Have one of your friends casually mention that they would maybe need a logo / design for a possible future project. Or that they may need ideas for their website. Or that they marry next year and don’t know yet how their invitations should look like. You know, nothing serious, just a thought. You already set it as an assignment in your head, deadline and all, because you are a responsible upright person and your responsibility is to give everyone what they want. You also know deep inside that you would have a good input on things. But that’s not your motivation right now. Your friend needs something and you are here to give it to them. Use this to make some sketches, have some fun with your IPad or computer. You have a full presentation by next week. Boom! You spent your time creatively and reduced your guilt about having bought an expensive gadget but only using it for Facebook.

And you could even use the result to put it in your portfolio when you apply for that dream job outside of your comfort zone (it’s highly unlikely that you ever will but you know, just in case).