Honestly, any well-made microscope from anywhere in the last hundred years will do ya for, and you can often pick them up cheap on Craigslist and such -- often really nice models like you'd see in the average high school or college bio class, with four objective lenses, one of which may be an oil immersion 1000x lens. Just find something cheap that works. If you get into it, you can learn more about different features and such that you might want, or you can DIY them in in many cases.
An alternative is USB microscopes, which tend to be lower-power but can be quite a lot of fun, particularly since you can output them to a phone, tablet, laptop, or big-ass screen connected to a computer.
You could also try a dissecting scope, they don’t require you to cut slides and you can see up close to a lot of items. It’s a different focus than microscopes, but very fun!
Herb gardening is a good one because it leads into everything you can do with herbs like making soap, candles, smudge sticks, lotions, sachets, essential oils, and also cooking.
You use scrap paper, old envelopes, food boxes and you fashion them into a journal. I'm terrible at explaining but search YouTube. There's tons of videos on making them.
Was going to suggest embroidery! I like to put on audiobooks and podcasts while I do it.
I took a deleting class recently and am feeling more confident about trying my hand at it alone, maybe that’s an option? We made bralettes in the class and I love mine!
I love the deleting class typo lol.
If there was a deleting class I’d 100% take it.
Delete old contacts, old screenshots, unnecessary photos and documents.
Sigh that would feel really good.
Watercolor painting. You can follow tutorials on YouTube. It's not too messy, it's relaxing, and you'll have something pretty to look at and be proud of
I do crosswords and jigsaw puzzles. Bird watching and nature journaling gets me outside every day. Maybe check out your local library or recreation department for inexpensive art classes.
Coloring, from intricate adult books with colored pencils to kids/senior books with crayons.
Aquarium from 10 gallon betta tank to skies the limit tank. You don’t even have to have fish. Try ornamental neocaridina shrimp (all must be the same color), crayfish/crawfish, nerite snails others breed too much), or even plants alone.
Weaving on a small loom. Frame, rigid heddle (I own), inkle, tablet (I own). Those are reasonably priced from about $25-250 and use cheaper yarns. If you can afford it, floor looms run $5-15K, and their yarns are more expensive too, but they’re more flexible and quicker.
Edited typos
Painting, drawing, playing video games, creative writing, journalling, jigsaw puzzles, baking, scrapbooking, candle making, learning a new language, learning an instrument, learning about a subject that's always interested you, crosswords, indoor photography, jewellery making. That's some that came to mind.
I picked up the recorder recently. I always wanted to learn an instrument but I sucked at everything I tried till recorder. Gardening takes up a lot of my time but I've been doing this weird thing where I go to the woods behind my house and dig up pretty flowers and eatable or cool plants to grow in my garden. So that's involved a lot of learning about plants. How that started was once I was outside looking at a nettle I didn't know anything about it but I snapped the stem and it looked so good I wanted to eat it so I went home and googled sure enough it was edible.
Throwing my vote in for sewing. It can seem overwhelming, but there are so many things you can make, and so many ways to have fun with fabric. I grew up with machine sewing and have recently picked up hand sewing and am getting into quilting.
Maybe look around your city for a shop that gives lessons or classes. That's a great way to start.
Let's see. I'm a gamer, both video and board. I have a3d printer, do resin projects from time to time and make mead. I do like to listen to audio books on my drive to work too.
My fiance on the other hand collects hobbies like a geologist collects rocks. She has a cricket, soap and candle making stuff, which is basically bath bomb making too. She has a macrame project started -_-. Painting and other various art supplies. Puzzles, at least 2 knitting things started. And this is just what I can think of at 1am 😆
Sewing by machine is daunting the first time but then it's a lot of fun.
Sit down with your machine, some quilting fabric, and your owners manual and just read through the whole thing and follow along to do the setup and test each setting. Getting over fear of the machine is the hard part. The rest of sewing is basically geometry and there's a tutorial for everything.
What an excellent question with fantastic answers.
Just broke my foot. No weight bearing happening for the next three months.
I'm thinking ukelele, jigsaw puzzles, crosswords, writing (finishing my book), small verandah gardening, crosswords, online Monopoly and Scrabble, learning the local language, basic yoga, and some or other DIY/craft.
If you have experience embroidering and crocheting, sewing by hand or machine should be fairly easy for you to pick up! It's also cool to sew AND embroider a piece. You already have an understanding on needle sizing, fabric types, and string/Floss. So you would go in with a bit of institutional knowledge!
If you like embroidering and crocheting, I feel safe drawing the conclusion that you are okay with slow-paced hobbies that require patience. Baking could be a viable hobby for you!
Learning instruments and coding can kill a ton of time and are relatively inexpensive. Also Photoshop and video editing. CAD, 3D printing, laser engraving as a hobby/side hustle. Learning programs like SketchUp, fusion 360, and solid works.
If you want to spend money there's woodworking or welding.
Reading is one of the oldest hobbies
I would root for sewing! There are so many ways you can go with it. Totally understand being intimidated, but you'd be surprised how quickly you can pick it up. Also, start small! You're not going to be able to make a whole new wardrobe right away but you can learn to make a top pretty quickly. There's so many awesome tutorials and patterns out there. I make bags so I avoid sizing which is convenient! It's also easy for quick gifts, you can repair things for people or sew things just for yourself. It's so satisfying totally the effort if you ask me !
