27 Productive Things to Do at Home (Streamline Your Home Operations)

Home is the perfect place to get things done purely because it’s the place we usually feel most relaxed.

Our emotional energy is high as well as our physical energy, unlike when you’re at work which can leave you feeling drained.

For this reason, it’s important to be productive when you’re at home as it’s when you’ll get the most done — it’s also where you don’t have to adopt a facade for other people and can truly be yourself meaning 100% of your energy can go into productive things.

1. Set goals for the future

Home is a space where you can maximize your efforts in planning for your future, mainly because it doesn’t require you to invest any emotional energy in anything else — you’re truly comfortable with the space you live in and the people that surround you.

For this reason, you should absolutely spend some time planning out what you want to achieve in the short to mid-term, but also what you’d like further down the road in the distant future too.

As they say, there’s no harm in being prepared, so give it a go! Oh, and a quick tip, put your goals in a place that is always visible to make sure you maintain the same mindset.

2. Work on your emotional wellbeing

We’ve mentioned emotional energy quite a few times, mainly because our typical daily lives involve dealing with a range of stressful tasks and connecting with a variety of different people that challenge us and wear us down.

This isn’t always in a bad way either; people simply need to reset sometimes which is why working on your emotional well-being whilst at home can be a truly restorative process to get you back to your best.

In most cases, simply spending some time doing what you love can be all that you need, whether that be playing games or baking with the kids.

However, more deliberate efforts include meditation, mindfulness, and engaging in an exercise hobby such as yoga.

3. Finish practical tasks around the home

Got a sink that needs unblocking or a shelf that needs realigning on the wall? Or perhaps you’ve got a weed problem in your garden that needs seeing to?

All of these little tasks are rather easy to resolve, though, we often leave them until they reach a point of becoming a huge collective effort of labor which in the end just creates more stress for ourselves.

If there are any practical tasks that need solving around your home, you should address them straight away before they become more annoying.

4. Renovate and redecorate your living space

The space you live in can really have a huge impact on your emotional well-being which is why we think it’s vital to get it right and up to standards.

In fact, most people will spend the majority of their time in a particular room which is usually the place you should try to optimize first — if you live with others it might be prudent to consult them to see what they think and if they can help out.

In some cases, it could just be a case of realigning where things are laid out, however, getting better-suited furniture and giving your walls a fresh lick of paint can really go the distance and can last a long time making it extremely worthwhile.

5. Declutter your home

Your home might be perfect aesthetically speaking but if it has clutter everywhere then it can really have a negative effect on your mental state and can affect the way you see yourself and how others see you.

In fact, having too many things in your visual field can actually drain you mentally meaning you may not be thinking your best with all the mess around you.

A clear space means a clear mind and that’s when you’ll be able to operate at your best, so get it done!

6. Do a home workout

Being at home doesn’t mean you have to be inactive.

Yes, some spaces may not be perfect but that’s often an excuse not to give it a go because, in truth, you can exercise in pretty much any kind of space, regardless of the size or where it’s located.

Heck, even if you had a box room, you could still do a few jumping jacks or jogging on the spot which would definitely be enough to get your heart rate up and have you burning a few extra calories.

Plus, with an abundance of free YouTube home workouts, there’s no excuse not to give it a go — whilst you’re at it, try to get the whole family involved too.

7. Learn an instrument

Home should be a place of culture and learning where you can truly embrace your whole range of character.

One of the most different types of activities, unlike many other things, is learning to play an instrument such as the guitar or piano.

In fact, home is the perfect space to practice an instrument mainly because it’s a place that should leave you feeling totally unburdened by the normal stresses in your life.

Plus, if noise is a concern then you can usually get a pair of headphones and swap out acoustic instruments for electronic versions instead which will support them.

8. Assess your finances

Debt, bills, and where your money goes every week should be high up on your list of concerns, especially if you find yourself lagging behind financially sometimes.

