78 cozy hobbies for your offline year

activities to tuck between the pages of your everyday life

last year i quietly set out to do more hobbies. it wasn’t really a goal of mine, at least not intentionally or initially, but throughout the year i realized there is so much more i want to do with my time that isn’t productive(in the typical sense) or on a screen. i was alarmed to learn how much of my life my screen-time was actually costing me—i wanted to feel like i had more control over my time, and more importantly like i was enriching my life with the many things i love to do. not just work, or even rest as a facet of productivity, but actually just doing things for the sake of loving the craft.

i started cooking and baking more, mainly as a way to learn a valuable life skill, but it turned into a hobby that i’m very passionate about. i love learning new skills in the kitchen, blending different flavours and techniques to make new dishes, learning the fundamentals of baking and why certain things work. i know everyone has to cook, but turning it into a hobby made it a more intentional part of my day. i love spending time discovering new recipes to try, or testing out a new baked good.

there’s been a huge rise in social media of grandma hobbies and going analogue—it really speaks to everyones desire to disconnect and sink into something real. doing something grounding, that puts your hands and mind to work gently, focusing on a soothing task with a final product you love. they don’t need to be intense hobbies, or difficult, expensive ones. deciding to do something because it brings you joy is a good enough reason. do it imperfectly, with low stakes. you can pick something you can put down with ease, for a while, and its there waiting patiently for your return. even just little activities that can be tucked into the pages of your everyday life.

⭐️ i put a star next to the ones i want to try or continue this year

making:

1. cross stitch/ needlepoint—canvas, ornaments ⭐️

2. knitting/crochet

3. air dry clay—trinket tray, magnets, etc.

4. scrapbooking ⭐️

5. fun with felt — ornaments, birthday crowns

6. pottery/ sculpting

7. jewelry making

8. paper crafts

   

building:

9. re-finishing furniture

10. DIY furniture ⭐️

11. DIY home projects ⭐️

12. model kits — ships

13. doll house building

14. book binding

art:

15. drawing

16. oil paint ⭐️

17. watercolours

18. gauche paints

19. pastels

20. collage making

21. plein air painting — take it outside

easy entry — where everything comes ready to use

22. diamond painting

23. colouring ⭐️

24. lego ⭐️

25. puzzles

26. card games

27. RPGs — try a dnd campaign!

28. paint by number

29. logic puzzles — murdle, crossword, cryptic crossword, sudoku

30. crime case files ⭐️

life skills but make it fun

31. cooking ⭐️

32. baking ⭐️

33. preserves — make jams!

34. flower arranging

35. sewing — quilt!!! embroidery ⭐️

36. caring for items — handwashing, mending, caring for knits and wool etc. de-pill your sweaters ⭐️

37. gardening ⭐️

other

38. photography ⭐️

39. journaling

40. hosting

41. writing — creative, for fun ⭐️

42. personal curriculum for learning

43. thrifting & antiquing — collecting something vintage and old time-y ⭐️

44. zine making

45. genealogy— study your family history

46. reading

take it outside:

47. hiking

48. making field notes

49. cut flower garden ⭐️

50. an outdoor sport — skiing, hiking, volleyball, running, snowshoeing ⭐️

51. bird watching

52. foraging

53. stargazing & astronomy

54. nature sketching

55. photo walks — there might even be a local group or event in your area

movement:

56. yoga

57. dance ⭐️

58. running

59. swimming — oceans and lakes

60. a class— dance class, aerials

61. meditation walks — no audio, focusing gently on breath, each step, and the things around you

62. golf

63. tennis

64. sailing — $$$ to get in

65. pickleball — so easy and cheap to get into!

local clubs & classes :

66. local history club

67. photography club/class ⭐️

68. book club

69. sewing class ⭐️

70. cooking class ⭐️

71. gardening class

72. local theatre — even if you can’t commit to a performance, check what they have! our local theatre does open table reads with no experience necessary.

screens but better:

73. start a substack

74. video gaming ⭐️

75. digital drawing/painting — ipad ‘painting’ tutorials

76. digital collages

77. cinema — make it a hobby by studying, exploring different forms of cinema (silent films, foreign, etc.)

78. learn coding

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i love this little list because i think there is truly something for everyone. most of them are screen free, which feels important to me this year. and many of them have a pretty low entry point, no experience needed and either inexpensive, or some even free/using what you already have. hobbies shouldn’t feel stressful, they meet you where you are, and embellish life, adding colour to a plain page. nothing has to be overly perfect or polished, instead just choosing to experience joy for joys sake. it’s grounding to have a little activity to do to help keep you present, without the worry about output, productivity or perfection.

hopefully this post inspired you to try a new hobby, or return to an old favourite. i think with how crazy the world can be, it’s more important than ever to do something just for you—something you love, that loves you back. hobbies are like little devotions to an intentional life.

—kyla ⏾

ps. what hobby are you doing this year?