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U Mich | Life

Less Screen Time, More Hobby Time

Kristina Elias Student Contributor, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Mich chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

A few weeks ago, while engaging in my daily “phone time” post-class, I saw a TikTok that consisted of a single phrase: “Less screen time, more hobby time.” Ironically, that TikTok made me take a moment of self-reflection. How many hobbies had I stopped dabbling in since my phone (and specifically, social media) entered my life? When I was a kid, I tried my hand at everything: knitting, cross-stitching, writing, gardening, and calligraphy, to name a few. Realizing that I no longer took on these activities led me to make the following list of hobbies I want to begin incorporating (or re-incorporating) into my free time here in Ann Arbor. 

1. Reading 

I’ve always loved to read (check out my last article for some of my go-to reads!), but whenever I’m at school, it falls to the wayside. With balancing five classes, four clubs, and adulting, there isn’t as much time for me to read as much as I do at home. However, I think it’s more than reasonable for me to work in 20-30 minutes of reading time a day, consuming and interpreting stories from new authors. 

2. Baking

When I was a kid, my favorite pastime was trying out different cupcake recipes. I make a mean Nutella cupcake, but my personal favorite is my lemon recipe. Unfortunately, since coming to college (and honestly, since the start of my senior year of high school), I’ve constantly felt like I haven’t had the time to bake. But with the amount of time I spend on my phone, I could’ve probably baked a dozen different types of cupcakes at this point. One of my new goals is to bake a new kind of cupcake every month, experimenting with the hobby I first learned from my grandmother. 

3. Sudoku

This summer, my sister and I took up my grandfather’s hobby of playing Sudoku. I have no qualms saying that I am actually awful at it (especially compared to my sister, who is nothing if not a math whiz). Despite not being the best at the game, it is something that pushes my mind in a new, unique way. Rather than allowing my brain to stay latent, letting content flow over it, Sudoku gives me the opportunity to explore new ways of thinking and allows me to seek out patterns in unique ways. Although I’m sure it will take time to improve, Sudoku is another activity I can use to reduce my screen time. 

4. Watching Movies

Okay, okay, this technically counts as screen time, but there are so many movies that I feel like I’ve missed out on watching. Whether it’s classics like Rocky (yes, this includes all of the Rocky movies) or relatively new releases like Aftersun, there are always movies I’m adding to my to-watch list. At some point, I have to get around to watching them, and there is something to be said for consuming long-form content over short-form. 

It may be a struggle for me to put these hobbies into weekly (or more likely, monthly) practice. I’m definitely guilty of glamorizing my “rotting time” after classes and practices, letting myself fall into an endless stream of content that numbs my brain. By intentionally setting aside time for these activities, I can minimize the amount of time I spend on my phone and participate in hobbies that exercise different parts of my mind. 

Kristina Elias

U Mich '28

Krissy Elias is a freshman at the University of Michigan who aspires to work in the publishing industry, working towards increasing representation in literature and authorship. She enjoys reading, figure skating, and trying out new restaurants with friends. Her favorite topics to write about are politics, mental health, and pop culture.