At home, this will act as the perfect place for undistracted focus to really allow you to get your money in order.

This includes consolidating debt or putting a plan in place to pay it off, but should also include looking at ways that you can grow your money through things such as savings accounts.

9. Update your utility contracts

Another great way of saving money is to compare what you’re paying on your utility bills such as gas, electricity, and your broadband service.

Suppliers are known for rolling their customers over (without telling them) onto worse rates once their contracts expire — it’s up to you to get in touch with them to make sure you’re getting the best possible deal.

10. Read a book

Believe it or not, spending your day reading is actually beneficial both from an emotional point of view, and also to expand your knowledge and perspectives.

Both fact and fiction books can offer unique points of view whereby you’ll usually embrace the text through another person’s eyes.

This can be great for broadening your philosophical horizon but it can also just be a really entertaining way to spend your day at home.

11. Upskill yourself

When you really put into perspective what you could achieve with a little bit of keen focus and some spare time, you’ll start to really unlock your true potential.

Most people kind of give up on learning new things once they’ve finished college or university, mainly because they’ve been conditioned to think that learning and studying can only be done in an academic setting.

This couldn’t be further from the truth, especially with modern services such as the internet that allow us to instantaneously search for any information we want, including the syllabus for a wide variety of topics.

In fact, you can even get a degree from home with services like the Open University — give it a go and make the most of your free time at home.

12. Entertain your family

Being productive doesn’t just mean working hard or learning something new, it also means maintaining and improving relationships with your family.

After all, these are the people that will be in your life forever through thick and thin and who will support you regardless of the outcome.

Sparing some time for the people who love you the most is one of the best ways to put positive energy back out into the world — sometimes good deeds do go unpunished!

13. Learn to cook homemade meals

Home cooking is a great way to save money and can also be a great way to unite your friends and family where you can break bread together as it were.

In most cases, you’ll find it easy to learn your local cuisine as you’ll probably have picked up a thing or two when you were growing up, though, don’t let this stop you from experimenting with more exotic foods too as they can be just as exciting.

14. Embrace a side hustle

Having spare time at home to relax is a great way to boost your emotional well-being, however, sometimes some of that energy should be channeled into furthering your long-term goals whereby you can embrace a side hustle to make money outside of your normal job.

Sometimes a side hustle can take a while to build up, however, it can eventually allow you to quit your normal job if you’re able to get it to a point where it snowballs into something more financially stable.

Good examples of side hustles include trade jobs such as joinery, plumbing, and/or garden work — online versions include things like blogging and e-commerce.

15. Invite friends and family over

Spending time at home needn’t be a lonely affair, especially if you’ve got a good friend or two who you can hang out with or have some family relations.

What you get up to is entirely up to you but some suggestions include playing video games, hosting a barbeque, and having a dinner party.

16. Maintain or start a garden

If you’re lucky enough to have a garden space or a yard to work with then we highly recommend giving gardening a go as it’ll allow you to work on something at a pace whereby you can eventually have blossoming flowers and fruits that you can eat.

In fact, there are very few hobbies that are quite like gardening in the fact that it’s something that you don’t need to completely dedicate your time to but can still achieve a very satisfactory result.

17. Install security systems

Even if you live in a relatively safe neighborhood, you can never be too certain that you won’t be the victim of a crime or some kind of break-in at your home.

For this reason, we really recommend installing some kind of security system to give you better protection and advanced warning of any kind of attempted burglary in your house.

Plus, having security installed on the premises will make you feel more comfortable and will allow you to channel your mental energy elsewhere.

18. Connect with your neighbors

The modern generation is particularly averse to social interaction where it isn’t required — one of those examples includes talking to your neighbors.

People fear interaction with those they live close to mainly because it can become a source of competition and anxiety.

However, when given the time, building a strong relationship with your neighbors can be a boon in many ways, including for security purposes and when you need to borrow a tool.