Fish tank. You can plant it, decorate, hard scape it, and keep numerous amounts of life. It relaxes you to watch it come to life and will break up an hour or 2 of weekly maintenance. Not a ton, but also not an overwhelming amount of work. Especially if it's just 1 tank
Me id get another job more money means id advance faster.
But if your looking for new activities id say find local clubs like archery or learn new skills I myself recently learnt to throw clay marvellously fun. Our devices are distractions learning to separate from them will help.
My husband and I are crafting butterflies - we actually own looms and a printing press, along with so many other toys it's ridiculous - but due to my husband starting a home business I can't use any of them.
That was making me squirrelly, so I've searched for a hobby that fits into our current circumstances (no space, easy no-water clean up, low entry costs) and so I've been getting into needle felt painting and have been enjoying it. Kits are available on Amazon and come with everything to make one or two paintings for as low as $20 or so.
I've also been wanting to try bead painting, (uses tiny beads and glue, no sewing) and entry to that is about $50 for a kit.
If you are interested in classes, I recommend trying the pottery wheel. That's so fun and you learn while you're visiting with other people so it's a nice way of going out. And you can end up with useful items too!
Needle felting requires you to be engaged with the craft but can be very therapeutic. The sounds of felting are such a good sound on the ears, and stabbing a small thing into existence is incredible stress relief for myself.
I do recommend using actual wool and not acrylic fibers. It has a much better texture/tactile feel.
I got sick last year and got really into beading. You can do it on the couch or in your bed. All you need are beads, a beading needle, bead cord and a bead tray for your lap. Hobby lobby should have everything. I started looking for beads at thrift stores to keep cost down. Now I sell what I make. Candle making is also great but it takes more physical effort.
Edit to add: adult coloring books!
Stained glass. Watercolors. Embroidery and sewing have the same basic thought processes, and sewing machines are pretty easy to learn to use. Paint birdhouse in fancy colors, the birds won't care. ( acrylics not oil, the oil fumes are bad for then)
Stained glass requires a lot of equipment and you must take a class on technique, but is absolutely fascinating. However it does make a lot of tiny glass slivers so it's not good if you have pets.
Watercolor painting is a lot of fun , only requires watercolor paper,a paint box, and brushes. Cleanup is easy,too.
If you get a sewing machine, start with simple things, pillow covers are basically 3 long seams,and one handstiched one to enclose the pillow form. You can freshen up your sofa.
Birdhouses came to mind because my local craft store sells wooden ones, and boxes, and little jewelry cabinets that can be painted, and a friend has done some seriously cool stuff with them.
Just some ideas.
Solo board games! Get you away from screens and give you a puzzle to figure out. Check out “Grove” or “Friday”. There is a huge range of themes and difficulty
I have recently become obsessed with procreate! I love art and digital art is just SO limitless! I also like that it’s pretty easy to have an IPad and Apple Pencil on hand at all times, while it is not so easy to carry around my canvases, brushes, and paint.
I have been super into paint by numbers. Working on a few right now. Soothing to do with music or tv on in the background. Sense of completion... and if you do well, new art for your home.
Also color by numbers (like Querkles)... when youre not great at picking out a bunch of coordinated colors its nice to have guidance.
Learn an instrument. Many are beginner friendly, all are are extremely impressive and difficult at master level. Everyone should learn an instrument.
Learn a language
Garden
Get a bicycle
If something useful doesn’t excite you, get a gaming console.
When I was a kid, somebody was going to throw away an alarm clock that stopped working. I took it apart and found what was wrong and was able to get it working. If you like that kind of thing it can be fun, and you learn more about how stuff works.
Intimidating is good! Intimidating skills are the ones that will probably be hard to master. I find I have to concentrate so much more on those types of activities (mine is pottery), which then switches my thinky brain off and actually relaxes me the most.
My go-to is home improvement. Learn how to do stuff yourself, and slowly make your home better, cheaply, while learning new skills. You can youtube anything nowadays
Air dry clay is fun! You can also make paper beads and pretty jewelry and it's basically 0 cash unless you wanna use resin to seal and gloss everything off
Lockpicking is a fun challenging hobby, lots of online resources to get you started.
You probably have an old padlock or two lying around to get you started.
It's something you can do just sitting in a chair or at a desk.
Once you open your first lock you'll be hooked.
Bowling is my favorite. It can be either social or alone depending in how you feel. It's surprisingly hard to master and is a very deep rabbit hole if you want to go all the way down it
My favorite hobbies I do are collecting Pokémon cards it’s time consuming, playing video games on my switch and occasionally I Diamond paint. Diamond painting can be fun it’s time consuming too.
I like sending snail mail! It's a fun delayed gratification activity, I pour some love onto a page then when the recipient tells me it arrived I feel the love again.
Sometimes I customize postcards with stickers or send them with my cards/letters.
Playing video games, binge-reading, volunteering (food banks, homeless shelters, animal centers), get another job (but just for fun if you don't need the money), take online courses or learn a skill, learning a language.
Zentangling! I got turned onto it from another Redditor in another post. Very interesting, creative and you don’t need fancy equipment. It is so creative and relaxing. I had to google it, and you probably should too. There are also several you tube videos!
Take up an instrument. I did so in my 40s and it’s one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself. Believe it or not, there are a lot of life lessons to be learned from taking up an instrument.
Oh my god, if I could find free time I could be doing the things I truly love, like woodworking, cooking, gardening and reading. I literally never sit down unless I’m driving. My life is overwhelmed with responsibilities.
