10 new hobbies to pick up if you don’t want to be productive

Online school is boring. All I do is sit in my room and do school work on my laptop, so I’ve found myself in desperate need of some new hobbies. Finding these hobbies has made it so much easier for me to procrastinate my work (in a healthy way) and get away from screens for a solid couple hours. But let’s not call it procrastination, let’s call it self care.

1. Puzzles

My brain has felt like dead static lately, but puzzles have turned it back into a lively technicolor world. In other words, puzzles have stimulated my brain back to life. My roommates might be annoyed that our kitchen table is always covered in puzzle pieces, but I’m smarter for it. 

2. The guitar or ukulele

Whenever I ask people if they play the guitar or the ukulele they always pretend to have never touched the instrument, but then admit to knowing a few chords. Well, you only need to know a few chords to play, right? So why aren’t you playing?

3. Cross stitching

Did you know you can buy cross stitching kits at the store? I didn’t, but I do now. Catch me sewing while listening to Taylor Swift’s “Folklore” album. It’s a mood. 

4. Writing poetry

Please don’t take this the wrong way, because I don’t mean you should write bad poetry, I just think you should try poetry. Bad poetry is cheesy and cliché, usually because it’s not as original as it could be. Before you get intimidated, poetry doesn’t have to rhyme. You don’t have to count your syllables either. Just write some creative stuff and throw it into stanzas. It’s about form, not perfection. Build a scene in nature, your apartment or a place in your mind and put it into poetry. I’ve found writing to be a comforting and creative outlet that’s much better than doing school work, so go crazy. 

5. Cooking

In the words of Emma Chamberlain, “I literally couldn’t tell you what’s gotten into me, but I cook now.” Trust me when I say there is a learning curve to cooking, and what I mean is it’s going to be terrible the first few times. But one day, you’ll be in the kitchen and everything will click. Cooking is a great way to save on food costs, because going out to eat everyday can get expensive. So, not only can cooking save you money, but it will also likely result in better ingredients and better food for your body. Food is fuel right? I recommend starting things off slowly. Maybe try making a buddha bowl, or stir fry, just see how it feels.

6. Handstands and living room tumbling

Y’all remember hands up, stands up? I used to practice my handstands at home specifically so I could beat the tumbling girls who went to my elementary school.

7. Yoga

Basically a more focused and mindful form of living room tumbling.

8. High fitness

When I tell you that doing high fitness is harder than running, I mean it. Three minutes is all it takes for me to pass out and crumble to the floor out of exhaustion and pain. I highly recommend it. 

9. Singing

For best results, practice singing bangers while cooking or driving alone. If you’re with people, you’ll probably be too worried about how you sound for this to be a helpful coping mechanism, so sing alone if possible. After you get comfortable with your own voice, you can slowly start singing around people if you want, but it’s not for everyone. 

10. Any video game with Mario in it

I’m not a gamer, but there’s something about Mario that pulls me towards gaming. Mario Kart is by far my favorite game to play, and it’s so fun to play with other people. Super Mario Bros is fairly difficult, but it’s a vibe. I also want to take this time to remind the world of Doctor Mario, which has an aura similar to Tetris. If you haven’t played any of these games, this is your sign to start. 

Emily White is a junior studying English and broadcast journalism. She is currently serving as the senior writer for the Lifestyles section of the Statesman.

—emily.white@usu.edu