What To Do When There Is Nothing Left To Do

For whatever reason, the previous devices you may have relied upon to occupy yourself are pulled right out from under you and you feel genuinely lost. There is literally nothing you can do. What now?

1.) Learn how to count up to ten in a foreign language
If you have spare time on your hands, learning another language is both an absorbing and useful task. The next time you find yourself in the doldrums, take stock of your surroundings and start counting cars, people, cracks in the sidewalk, etc. in your language of choice. First, count as much as you can spot up to ten, then start enumerating the types of objects you see with the first digit spelled out, the second ten (for the tens place of the number) and the last digit as is. Say you have just blinked your fifteenth time since keeping track; you would repeat to yourself the number in your foreign language for one, then the number for ten, and finally the number for five.

2.) Run through the whole alphabet while sitting down
At some point, perhaps if you are really bored out of your mind, you will count up to the one hundredreth whatever you happen to be counting from my first tip. Instead of counting all over again, you may want to try building physical stamina. Often athletes will suffer from chronic joint problems and related issues if they persist in a sport for too long, but the onset of such ailments can be delayed if one takes the time to safeguard against such eventualities early. For instance, when sitting down, tracing the entire alphabet in the air with your foot helps to maintian flexibility. It is easy enough to go from A-Z on one foot and then the other, especially when no other productive activity will readily avail itself.

3) Look 20 feet away for 20 seconds
This idea is geared towards helping your eyes to relax every so often. Put one finger a couple inches from your eye, then look into the distance. From looking far away, look back to your finger. Move your finger to the left and focus on that appendage before repeating the same motion towards the right. Bring your finger close to your face and watch it as you bring the finger farther away; again, repeat the action next with your finger far away and brought close to your face. Not only can your eyes thus take their own a break during your pause in activity, but this is also a great opportunity to completely zone out with a constant routine. I purposefully put this tip last because if you have truly exhausted every other option, either this is the point when you or someone else decides you have something urgent to accomplish or one just falls asleep.