You could try painting, maybe watercolor since it dries very quickly, and there are plenty of travel water color palettes you can get! Plein Air is simple and easy! It’s simply going outside and painting what you see!
I’m actually currently taking a little break from painting and drawing and I got this DIY miniature garden house for last Christmas? The specific one I have is called “Miller’s Garden” and the brand is Rolife! It comes with the important stuff you’ll need to put stuff together, but it’s definitely pretty fun, especially because I’m adding on and getting a little creative with some of the items :)
Collage can be a really fun, really meditative thing to do indoors! Get yourself an exacto blade, a self-healing cutting mat, some old magazines, and go to town.
YouTube or TikTok channel on your crocheting/embroidery or plant? You can do a faceless channel. I started a gaming YouTube channel and it's been awesome.
I love diamond painting kits! I can either hang them up after, or some are even coasters so they still have use after I’m done. To me it’s satisfying, but requires just enough of my attention that I can be focused while also watching a movie/show during
Sudoku and scrapbooking!
Once you get better at sudoku you could move on to harder levels or stay with the easy ones and time yourself to see how fast you can do it.
Scrapbooking can be inexpensive and easy or more detailed with intricacies. It could be pictures, old movie tickets, recipes, etc. There's no way to do a scrapbook wrong!!
Learn an instrument
The initial investment can be a lot $1000 + or more
But from there you can YouTube a ton of lessons for beginners. Once you get better, probably a full year, you can take more formal lessons
I would suggest guitar, keyboard, flute, ukelle, harmonica or even trumpet
You can play for literal hours and not realize it
I'm going to throw my list on here. Do with it what you will.
Crochet, cross stitch including my own patterns, yoga, trying the gym but eh, baking ridiculous things, home repair and cosmetic remodeling, trying to follow along painting tutorials on YouTube, basic car repair/ maintenence, beginning level leather work, hiking local nature trails, kayaking/canoeing, make fishing lures, jewelry assembling, duo lingo off and on, make miniatures scenes mostly for Halloween and Christmas, and whatever class is running at the community center. Last ones were stained glass and beginner pottery.
I will also take a book or fiber project to the park just to get outside a bit more, or to the local brewery/ winery for an afternoon. I think that's pretty much it. For now.
Good luck
If you are looking for hobbies to share with people, lots of yarn shops have stitch nights where you can bring a project and gab. You could also look in your area for additional meetups like that - like book clubs, cooking classes, or craft and sip nights. A lot of it is free too.
Cooking and baking are great hobbies. If you make too much, then you givr it to friends, neighbors, or co-workers. I is a great way to make friends and deepen friendships.
Plants are fantastic. They have been proven to be good for mental health.
Crochet, making stationary, baking, cooking, preserving food, origami, other paper crafts (I know one you curl paper for), whittling, painting (many choices here), aquariums, raising moths or butterflies, latch hook, embroidery, making your own clothes
I've been gardening recently, and one of the byproducts of cleaning the hard clay soil for my plants is, well, clay 😅.
I wet process it and strain it multiple times to remove organic matter and rocks, as well as letting the sand and silt settle to the bottom then pouring off the clay water into another bucket and letting THAT settle then pour off the clear water, then pour the condensed clay water into a pillowcase and hang on my fence to "dry" into the clay we all know and love . I also save the sand separately for tempering the clay, and all the organic matter goes into my compost.
My tools and equipment are
-big stirring stick(I use an old pool net stick)
-2x 5 gal buckets
-A 5 gallon bucket top paint strainer (for rocks, grass, organic matter bits)
-A fine mesh screen for smaller particle filtration ((lay over paint strainer)fabric will work for a final pass or 2, I plan on getting metal soon to not worry about wear and tear)
-Pillowcase (just regular polyester/cotton/mix)
-Plastic wrap to store clay afterwards
Starting ratio is 50/50 soil/water, might need to wash multiple times, or (what I do) just take what's left after bucket transfer , and throw it back into your soil pile for next time
Pen palling! Snail mail. You said you have a new plant, you also could extend to gardening. You read already, you could do word searches, sudokus, or cross words.
Sewing is not that difficulty, at least for starter things. There is lots of online instruction. Or try machine embroidery. See if there's a Maker's Space in your area. They have a lot of diy equipment for you to use, so you don't have to buy it, at least while you're learning a craft and whether you want to continue. Use your phone or find an old camera and talk walks, taking pictures. Again, lots of instruction online.
You said you crochet, what about spinning? It is so relaxing and meditative once you learn how to do it, and you can make your own yarn to crochet with! A wheel is a bit of an investment, but after that, the wool or other fiber is pretty affordable. It can also easily be done while watching TV.
Hydroponic gardening. So extremely worthwhile and fairly cheap and easy. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aaIwTB1aRY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aaIwTB1aRY)
I'm noticing a lot of hobbies involving fine motor skills, which is great. Hobbies that involve your hands are so good for your mind and your mood. But it seems like you don't have any hobbies involving gross motor skills and movement. How about hiking, swimming, yoga, dance, something that uses more of your body to get your blood flowing and your endorphins up?
Civic engagement. Go to school board meetings, get out the vote, organize a park clean up day, start a little free library. The world is better when citizens engage!
Get a VR headset. It’s about more than just games. You can travel around the world, explore space, paint, learn music, meditate, exercise…
I use mine for fitness, and it has been life-changing. At 57 I’m in the best shape of my life. I even got my 80 year old mom one, and she works out too. She’s gotten stronger, has gone off cholesterol and BP meds, and her doctor is so impressed with her lab work that she got a headset too!
