During the summer, I challenged myself to try a number of different hobbies to help fill up free time, especially as I was in a different city for an internship and didn’t know anyone there or what to do for fun.
Scrolling on social media wasn’t productive enough for me, so I decided to give a few low-effort hobbies a try, as I knew I was probably going to abandon those that required much effort. But, to my surprise, I ended up loving the ones I tried. So, if you’ve been wanting to stop spending as much time on social media and put that energy towards something productive, here’s a list of fun hobbies that don’t require much effort!
Reading
Yes, I know this is so cliché, but reading is a great, low-effort hobby to give a try. I used to be an avid reader when I was younger, but I slowly stopped as I started getting older due to a lack of time. This summer, I decided to pick reading back up after finding a small, used bookstore near my apartment with great finds. Within a few hours of reading, I forgot how fun it was to sit down with a good book! For those of you who don’t want to go out and grab a physical book, there are also plenty of online options to purchase or free versions of e-books! In my opinion, reading is such a great low-effort hobby to start or get back into!
Crocheting
Over the summer, my mom found an old beginner’s crochet kit in our garage when she was cleaning out our house. When she handed it over to me, I remembered that the kit was an old Christmas gift from my aunt to me when I was in elementary school, which I had never used. Knowing that I had a bunch of time on my hands, I decided to give it a whirl. I searched up a ton of videos on learning how to crochet, and I was very surprised to learn that it wasn’t hard at all! Yes, the basics took a bit of time to get used to, like how to hold the hook and how to get the yarn tension just right, but learning how to create things didn’t take much time at all. I made my first tiny whale plushie just days after learning the basics! All you need is some yarn, a hook, a beginner’s tutorial, and a bit of patience. Since learning how to crochet, I’ve created countless plushies that I’ve given to friends and family, and even started creating a sweater!
Puzzles
Don’t get me wrong, I used to hate puzzles. But, after purchasing an easy one with not too many pieces and a cute design, I decided to give it another try. I’m not sure what exactly changed, but I ended up having such a blast. It was low-effort, cheap, and I got to put together a lovely drawing that I now have hung up in my room as cute decor! It starts off a bit slow, but it gets much easier after you get the hang of it. It also doubles as a great activity to do with friends! Since I’ve returned to school for the fall semester, I’ve officially got my roommates hooked on puzzling, and we now spend every Tuesday night putting a different puzzle together while watching Dancing with the Stars!
There you have it, a list of a few low-effort hobbies to try if you’re looking for something to break up your usual routine! Who knows, maybe these activities will turn into lifelong hobbies that you enjoy doing!