Millions of Americans are now being forced to work from home or have been forced to leave their jobs and stay home because of the coronavirus.
What can people do with all this spare time?
There are only so many movies and TV shows you can watch before you start to get a little antsy.
So why not dive into some new hobbies to pass the time? You can learn something new and give your brain a bit of a workout!
Folks on AskReddit shared some good suggestions.
1. I like this one.
“But what about astronomy?
Get a few books and grab your fathers binoculars and go outside for half an hour. Green laserpointers are perfect for pointing out stars and deepspace objects for your companions.”
2. Time to bake.
“Bread making.
Highly recommend the book Flour, Water, Salt, Yeast.”
3. One of my favorite hobbies.
“Reading books.
Experiment with different genres. Try different Authors. One of the most productive and most frugal hobbies out there.”
4. Get creative.
“Origami ranges from super simple to outrageously complex, so it’s a great option, because even if you take to it quickly, you absolutely have more to learn.”
5. Give it a shot!
“Knitting!
This or crochet or needle felting – all very relaxing, and great to do whilst watching TV or listening to an audiobook. There are plenty of tutorials online and it’s not just done by old ladies, I promise!”
6. Find some peace.
“It’s a little odd to call meditation a ‘hobby’; but it’s free, you can start right now and it will change your life forever!
Just sit down somewhere and focus on your breathing. Thoughts will come up, oh boy, will they come up, and that’s okay; observe them without judgement. When you notice you’re no longer focusing on your breathing, bring your focus back.
With practice, your mind WILL quiet down eventually and the first time that happens is mind blowing.”
7. Get a green thumb.
“Gardening.
If you don’t have yard space, gardening on a balcony or patio is still feasible. Plenty of herbs love sitting in pots in the sun and cherry tomatoes and peppers do well in such contained environments. There’s tons of creative methods that people have come up with for gardening in tight spaces.”
8. Art stuff.
“Anything art related.
Paint, knit, sew, etc. I make knives, and when I started I used hand tools that probably cost me about $30 total.”
9. Archery is fun!
“Archery is very cheap once you spend your initial money on a bow and some arrows.
Once you have that you’re essentially done unless you want to upgrade your bow. It teaches you to be calm and relaxed and it’s fun.
There are even youtube videos on how to make your own longbow if you want to save even more.”
10. Why not give it a shot?
“Calligraphy.
Practicing every day for a fortnight would improve penmanship.”
11. Start strumming.
“Ukelele.
Not saying you will be pro, but a Ukelele, 14 days, and some youtube tutorials, you’ll be strumming along pretty good.”
12. Always a good idea.
“Cooking is fun.
I get recipes off the internet, and play around with them for fun sometimes. You tailor it to your own level, YouTube is a great resource. Super rewarding when it works.
I made my first Apple crumble and homemade custard tonight, and I was super chuffed at how well it turned out.”
13. Sounds pretty cool.
“Candle making.
You can get a decent enough starter kit on Amazon and it should do you until you learn the basics. It’s super addictive and fun! You become obsessed with formulas and what not very quickly.
Bonus: you can choose how strong they will smell, have unlimited candles for your house to smell incredible and you could even make a few bucks selling them if you’d like to go down that route.”
14. Put pen to paper.
“Writing.
Poems, Fiction, short stories, non fiction, journal keeping. It’s a nice way to relax and get lost in something you’re working on. I’m working a really hard job and have taken to writing for a fantasy-fiction Podcast on my days off and it’s really helped me relax.”
15. Fun Fun Fun!
“Embroidery!
Skeins of floss are pretty cheap and it is very relaxing. Plus if you do a pillowcase you’ll have a rad looking pillowcase when you get done.”
16. You might be an undiscovered talent.
“Drawing.
Paper, pencil…. go draw stuff. Not saying you’ll be good just 14 days in but it’s cheap and it’s a start.”
17. Never thought of this one.
“Lockpicking can be pretty neat.
Got an old padlock? You’re already halfway there. Next you can either buy a starter set of picks or make some out of the metal insert from old windshield wipers.
The downside is that most cheap locks can be opened pretty easily, and you’ll learn to never trust a lock on anything you own. But when you find a lock that beats you for a week, finally getting it to pop open is satisfying beyond words.
Good place to start is just about any Masterlock, then move onto some of the smaller 4-pin Abus models to learn spool pins. American brand locks are usually full of serrated pins, and some of the more expensive locks will sometimes combine different types of pins.
One thing to remember is to never practice on any lock that is being used. There is always potential to damage the lock and either jam it into one position, or make the key no longer function.”
18. Get started today.
“Honestly, simple programing!
It’s practically free (you just need a computer) and you can do a lot of stuff without being very good at it. If you want to learn fast try python, its not that hard to learn and you can do a lot of things with it. There are lots of tutorials on YouTube that will help you get started.”
19. This is very important.
“Exercise.
Walking, push-ups, sit-ups, circuit type exercises. You can YouTube free yoga and other exercises.
Lots of free hiking near my home – guess this one depends on where you live.
Also saves you money in healthcare costs and improves quality of life!”
Now we want to hear from you?
How are you spending time during your quarantine?
Please share with us in the comments!