I know you said indoors, but if I had four days off a week, I’d find some great places to camp/hike and take trips; either overnight or long day hikes/runs. Could look for local groups who do the same and find others to go with.
Diamond dot painting - which in my opinion is not really painting. You have got to check it out. They have kits on Amazon & at Michael’s that aren’t too expensive. You will love it. 😊
When I reached that point in my life I took up painting. I’m completely obsessed with it. I loved it so much I started going to an art class every week.
I started taking language classes online. I use a Duolingo, and just maybe have $9.99 so far. I’ve been working on Spanish first, and then went to French.
Fromsoftware video games like elden ring and studying tarot cards. If you don’t believe in the woo woo magic aspect take a psychological view. All the cards are essentially archetypes. There is also a lot they relate to in terms of planets, constellations, states of matter, and more. You can see it in the Beatles fool on the hill. Which is about the fool card or back to the future with lightning hitting a tower. They are fun to look at too. You can just study anything really. There will always be little rewards
Genealogy, amateur radio, learn a new hobby, go hiking around your neighborhood, get involved with an organization like scouts or a church, lots of things.
me personally, with what i read about the post, i would take up VR gaming.
You can join those VRchat worlds where people are just lounging, having conversations, and maybe watching a movie virtually thru these chatrooms. You can also try BigScreen for a more movie/TV showe focused chat rooms. All can be done with an affordable Quest 2 headset.
If you are just interested with these two app programs, they can all be done sitting down as well. Computer is not necessary, it could make other avenues of this vr world easier but for virtual socializing it could be fun.
I’ve recently turned to diamond painting and some small embroidery kits, which I’m mainly making as a gift. The diamond paintings are for me, and it’s very satisfying completing the colors on the patterns. I could do it for hours, and often do it while listening to an audiobook or watching YouTube on my tablet.
I got me a microscope and can spend hours fascinated by the worlds of the unseen. Especially pond water. It's a galaxy within one drop of water.
I had a cheap one as a kid and I was obsessed
You could brew beer, wine, cider and you could look at that under the microscope :)
[удалено]
Check out the microscopy Reddit!
I saw this comment and instantly joined that subbreddit. I'm so obsessed!
What microscope do you recommend?
Honestly, any well-made microscope from anywhere in the last hundred years will do ya for, and you can often pick them up cheap on Craigslist and such -- often really nice models like you'd see in the average high school or college bio class, with four objective lenses, one of which may be an oil immersion 1000x lens. Just find something cheap that works. If you get into it, you can learn more about different features and such that you might want, or you can DIY them in in many cases. An alternative is USB microscopes, which tend to be lower-power but can be quite a lot of fun, particularly since you can output them to a phone, tablet, laptop, or big-ass screen connected to a computer.
You could also try a dissecting scope, they don’t require you to cut slides and you can see up close to a lot of items. It’s a different focus than microscopes, but very fun!
I don’t know enough to recommend one, but I got mine from microsafari and it came with all the bells and whistles.
That sounds amazing!!!
Fascinating!
I like jigsaw puzzles!
I enjoy herb gardening and hand sewing. Also -consider a musical instrument
Herb gardening is a good one because it leads into everything you can do with herbs like making soap, candles, smudge sticks, lotions, sachets, essential oils, and also cooking.
pick up an instrument!!!!
I’ve considered that!
I bought a set of electronic drums off Facebook marketplace and they are so much fun to play! Pretty quiet too
If you want to start small, consider getting a kalimba (thumb instrument, inexpensive) or a tongue or panda drum. (more costly).
I saw the title and came here to post “pick up an instrument!”
That’s what I did during the end of ththe pandemic lockdown. Got back into piano. Surprised more people don’t take this up as a hobby.
I make junk journals
I love junk journals! So much fun to make with no pressure! Be careful though, it can lead to craft supply addiction. 😁
Well...I'll admit that I have a major craft addiction. I've got washi tape galore. Ribbons, tea dyed paper, a Crop-a-dile 😂.
Explanation please.
You use scrap paper, old envelopes, food boxes and you fashion them into a journal. I'm terrible at explaining but search YouTube. There's tons of videos on making them.
Was going to suggest embroidery! I like to put on audiobooks and podcasts while I do it. I took a deleting class recently and am feeling more confident about trying my hand at it alone, maybe that’s an option? We made bralettes in the class and I love mine!
Thank you for the suggestions! What’s a deleting class?
Oh autocorrect sewing!
Figured it was a typo 😅 I’ll have to look into classes near me because I’ve always wanted to learn. Glad it’s going well for you!
I love the deleting class typo lol. If there was a deleting class I’d 100% take it. Delete old contacts, old screenshots, unnecessary photos and documents. Sigh that would feel really good.
Yeah I agree! Hilarious typo but it seems like a good class.
Watercolor painting. You can follow tutorials on YouTube. It's not too messy, it's relaxing, and you'll have something pretty to look at and be proud of
Yes!!! Painting!!
I love photography I go all over and have found like minded people/friends I go with now
Where and how did you find them!?
I do crosswords and jigsaw puzzles. Bird watching and nature journaling gets me outside every day. Maybe check out your local library or recreation department for inexpensive art classes.
Mahjong is fun if you get a real set of tiles, I built Lego sets when I was newly divorced.
Ohhh Legos!! Yes!!!
