never have too much to read.

Put some apps on like Peak brain games or Headspace meditation. You can then make a cup of tea and sit down for half an hour while improving yourself at the same time!

Have you tried Adult Colouring? I bought myself a set of Christmas cards to colour in,they are detailed designs and not child level. Have done 3 so far in quiet moments and its very relaxing.