Guide to Barracks Boredom

Fun games to beat barracks boredom

Corn Hole

Uno

Chess

Monopoly Deal

Jenga

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Representative image. Actual Product may vary.

You’re proud you serve, and you’re fine with living; who knows where, and crammed in with a bunch of other people. But let’s face it, some places are not always going to be eventful.

You’re not always going to be in a major city or main thoroughfare. Sometimes, you’ve got to make the best of your time. While some enjoy the nightlife, that may not be for you.

Not that I am judging; I’m not- you do you. But if you want to stick around and become the dreaded barracks rat, than your have come to the right place.

I say make the most of your time. Whether that’s going to be playing games with your roommates, trying to be the next big thing in the social media world, sharpening your hobbies, or just trying to prepare yourself for life after the service.

Use the time you have, its precoius and could be used to make friends or get the edge in your career.

This guide will break down the top four categories that you could spend your time on when barracks boredom hits.

1.) Leisure time/Down time

• Nothing says getting to know your barracks neighbors like a game. And there are so many to choose from, from cards to corn hole. Find a neighbor and deal them in; you never know, they could end up being one of your closest friends. If they are not down, I guess there is always the card game solitaire.

• If you find yourself overseas, like in Germany, get out and explore the cities. Europe is a great place if you get a few days off. You can absorb the different cultures.

• Food! I loved eating all the differant kids of food while I was in different places. The great thing about this is that you don’t need to leave the country. From cheesesteak in the Northeast to barbaque inthe south west, you can find some great eats; you just need to go out and look for it.

• Being pulled into duty that you didn’t plan for last minute is a fun party trick the military loves to pull on you. On some of your down time its a good idea to always be prepared. Have your uniforms and gear in order and ready to grab without a moment’s notice. Trust me, you don’t want to be the person trying to explain that your PT’s are in the wash or you can’t find some of your equipment. There is always one. Try not to be that person; take some time to be organized and ready. This is something your probaly dont want to do and feel like it’s easy to put off, but you will be happy as hell when you’re not caught of gaurd.

2.) Hobbies/General interest

• If your station is somewhere remote and not a lot is going on. Could be a great time to learn an instrument or take up painting. You can check with your local MWR and thrift stores; you may be able to rent or find equipment for cheap. At least check with them; they may have resources and could point you in a direction.

• Depending on where your station is, you may have some experiences specific to your region. Caves in the Midwest, birdwatching in Hawaii, or traveling the Rhine River in Germany, where you can see many castles fixed in time. Hobbies could be a good way to get you out a bit, see some of your surroundings, or at least connect with other people with the same interest.

• If you’re athletic or have an interest in Music, MMA, boxing, and a wide variety of other skills. The military does have competitive teams. If you’re any good, you could try to apply for one of these units. If you’re a bit more low-key, find gyms and centers around your community to sharpen those skills.

3.) Extra Money / Side Hustle

• This one is my favorite. When I was in, I always tried to find easy ways to make a few extra bucks. You can click here to check out the Guide to Making Extra Cash. There, I go into more detail on finding niche problems that you can solve for a few extra bucks.

• I have seen some units allow part-time jobs. While that is possible, that can be tricky, as your military job will always come first. Below are some other ideas to get the ball rolling that could be barracks-friendly.

• Use ride shares like Uber or Lyft. If you have some time off, these secondary jobs are great because they work on your schedule. Live close to an airport; you could easily make a few bucks. You don’t want to deal with another company; just offer your butler services to your co-workers. Someone is always traveling somewhere. In places like Korea and Germany, where not everyone has a ride, this would be perfect.

• Do you like to write? You can easily make books and self-publish. There are a few sites out there, but the most popular one is Kindle Direct Publishing, or simply known as KDP. It is a print-on-demand service that only creates the book when ordered. This is great as it costs nothing. Of course, with everything, you could hire people to help you, like an editor or cover artist, but that’s the beauty of it: you can control how much you do or hire out. One note is that selling books is not for the faint of heart. Unless you have a large dedicated social media following, you could have a hard time selling on Amazon. Not a deal breaker; it just means you need to be more creative.

• You have art skills? Like above, there are services for illustrators. One site that comes to mind is Redbubble. There are many that can do the same thing, but these art-based print-on-demand services: you don’t pay anything and get a portion of the sale. Your designs can go on shirts, mugs, and tons of other things. As long as you have wifi and something to create your art with, you can continue to add to your catalog wherever you’re stationed.

• You could develop an SEO (Search Engine Optimization) website. Having to code is no longer an issue. Find a niche or idea that is close to you and begin blogging. This is a long-term play, as websites can take a long time to get to a point where search engines are bringing in a fair amount of visitors. These sites can take a year before any meaningful traffic. So if you enjoy writing on your computer, this could be an option.

• The military tends to teach a lot of skills that result in fixing and repairing items, usually on the cheap and in inventive ways. You could apply these skills and offer to fix or repair items based on your skills in your community.

4.) Career / Skill Development

• Having some downtime is a perfect way to prepare for the next stage in your life. You could take advantage of online courses and get skills or certifications that you may need for when you leave the military.

• Take advantage of the Military Tuition Assistance while you’re in. This is a great way to work towards a degree with out useing your GI Bill. Depending on what state you’re in, you could also look for grants that could help pay for your schooling.

• Maybe college isn’t your thing. That’s fine; it’s just one road. If you have an interest in a trade, you could look for appreantiships of part time jobs if allowed by your unit! This would be a great way to give your resume some experience for after. Not all military skills can transfer to the civilian sector of life; might as well use barracks boredom to work on some skills.