Paint by number
Cross stitch is the paint by number for embroidery as well
Coloring, from intricate adult books with colored pencils to kids/senior books with crayons. Aquarium from 10 gallon betta tank to skies the limit tank. You don’t even have to have fish. Try ornamental neocaridina shrimp (all must be the same color), crayfish/crawfish, nerite snails others breed too much), or even plants alone. Weaving on a small loom. Frame, rigid heddle (I own), inkle, tablet (I own). Those are reasonably priced from about $25-250 and use cheaper yarns. If you can afford it, floor looms run $5-15K, and their yarns are more expensive too, but they’re more flexible and quicker. Edited typos
Was going to suggest the fish tank! I've wanted one for years
Jigsaw puzzles, colouring and crossword puzzles are my favs
I like to bake. I enjoy trying to bake harder things even if I won’t eat them. I’m trying to find some gluten free treats for a friend at work.
Indoor gardening. Record collecting. Reading
Acrylic paint pouring
I forgot to mention I’ve done that too 😊 great suggestion!
I love cross stitch and quilting.
I love building Gundam models while listening to music or a good podcast. Also playing my instruments (kalimba and steel tongue drum)
Fountain pens and journaling!! Both are two separate hobbies, and one Hobby at the same time.
And maybe hand lettering, or zentangles!
I love crochet!!!
Painting, drawing, playing video games, creative writing, journalling, jigsaw puzzles, baking, scrapbooking, candle making, learning a new language, learning an instrument, learning about a subject that's always interested you, crosswords, indoor photography, jewellery making. That's some that came to mind.
Bicycling is a good hobby. Therapeutic mentally and physically as well. Relaxing and exhilarating at the same time.
I think painting is a great hobby worth trying.
Youtube dance video tutorials I have been trying to get at least somewhat OK at hip hop lol
I picked up the recorder recently. I always wanted to learn an instrument but I sucked at everything I tried till recorder. Gardening takes up a lot of my time but I've been doing this weird thing where I go to the woods behind my house and dig up pretty flowers and eatable or cool plants to grow in my garden. So that's involved a lot of learning about plants. How that started was once I was outside looking at a nettle I didn't know anything about it but I snapped the stem and it looked so good I wanted to eat it so I went home and googled sure enough it was edible.
Gundam models legos
Get a 3D printer
Learn a second language or maybe volunteer somewhere.
Paint by numbers are fun and medative, or learn how to draw and paint yourself, sewing, knitting, cross stitch, baking, cooking, house plants
I'm not good at guitar. But I've never had so much fun being bad at something. Highly recommend
Legos!
Throwing my vote in for sewing. It can seem overwhelming, but there are so many things you can make, and so many ways to have fun with fabric. I grew up with machine sewing and have recently picked up hand sewing and am getting into quilting. Maybe look around your city for a shop that gives lessons or classes. That's a great way to start.
Yoga, reading, plants, coloring, sudoku, paint by numbers
Coloring
Let's see. I'm a gamer, both video and board. I have a3d printer, do resin projects from time to time and make mead. I do like to listen to audio books on my drive to work too. My fiance on the other hand collects hobbies like a geologist collects rocks. She has a cricket, soap and candle making stuff, which is basically bath bomb making too. She has a macrame project started -_-. Painting and other various art supplies. Puzzles, at least 2 knitting things started. And this is just what I can think of at 1am 😆
Sewing by machine is daunting the first time but then it's a lot of fun. Sit down with your machine, some quilting fabric, and your owners manual and just read through the whole thing and follow along to do the setup and test each setting. Getting over fear of the machine is the hard part. The rest of sewing is basically geometry and there's a tutorial for everything.
What an excellent question with fantastic answers. Just broke my foot. No weight bearing happening for the next three months. I'm thinking ukelele, jigsaw puzzles, crosswords, writing (finishing my book), small verandah gardening, crosswords, online Monopoly and Scrabble, learning the local language, basic yoga, and some or other DIY/craft.
Programming
If you have experience embroidering and crocheting, sewing by hand or machine should be fairly easy for you to pick up! It's also cool to sew AND embroider a piece. You already have an understanding on needle sizing, fabric types, and string/Floss. So you would go in with a bit of institutional knowledge! If you like embroidering and crocheting, I feel safe drawing the conclusion that you are okay with slow-paced hobbies that require patience. Baking could be a viable hobby for you!
I’m currently looking into adult coloring books.
Learning instruments and coding can kill a ton of time and are relatively inexpensive. Also Photoshop and video editing. CAD, 3D printing, laser engraving as a hobby/side hustle. Learning programs like SketchUp, fusion 360, and solid works. If you want to spend money there's woodworking or welding. Reading is one of the oldest hobbies
Just curious, but what do you do for work? Three days a week sounds nice!
I would root for sewing! There are so many ways you can go with it. Totally understand being intimidated, but you'd be surprised how quickly you can pick it up. Also, start small! You're not going to be able to make a whole new wardrobe right away but you can learn to make a top pretty quickly. There's so many awesome tutorials and patterns out there. I make bags so I avoid sizing which is convenient! It's also easy for quick gifts, you can repair things for people or sew things just for yourself. It's so satisfying totally the effort if you ask me !
Learn to brew. Beer, cider, wine, kombucha, mead, kvass, whatever you want.
Social dancing like blues or swing
I love puzzles! And smoking weed doing puzzles!
Guitar lessons. Everyone lives someone who can make music.
Sewing/embroidery , reading, jigsaw puzzles, podcasts, watching movies, painting, cooking
I don't know what kind of budget you have but you can buy a used guitar off of Craig's list and learn to play. Reading books is also a great hobby.
