There are many different ways you can use Pinterest to brainstorm ideas, share ideas, showcase your life and more. Because of Pinterest’s quick and easy to use “Pin It” system, you can whip up all kinds of image boards in a jiffy. The very best training on this topic is from Lisa Suttora. Take a look at her Pinterest Training for eCommerce course.
Here are ten creative ways you can use Pinterest in your everyday life, but don’t stop at these. If you have special interests or hobbies, use these ideas to generate other useful boards for yourself. With this visual tool, the sky’s the limit!
#1 – Foods You Want to Cook
If you cook regularly, chances are you’ll want to experiment with cooking new and exotic foods every once in a while.
Instead of having to come up with what you want to cook every night, just start pinning interesting food ideas. Then when it’s time to cook a meal, navigate to your Pinterest board and you’ll have a whole array of ideas to choose from.
You can even come up with theme boards for upcoming holidays and events. It’s a great way to brainstorm what wonderful concoctions you may want to create.
#2 – Places You Want to Go
Where do you want to go? Do you want to see the deserts of India, or the beaches in the Caribbean? Or would you rather explore some history in Rome?
Put all the places you want to go on a Pinterest board. This can facilitate a lot of discussion between you and your friends, potentially spawning a real trip. It can also be inspirational and motivational to get you to finally go.
TIP: Create a “Places I’ve Been” board and move places of your wish list to the places you’ve been as you check them off your list.
#3 – Home Decorating Ideas
How can you make your home look even better than it does now? People who sit down and try to design how a home should look often hit a kind of block. The creative juices just don’t flow.
Instead, you can just pin images of beautiful designs and beautiful homes as you go about your daily life. Once you’re ready to start decorating your home, you’ll already have a whole reference library of ideas that you think look great.
#4 – Gift Ideas
There are numerous ways you can use Pinterest for your gift ideas, depending on the occasion and/or recipient. Here are a couple ideas to get you started.
First, you can use it as a gift registry. For birthdays or for weddings, just use Pinterest to save ideas for things you’d like other people to buy for you. Smart, eh?
You can also use Pinterest as a running bank of gift ideas. When it’s someone’s birthday or when Christmas rolls around, just open up your gift registry and you’ll be able to instantly come up with gift ideas.
If you need input on a group gift or from the gift recipient, ask them to collaborate on your board. Let others in on the fun and come up with a great gift ideas.
#5 – Skills to Learn
What are some of the skills you want to learn? Use Pinterest to help motivate yourself and your friends to get involved with more activities.
If you’ve always wanted to learn public speaking, pin up a few images of great speakers. If you’ve always wanted to learn Salsa, pin up a few passionate dance photos. If you want to get inspired to decorate your child’s birthday cake in a fun new way, pin some ideas.
This will help get yourself moving towards learning those skills; as well as tell your friends what you’re interested in. You might find yourself a learning partner! You can also use Pinterest to share pictures of your home office, parties you host or attend, and much more…
#6 – Show Your Art
Do you do some sort of art? Pinterest is the perfect place to share it.
Whether you make earrings or paint, whether you just draw for fun or are an amateur photgrapher, Pinterest is a fantastic way to put your art out into the world and share it with all your Pinterest friends and the rest of their members.
Think of it as your own little portfolio to inspire and get your artwork shared.
#7 – Pictures of Your Kids
Every parent loves to talk about and show off their kids. Pinterest is a great place to do it. You can create Pinterest boards of your kids in a number of different ways.
You could create a Pinterest board with a picture of your child taken once a month, so you can watch your child grow up over time.
Or create Pinterest boards with your child in a different place in each photo. You can even share pictures of their art and special projects.
There are so many ways to have fun with this and get the family involved too.
#8 – Share Your Office
What do you do professionally? A lot of people who know you personally would be curious about what it’s really like where you work, no matter where you work.
What does the office of an accountant look like? What does a CEO’s office view look like from their window? What does a Starbucks back room look like? What does a refrigerator factory look like from the inside?
No matter what kind of work you do, chances are there are people you know who’ll find it really interesting to see what it’s really like. Share some photos of what your workplace really looks like.
#9 – Event Pictures
Pinterest is a great way to share photos of events, parties and gatherings. With Facebook, only friends can see the photos. Also, people need to be tagged before they’ll notice most photos.
On Pinterest, the photos are open to all the world to see. People following you will have the event’s photos appear in their feeds.
You can have collaborators on your event’s boards, so everyone with a camera can upload and pin the photos they took at the event.
#10 – Your Life Vision
The idea of vision boards exploded with the release of the movie “The Secret.” The movie talks about how having a board where you put all your dreams and goals can help move you closer and closer towards your vision.
Ask yourself: Where do you want to be in your life in terms of your health, your career and your relationships? Pin up inspiring photos of each of these different areas of your life.
These are ten different ways you can use Pinterest in your personal life. Using Pinterest, you can share your life with others, inspire yourself, communicate ideas, post reminders and more.
Pin It…It’s Your Board!
There’s no right or wrong approach to Pinterest, so have fun with it. Share what you love, what inspires you or makes you laugh. And be sure to check out Lisa Suttora’s excellent training to get started quickly with Pinterest.
Kate says
Great Article Connie! I just started using Pinterest for one of my Recipe niche sites and have been getting some great results! I love using it for personal use too, just because it’s fun! Thanks for the tips!
~ Kate Wilber
Connie Ragen Green says
Thanks so much, Kate. I’ve learned so much from Lisa Suttora’s training on how to use Pinterest with my business.
Connie
Carol Farbe says
Connie,
You took the words right out of my mouth.
When I get stressed out with my daily routine, I switch over to “playing” on Pinterest.
Thanks for the tips!
Deborah H. Bateman says
Thanks for sharing all the cool ways to use Pinterest. I am a member and have made some boards, but see other ways I can use it. Blessings, Deborah H. Bateman