23 Insanely Productive things to do instead of watching Netflix

Do you ever come home from work and all you want to do is park yourself on the couch in front of the tv and binge watch a show before you are ready to go to sleep?

Yeah, me too.

And do you ever feel like everyone has their life together except you? Do you feel like everyone is getting closer to their goals while you are just floating through life on day at a time? That’s because you are wasting your time. There I said it.

Well, the thing is we all have 24 hours in a day and watching television for hours and not doing anything productive is not the best use of your time.

Productivity is the key to achieving everything you want from your life. And when you are learning to be more intentional with your time and be more productive, every small things helps. So here are 23 Productive things you can do instead of watching TV that will help you take control of your life:

1.Clean your house:

Cleaning the house is probably the best thing you can do. Of course I don’t mean you should clean up your entire house right after you come home from work. That’d be insane. (although I have done that in the past because a cluttered house triggers my anxiety)

Try cleaning your house in sections. Like one day, maybe just clean the pantry, the next day refrigerator, and so on.

It doesn’t have to be overwhelming. And having a clean and clutter free house will make you even more productive and motivated to get your life in place.

2. Do you Laundry:

Do you procrastinate doing your laundry for the weekend? And then, on the weekend something else comes up or you end up making plans with friends and you never get around to doing it and your hamper is always overflowing with dirty laundry?
Get it done. Set yourself a reminder and get it done. I love making routines for things that I find procrastinating. So for me, every Tuesday and Friday are laundry days. And while I do my laundry, I usually put on good music and cook dinner. It is just so relaxing to get it done.

But if you don’t have a laundry unit at home and have to go out to get it done, set yourself a time and get it done. Maybe read a good book while you do your laundry.

3. Workout:

If you spend most of your time at a desk, getting in a light workout is great way to use your time instead of Netflix. Go for a walk or practise some yoga poses and breathing exercises. Don’t indulge in high intensity workouts later in the evenings though. It affects your sleep quality because it stimulates your brain. On that note, here are 12 natural ways to sleep better.

4. Take an online Class:

If you have been wanting to learn something, take an online course via teachable or Skillshare. With technology being such a big part of our lives, this is probably the best way to put it to good use. I love learning new things on Skillshare. However, I do not use any screens at least 2 hours before I go to bed. I usually like doing this in the evenings before dinner.

5. Work on a Passion Project:

If you have an ongoing side hustle, use this time to work towards that. And I know having a side hustle sounds like more work after a long day at work, but if you are really passionate about something, it doesn’t really feel like work though, does it?

When I was in my corporate job, I used to spend 2-3 hours each day on this blog on most days after office. And even though it was a lot of work, I still did so because it gave me joy.

6. Spend quality time with your Family/pets/friends

Instead of watching tv, use this time to have meaningful conversations with your loved ones. Ask them how their day has been and give them your full attention. This is so important for a healthy personal life.

Call an old friend and catch up.

Play with your pet and teach your puppy some new tricks. Maybe practice the old one too.

7. Plan your week:

When you have some free time, plan the coming week. It will be such a life saver. Make sure you write your to-dos for the week and also try scheduling any appointments that you have been procrastinating. I usually write my to-do list for the next day every night. I find it super relaxing to know that I won’t forget any crucial information.

I use BUJO for planning and if you have been meaning to try Bullet Journalling too, check out my guide to Bullet Journalling for Beginners.

8. Listen to an Audiobook/ Read:

Listening to an audio book is such a good use of your time. By now, we all know that highly effective and successful people have this habit in common. They Read. Reading is such a great hobby to have. So books in any form are a great use of your time.

9. Cook a Meal:

We have such busy lives that we spend a lot of our time in making instant meals or just eating out/ordering in. But whenever you have time, use that time to actually cook a meal from scratch. try a new recipe maybe. I usually put on music and then cook a soulful dinner. It doesn’t take that long and is super nourishing and delicious as well.