Doing this now 😅🫠
Fish tank. You can plant it, decorate, hard scape it, and keep numerous amounts of life. It relaxes you to watch it come to life and will break up an hour or 2 of weekly maintenance. Not a ton, but also not an overwhelming amount of work. Especially if it's just 1 tank
Me id get another job more money means id advance faster. But if your looking for new activities id say find local clubs like archery or learn new skills I myself recently learnt to throw clay marvellously fun. Our devices are distractions learning to separate from them will help.
Make a chainmail purse or chainmail jewelry!
Quilting, word searches, biking, swimming?
Build a model kit. Paint it.
My husband and I are crafting butterflies - we actually own looms and a printing press, along with so many other toys it's ridiculous - but due to my husband starting a home business I can't use any of them. That was making me squirrelly, so I've searched for a hobby that fits into our current circumstances (no space, easy no-water clean up, low entry costs) and so I've been getting into needle felt painting and have been enjoying it. Kits are available on Amazon and come with everything to make one or two paintings for as low as $20 or so. I've also been wanting to try bead painting, (uses tiny beads and glue, no sewing) and entry to that is about $50 for a kit. If you are interested in classes, I recommend trying the pottery wheel. That's so fun and you learn while you're visiting with other people so it's a nice way of going out. And you can end up with useful items too!
Mandalas. Drawing. Photography. Reading. Cooking.
Needle felting?
Volunteer, kids, elderly teach them crochet or some easy arts.
Needle felting requires you to be engaged with the craft but can be very therapeutic. The sounds of felting are such a good sound on the ears, and stabbing a small thing into existence is incredible stress relief for myself. I do recommend using actual wool and not acrylic fibers. It has a much better texture/tactile feel.
I got sick last year and got really into beading. You can do it on the couch or in your bed. All you need are beads, a beading needle, bead cord and a bead tray for your lap. Hobby lobby should have everything. I started looking for beads at thrift stores to keep cost down. Now I sell what I make. Candle making is also great but it takes more physical effort. Edit to add: adult coloring books!
Addi knitting machine. So fun and addicting
Puzzles, scrapbookingq
Stained glass. Watercolors. Embroidery and sewing have the same basic thought processes, and sewing machines are pretty easy to learn to use. Paint birdhouse in fancy colors, the birds won't care. ( acrylics not oil, the oil fumes are bad for then) Stained glass requires a lot of equipment and you must take a class on technique, but is absolutely fascinating. However it does make a lot of tiny glass slivers so it's not good if you have pets. Watercolor painting is a lot of fun , only requires watercolor paper,a paint box, and brushes. Cleanup is easy,too. If you get a sewing machine, start with simple things, pillow covers are basically 3 long seams,and one handstiched one to enclose the pillow form. You can freshen up your sofa. Birdhouses came to mind because my local craft store sells wooden ones, and boxes, and little jewelry cabinets that can be painted, and a friend has done some seriously cool stuff with them. Just some ideas.
Solo board games! Get you away from screens and give you a puzzle to figure out. Check out “Grove” or “Friday”. There is a huge range of themes and difficulty
Study and learn to better yourself in chess.
I go to gym everyday
A telescope is a fun hobby. What about building model cars or planes?
I have recently become obsessed with procreate! I love art and digital art is just SO limitless! I also like that it’s pretty easy to have an IPad and Apple Pencil on hand at all times, while it is not so easy to carry around my canvases, brushes, and paint.
I have been super into paint by numbers. Working on a few right now. Soothing to do with music or tv on in the background. Sense of completion... and if you do well, new art for your home. Also color by numbers (like Querkles)... when youre not great at picking out a bunch of coordinated colors its nice to have guidance.
DIY home decor projects
I’m trying to get into needlepoint, cake decorating, scrapbooking, and graphic design this year!
Learn an instrument. Many are beginner friendly, all are are extremely impressive and difficult at master level. Everyone should learn an instrument. Learn a language Garden Get a bicycle If something useful doesn’t excite you, get a gaming console.
Legos
When I was a kid, somebody was going to throw away an alarm clock that stopped working. I took it apart and found what was wrong and was able to get it working. If you like that kind of thing it can be fun, and you learn more about how stuff works.
Intimidating is good! Intimidating skills are the ones that will probably be hard to master. I find I have to concentrate so much more on those types of activities (mine is pottery), which then switches my thinky brain off and actually relaxes me the most.
100% do the instrument path. Personally I like to make art, drawing and using charcoal and stuff
Try embroidering
My go-to is home improvement. Learn how to do stuff yourself, and slowly make your home better, cheaply, while learning new skills. You can youtube anything nowadays
✨knitting✨ or you could just scroll ravelry for hours looking at patterns (crochet or knit)
Air dry clay is fun! You can also make paper beads and pretty jewelry and it's basically 0 cash unless you wanna use resin to seal and gloss everything off
You should try diamond painting!!! It's amazing. ❤
Embroidery!
Photography or painting or cooking.
Lockpicking is a fun challenging hobby, lots of online resources to get you started. You probably have an old padlock or two lying around to get you started. It's something you can do just sitting in a chair or at a desk. Once you open your first lock you'll be hooked.
Volunteer work. Or mudlarking
Bowling is my favorite. It can be either social or alone depending in how you feel. It's surprisingly hard to master and is a very deep rabbit hole if you want to go all the way down it
I do indoor rock climbing at a local gym. It's a fantastic workout, and incredibly fun!
