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:
cross stitch/ needlepoint—canvas, ornaments ⭐️
knitting/crochet
air dry clay—trinket tray, magnets, etc.
scrapbooking ⭐️
fun with felt — ornaments, birthday crowns
pottery/ sculpting
jewelry making
paper crafts
building:
re-finishing furniture
DIY furniture ⭐️
DIY home projects ⭐️
model kits — ships
doll house building
book binding
art:
drawing
oil paint ⭐️
watercolours
gauche paints
pastels
collage making
plein air painting — take it outside
easy entry — where everything comes ready to use
diamond painting
colouring ⭐️
lego ⭐️
puzzles
card games
RPGs — try a dnd campaign!
paint by number
logic puzzles — murdle, crossword, cryptic crossword, sudoku
crime case files ⭐️
life skills but make it fun
cooking ⭐️
baking ⭐️
preserves — make jams!
flower arranging
sewing — quilt!!! embroidery ⭐️
caring for items — handwashing, mending, caring for knits and wool etc. de-pill your sweaters ⭐️
gardening ⭐️
other
photography ⭐️
journaling
hosting
writing — creative, for fun ⭐️
personal curriculum for learning
thrifting & antiquing — collecting something vintage and old time-y ⭐️
zine making
genealogy— study your family history
reading
take it outside:
hiking
making field notes
cut flower garden ⭐️
an outdoor sport — skiing, hiking, volleyball, running, snowshoeing ⭐️
bird watching
foraging
stargazing & astronomy
nature sketching
photo walks — there might even be a local group or event in your area
movement:
yoga
dance ⭐️
running
swimming — oceans and lakes
a class— dance class, aerials
meditation walks — no audio, focusing gently on breath, each step, and the things around you
golf
tennis
sailing — $$$ to get in
pickleball — so easy and cheap to get into!
local clubs & classes :
local history club
photography club/class ⭐️
book club
sewing class ⭐️
cooking class ⭐️
gardening class
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:
start a substack
video gaming ⭐️
digital drawing/painting — ipad ‘painting’ tutorials
digital collages
cinema — make it a hobby by studying, exploring different forms of cinema (silent films, foreign, etc.)
learn coding
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.
ps. what hobby are you doing this year?

















I love this and would personally add a bit of music to it - I want to restart playing the piano this year
Omg I'm learning about laundry this year, Jeeves on YouTube is a dry cleaner whos content is about how to wash and care for your clothes better! Highly recommend scoping his channel