10. Meal Prep:

Doing a bit of meal prep is great as it helps you be in control throughout the week. I am not a huge fan of having the same thing for break/lunch and dinner all days of the week. And that’s why I don’t do the traditional bento style meal prep. But that’s the good thing, you don’t have to. You can still do same basic things that will make your cooking process go so much faster during the week. Do what you think will make your life easier.

11. Grocery Shopping:

For those of you who hate grocery shopping and are always eating out, this is a really good use of your time. Grocery shopping doesn’t have to be time consuming. just make sure you make a list of everything you need when you go to the supermarket.

12. Self care:

I don’t know about you but I often struggle to take out the time to do some self care. But i have consciously started taking out time every night and indulging in some sort of self care. It could be anything like a face mask, a at home mani-pedi, a new nail color, hair oil etc. And the best thing is, all this can be done even while watching tv. A win-win right?

13. Declutter your closet:

I often go through my closet and see what all I can probably donate or throw away. This helps me in keeping my closet feeling clutter free. I always recommend decluttering your living space because a decluttered space is super important for productivity.

14. Plan Outift for the Next day:

This is such a great tip and I can’t stress this enough. Planning your outfit at the night saves you from anxiety in the mornings. And you will have time to plan accessories etc. And in the mornings you can use that time for other things like actually taking time to eat your breakfast. It feels great to get to work without feeling rushed.

15. Try your hands at Painting:

Painting is so therapeutic. I am not a painter by every now and then during the weekdays or weekends, instead of watching tv and mindlessly consuming content, I paint something. Doesn’t have to be a masterpiece. I usually google easy things to paint and copy some design. But if you want to paint something by imagination or something abstract, that’s totally cool too.

I also like practicing my calligraphy skills and writing quotes. I am no good though. But that’s okay because it makes me happy.

16. Try out Bullet Journalling:

Probably my favourite productivity tool and here are all the spreads I do for productivity. I absolutely love bullet journalling but that wasn’t always the case. But you will never know whether you like something or not, unless you try, right?

If you have been thinking about Bullet journalling too, use that time after office and give it a try and you will find yourself being even more productive with your days. Here is my super simple guide to bullet journalling for beginners and if you are overwhelmed, try these minimal spreads that are super easy to do.

17. Create a Vision Board:

Rather than spending your time in front of the tv, try making a vision board instead. Vision boards are super fun to make and they are a great tool for manifesting whatever you want out of your life.

If you don’t believe in manifestation, that’s okay too. try writing down your goals and what you want to achieve and make actionable plans on how to get there.

18. Plan a travel:

We always say that one should travel to learn the best things life has to teach. And most of my free time is often spent planning out our next travel adventure or daydreaming out it. I am a meticulous planner and I can spend hours planning and making bookings for a vacation. It also gets me super pumped to finish my to-do list before we go for a vacation.

19. Create a bucketlist:

It is so much fun to make a bucket list of all the fun things you want to do or places you want to visit. It just makes me so excited for the time ahead because I have so much fun things planned.

20. Empty your Dishwasher:

This is something that I ALWAYS forget and I am only reminded when I want to wash another load. And it is always such a pain in the ass. Emptying your dishwasher is a great way to make good use of your free time.

21. Update Your resume:

This is super important. Every few months, go ahead and update your resume and add the skills and certifications you have added in the last few months. It is such a great way to boost your self confidence and is important too, because then you don’t need to update it as a when a job opportunity comes up.

22. Practice some Yoga & breathing Exercises:

Most of us spend long hours hunched over our desk and looking at computer screens and the last thing we need is to watch tv and look at even more screens. Try doing some light yoga and breathing excercises instead. You will feel a whole lot better, I promise.

23. Meditate:

I can not stress this enough. Meditation will changed how you look at things and you will be in such a positive head space. Take some time out and meditate. Meditating isn’t easy though but you can always start with small 10-15 minute guided meditations through apps and it will do you wonders. It helps you deal with anxiety and make you more calm.

That’s it, here are some productive things you can do instead of watching television post office. What are some of your favourite things to do? Let me know in the comments below! 🙂