It’s better to give people a chance rather than shying away from them, especially because you don’t know what you’re missing out on.

Humans are social creatures and thus, do better when partied up with other folks including those around you.

19. Diarize your daily activities

The best way to grow as a person is to put yourself in a state of constant development and learning.

One of the ways you can maximize those results is by diarizing your daily activities whereby you keep track of everything you do, and most importantly, keep track of menial activities that could become a source of streamlining.

It’s funny what things you’ll start to notice about yourself as you keep track of everything.

In fact, time spent at home can be some of the most unproductive, however, it also offers the greatest opportunity to be productive.

20. Defrag and declutter your home PC system

If you’re sitting at home on your computer most of the day, whether that be to browse Amazon or to hit up a few games, why not defrag and declutter it as well?

This means getting rid of unused files, broken links, and cached information that may be clogging up your system and slowing it down.

Cumulatively speaking, even a minute or two saved every hour could add up to quite a bit of time in the long run.

21. Listen to a podcast

Podcasts are a great way to update yourself on interesting and informative content without needing to put in much practical effort.

Some of the world’s leading authorities ranging from psychologists, financial experts, and even Nobel prize winners, all seem to show up at some point on a smattering of different podcast shows.

Some of the most popular and informative podcasts include Lex Fridman and The Joe Rogan Podcast where things ranging from cryptocurrencies to Quantum physics are all discussed.

22. Have a pamper day

Being at home is the perfect place to sort out your emotional well-being and one of the best ways to do that is to ritualize the experience by having a pamper day.

This includes meditating, burning essential oils to make your home smell nice, and doing relaxing things like bathing in a nice hot bubble bath.

People often forget that taking care of yourself and making yourself feel good is also a very productive way to spend your time which is why we’ve included it on this list.

23. Do some stretching

Most people spend hours sitting in their chairs, whether that’s because they’re at an office all day, or perhaps it’s because they enjoy playing games or watching TV, never has there been a time when we’ve been sat down so much.

Because of this, it’s quite likely your muscles will start to shrink and thus, won’t be as flexible or as mobile as they could be.

Early in life this probably won’t have much impact on your normal living, however, the older you get, the more you’ll need to rely on your muscles and your range of motion to enjoy an active, healthy life.

We recommend using your time at home to do some kind of stretching routine — in most cases, you can stretch most of your muscles within 15 minutes which should be easy enough for anyone to squeeze into their schedule.

24. Apply for jobs

Whether you’re jobless or even if you have a job, firing out a few resumes to prospective employers isn’t a bad use of your time, even if it’s just to gauge the market to see what kind of responses you’re getting.

It’s quite a common occurrence for most employers to keep paying long-term staff a lower wage without any kind of pay rise, even if the market is offering more.

You’d be surprised how quickly the market moves to stay competitive — don’t get left behind and make sure you’re getting paid what you’re worth.

25. Plan a holiday

Being at home is a great place to do some solid thinking where you can plan days out and activities with your family.

For this reason, if you’ve been thinking about getting away for a while then we definitely recommend browsing some holiday sites to see if you can snag a bargain to take your family somewhere exotic.

26. Make music playlists for different activities

Another great way to use up your free time is to create playlists for different themes and activities that you might be engaged in.

A few examples would include a productivity playlist, an exercise playlist, a party playlist, and even a gaming playlist.

There are many different different types of music that can stimulate you in different ways which is why it’s a powerful tool to have and a great idea to have a few playlists fleshed out for when the moment strikes.

27. Restore old furniture

Thinking about throwing your chairs out or a side cabinet that’s been gathering dust? Think again!

Furniture restoration is becoming an increasingly popular way of giving back life to furniture that’s starting to show its age — heck, it’s also a great way to remain environmentally friendly as you’re reducing your carbon footprint by not buying newly-produced goods.

Plus, if you get good enough at it, you can also make a pretty penny in restoration fees that you can offer to other people to bring their worn-down goods back to life.