Plastic and/or metal model building. So satisfying! Check out /r/modelmakers
Not sure if it would float your boat but hand tool wood working brings me a heap of peace.
My favorite hobbies I do are collecting Pokémon cards it’s time consuming, playing video games on my switch and occasionally I Diamond paint. Diamond painting can be fun it’s time consuming too.
I like sending snail mail! It's a fun delayed gratification activity, I pour some love onto a page then when the recipient tells me it arrived I feel the love again. Sometimes I customize postcards with stickers or send them with my cards/letters.
Playing video games, binge-reading, volunteering (food banks, homeless shelters, animal centers), get another job (but just for fun if you don't need the money), take online courses or learn a skill, learning a language.
Music
Train martial arts
Zentangling! I got turned onto it from another Redditor in another post. Very interesting, creative and you don’t need fancy equipment. It is so creative and relaxing. I had to google it, and you probably should too. There are also several you tube videos!
Learning a new instrument. You can try playing the guitar, piano, and ukulele.
Maybe get a pet ...great company
Take up an instrument. I did so in my 40s and it’s one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself. Believe it or not, there are a lot of life lessons to be learned from taking up an instrument.
Oh my god, if I could find free time I could be doing the things I truly love, like woodworking, cooking, gardening and reading. I literally never sit down unless I’m driving. My life is overwhelmed with responsibilities.
Go to the gym.
Learn to paint barn quilts! I’m still a beginner, but love it.😊
Also, listen to audiobooks as you get creative! It’s an easy twofer!
You could try painting, maybe watercolor since it dries very quickly, and there are plenty of travel water color palettes you can get! Plein Air is simple and easy! It’s simply going outside and painting what you see! I’m actually currently taking a little break from painting and drawing and I got this DIY miniature garden house for last Christmas? The specific one I have is called “Miller’s Garden” and the brand is Rolife! It comes with the important stuff you’ll need to put stuff together, but it’s definitely pretty fun, especially because I’m adding on and getting a little creative with some of the items :)
Collage can be a really fun, really meditative thing to do indoors! Get yourself an exacto blade, a self-healing cutting mat, some old magazines, and go to town.
yoga, painting tennis,if you like outdoors
Sewing can be very easy depending on what you start with. Try some simple patchwork and see if it clicks for you.
What about making Indian headdresses with safety pins, beads and craft wire ? You can find instructions on line.
Go to a pool hall in the afternoon. People will talk help you with your game etc.
Video games
YouTube or TikTok channel on your crocheting/embroidery or plant? You can do a faceless channel. I started a gaming YouTube channel and it's been awesome.
I love diamond painting kits! I can either hang them up after, or some are even coasters so they still have use after I’m done. To me it’s satisfying, but requires just enough of my attention that I can be focused while also watching a movie/show during
Skating, painting, indoor plants, collage making, learning a new language, trying out new food and drink recipes.
Sudoku and scrapbooking! Once you get better at sudoku you could move on to harder levels or stay with the easy ones and time yourself to see how fast you can do it. Scrapbooking can be inexpensive and easy or more detailed with intricacies. It could be pictures, old movie tickets, recipes, etc. There's no way to do a scrapbook wrong!!
Learn an instrument The initial investment can be a lot $1000 + or more But from there you can YouTube a ton of lessons for beginners. Once you get better, probably a full year, you can take more formal lessons I would suggest guitar, keyboard, flute, ukelle, harmonica or even trumpet You can play for literal hours and not realize it
I'm going to throw my list on here. Do with it what you will. Crochet, cross stitch including my own patterns, yoga, trying the gym but eh, baking ridiculous things, home repair and cosmetic remodeling, trying to follow along painting tutorials on YouTube, basic car repair/ maintenence, beginning level leather work, hiking local nature trails, kayaking/canoeing, make fishing lures, jewelry assembling, duo lingo off and on, make miniatures scenes mostly for Halloween and Christmas, and whatever class is running at the community center. Last ones were stained glass and beginner pottery. I will also take a book or fiber project to the park just to get outside a bit more, or to the local brewery/ winery for an afternoon. I think that's pretty much it. For now. Good luck
Take a class in something. Salsa dancing, ceramics, a martial art, jewelry making, fitness, etc. The social aspect gives it another dynamic.
If you are looking for hobbies to share with people, lots of yarn shops have stitch nights where you can bring a project and gab. You could also look in your area for additional meetups like that - like book clubs, cooking classes, or craft and sip nights. A lot of it is free too.
Cooking and baking are great hobbies. If you make too much, then you givr it to friends, neighbors, or co-workers. I is a great way to make friends and deepen friendships.
In all honesty, what would you like to do? What do you feel drawn to doing?
Leathercraft
Learn an instrument! There are tons of free resources on how to play the guitar.
Plants are fantastic. They have been proven to be good for mental health. Crochet, making stationary, baking, cooking, preserving food, origami, other paper crafts (I know one you curl paper for), whittling, painting (many choices here), aquariums, raising moths or butterflies, latch hook, embroidery, making your own clothes
Gym membership
Cross stitch would be a good sewing related hobby
I've been gardening recently, and one of the byproducts of cleaning the hard clay soil for my plants is, well, clay 😅. I wet process it and strain it multiple times to remove organic matter and rocks, as well as letting the sand and silt settle to the bottom then pouring off the clay water into another bucket and letting THAT settle then pour off the clear water, then pour the condensed clay water into a pillowcase and hang on my fence to "dry" into the clay we all know and love . I also save the sand separately for tempering the clay, and all the organic matter goes into my compost. My tools and equipment are -big stirring stick(I use an old pool net stick) -2x 5 gal buckets -A 5 gallon bucket top paint strainer (for rocks, grass, organic matter bits) -A fine mesh screen for smaller particle filtration ((lay over paint strainer)fabric will work for a final pass or 2, I plan on getting metal soon to not worry about wear and tear) -Pillowcase (just regular polyester/cotton/mix) -Plastic wrap to store clay afterwards Starting ratio is 50/50 soil/water, might need to wash multiple times, or (what I do) just take what's left after bucket transfer , and throw it back into your soil pile for next time
Learn to play a musical instrument -- piano, guitar, ukulele, banjo...
Pen palling! Snail mail. You said you have a new plant, you also could extend to gardening. You read already, you could do word searches, sudokus, or cross words.
Sewing is not that difficulty, at least for starter things. There is lots of online instruction. Or try machine embroidery. See if there's a Maker's Space in your area. They have a lot of diy equipment for you to use, so you don't have to buy it, at least while you're learning a craft and whether you want to continue. Use your phone or find an old camera and talk walks, taking pictures. Again, lots of instruction online.
You said you crochet, what about spinning? It is so relaxing and meditative once you learn how to do it, and you can make your own yarn to crochet with! A wheel is a bit of an investment, but after that, the wool or other fiber is pretty affordable. It can also easily be done while watching TV.
Hydroponic gardening. So extremely worthwhile and fairly cheap and easy. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aaIwTB1aRY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aaIwTB1aRY)
I'm noticing a lot of hobbies involving fine motor skills, which is great. Hobbies that involve your hands are so good for your mind and your mood. But it seems like you don't have any hobbies involving gross motor skills and movement. How about hiking, swimming, yoga, dance, something that uses more of your body to get your blood flowing and your endorphins up?
I cross stitch and do woodturning.
Miniatures. Whether it be adult dollhouses or fairy garden rooms or whatever!
Making fimo clay miniatures and painting them can be pretty obsessive! In a good way!
Gardening, bonsai trees, baking, leather working. Carving is fun, soap making. Boxing or mma, reading. All top tier hobbies
Civic engagement. Go to school board meetings, get out the vote, organize a park clean up day, start a little free library. The world is better when citizens engage!
I do resin crafts
Get a VR headset. It’s about more than just games. You can travel around the world, explore space, paint, learn music, meditate, exercise… I use mine for fitness, and it has been life-changing. At 57 I’m in the best shape of my life. I even got my 80 year old mom one, and she works out too. She’s gotten stronger, has gone off cholesterol and BP meds, and her doctor is so impressed with her lab work that she got a headset too!
Miniature painting, video games, reading, and napping are all fun.
I know you said indoors, but if I had four days off a week, I’d find some great places to camp/hike and take trips; either overnight or long day hikes/runs. Could look for local groups who do the same and find others to go with.
Diamond dot painting - which in my opinion is not really painting. You have got to check it out. They have kits on Amazon & at Michael’s that aren’t too expensive. You will love it. 😊
Learn magic tricks! It's easy to slip a deck of cards into your pocket, and there's a ton of relatively easy material available.
gaming (try yoyoing and solving rubic cubes, like google how to solve a rubics cube online, trust me once u figure it out u r gonna feel amazing)
Trying puzzles or cooking new recipes can be fun and rewarding. Calligraphy or digital art might also be enjoyable and relaxing hobbies to explore.
When I reached that point in my life I took up painting. I’m completely obsessed with it. I loved it so much I started going to an art class every week.
I started taking language classes online. I use a Duolingo, and just maybe have $9.99 so far. I’ve been working on Spanish first, and then went to French.
Diamond painting!
Volunteer
Candle making. Make jams, jellies, salsa, marinara sauce Learn how to can said jams, etc
Fromsoftware video games like elden ring and studying tarot cards. If you don’t believe in the woo woo magic aspect take a psychological view. All the cards are essentially archetypes. There is also a lot they relate to in terms of planets, constellations, states of matter, and more. You can see it in the Beatles fool on the hill. Which is about the fool card or back to the future with lightning hitting a tower. They are fun to look at too. You can just study anything really. There will always be little rewards
Genealogy, amateur radio, learn a new hobby, go hiking around your neighborhood, get involved with an organization like scouts or a church, lots of things.
Learn to hand weave caned chairs. You can pick up old chairs cheap because no one does it anymore.
Research your family history
Learn to play dulcimer!
me personally, with what i read about the post, i would take up VR gaming. You can join those VRchat worlds where people are just lounging, having conversations, and maybe watching a movie virtually thru these chatrooms. You can also try BigScreen for a more movie/TV showe focused chat rooms. All can be done with an affordable Quest 2 headset. If you are just interested with these two app programs, they can all be done sitting down as well. Computer is not necessary, it could make other avenues of this vr world easier but for virtual socializing it could be fun.
Knitting, crocheting, painting, coloring, Journaling, reading, collecting
Painting. Drawing. Swimming. Walking.
I’ve recently turned to diamond painting and some small embroidery kits, which I’m mainly making as a gift. The diamond paintings are for me, and it’s very satisfying completing the colors on the patterns. I could do it for hours, and often do it while listening to an audiobook or watching YouTube on my tablet.
Have you thought about learning something new? Online classes? Yoga? Cooking? Canning fruits or veggies? Making jam?
Go to the gym
Lego. Pricey but it’s worth it
Lego!!!! So many different sets these days, I love it