15 Social Distancing-Friendly Hobbies
Last week, I listed some of my favorite ocean or plastic-related books, podcast, YouTube channels, and movies. This week, I have some social distancing hobby suggestions and some tools to help you explore these hobbies.
In general, there are several productive ways to pass the time indoors:
- Learn a skill
- Create something
- Get active
Learn a Skill
Since you’re inside, might as well use this time to better yourself, right? If that high school French you learned is rusty and you want to visit Paris after travel restrictions are lifted. Why not pick French back up? Or maybe you love the way Italian or Japanese sound and want to learn those languages.
From phrase books to podcasts, and YouTube videos there are endless resources to help you. If you want to add a social component, you can find native speakers online and video chat with them!
Some skills you can learn:
- foreign language
- cooking
- calligraphy
- musical instrument
- reading music
- research a subject
Cooking
As I mentioned in Books, Podcasts, and Movies to Entertain You During a Shutdown, I love Tim Ferriss. He breaks down big subjects into easy bite-sized pieces. So, if cooking overwhelms you, the 4-Hour Chef is a great book. He goes through everything from basic knife skills to ways to build recipes.
Calligraphy
I’ve always had terrible handwriting but when I was younger I thought calligraphy was beautiful. So, I asked my mom to buy a calligraphy book and pen. It was basic straightforward book but I loved it! Now they have ones that are much prettier:
Or you can always do a quick google search for “printable calligraphy sheets” and create your own practice pages.
Reading Music & Learning an Instrument
While your roommate or spouse might not love the idea, learning to play an instrument can be very rewarding! And it starts with learning to read music. There are plenty of YouTube videos that can show you the basics like this one:
Not sure you want to commit to an expensive instrument? No worries, a wooden recorder is a simple and cheap first instrument to learn. I apologize to your roommate or spouse in advance. 🙂
Lastly, there’s probably a subject you’ve been itching to know more about but haven’t had the time to dig into. Or maybe some questions you’ve always wondered but never googled. Want to know more about why plastic is bad for the ocean? Start here. By spending some time researching a subject you’re interested in, you can discover a new passion, project, and/or side hustle! That’s how this blog started!
Create Something
I remember reading something years ago that said that there are two types of people, consumers and creators. And in order to be financially independent we should strive to be the latter.
Why not use this time to start creating something beautiful?
Here are a few ideas:
- Start a Blog, Podcast, or YouTube Channel
- Write an e-book
- Create Art (paint, draw, etc)
- Knit
- Plant a garden
Start a Blog, Podcast, or YouTube Channel
These days it is so easy to start a blog, podcast, or Youtube Channel. All you need is a laptop and a smart phone.
When I started Olivia for the Ocean, I used the Blog Starter to help walk me through different stages.
For podcasts, my high school friend, Pat Flynn from Smart Passive Income has a great post, How to Start a Podcast in 2020: The Complete Podcasting Tutorial.
Pat and I used to go bodyboarding before I picked up surfing. He’s one of the nicest, down-to-Earth people I know and I love his podcasts.
For tips or step-by-step instructions on starting YouTube channel, of course, watch a YouTube video:
Write an e-Book
Is writing a book on your bucket list? Publishing an e-book is much easier than publishing a physical book. You don’t have to find publishers and get rejected by 99% of them before finding “the one”. You can do it all yourself.
The Self Publishing School has a great step-by-step guide.
Create Art
Like most 80’s kids I grew up watching (and loving) Bob Ross. He made painting look so easy with “happy little trees” popping up all over the canvas. So, I was so stoked when I got this Bob Ross paint set for my birthday one year:
Now, my painting didn’t turn out exactly like his but hey I was like 12 at the time.
But this did spark my love for painting! I spent years improving and ended up painting for Surfrider Art Galas, for friends, skateboard decks, and even a closet door!
So, whether it’s drawing, painting, sculpting or whatever form of art, this is a great time to explore your creative side. Quick tip if you’re interested in painting: start with acrylic. Oil paint is very unforgiving despite Bob Ross’s happy trees.
Knit or Quilt
Although it’s nearly the end of winter, knitting or quilting can be very calming. Or so I hear. I’ve learned to do both before but I don’t soothe myself with either. (I prefer wine and cheese.)
But if knitting interests you, I recently discovered Sh*t That I Knit. Christina Fagan start her blog in 2012 while a senior in college. She wanted to share interesting items that she started knitting. Eight years later her company makes almost $1 million a year!
So, you never know when a simple hobby might completely change your life! Even if it doesn’t you’ll have some nice quilts and scarves, right?
Plant a Garden
I have a black thumb. This is particularly upsetting because my parents can grow anything. My parents live in San Diego and grow mangoes, peaches, guavas, white plums, and at one point had over 100 rose bushes. No I didn’t grow up on a palatial estate. We lived in a regular cookie-cutter 4 bedroom house in the suburbs.
Anyways, enough about my black thumb bitterness. It’s Spring and the perfect time to plant a little garden. Since hardware stores are still open, you should be able to get supplies like pots, soil, and seeds.
My friend who runs a coop garden suggested that beginners start with easy plants like herbs, then work to root vegetables like carrots and then go for fruits.
I would buy a few seed packets and maybe a starter plant or two just to get you going.
Get Active
If you’ve always wanted to do some sort of class but were too intimidated or never had the time, now is a great time to explore it in the comforts of your own home! With a few YouTube videos you get to try it out and see if you like it before committing to paying for a class.
Some ideas for getting active at home:
- Yoga or Pilates
- Dance
- Virtual Workout
- Self-Defense or Martial Arts
Yoga or Pilates
Might as well stay fit during social distancing, right?
Dance
I’ve mentioned before that I’m a dancer. I grew up doing ballet, jazz, color guard, gymnastics, and then grew into ballroom dancing in college where I met Erin. She’s a ray of sunshine and an accomplished professional dancer.
She and her husband are both professional dancers. They’re pretty awesome:
Virtual Workout
If getting off the couch and turning off Netflix is difficult, consider setting a time to workout with a friend over FaceTime. Friends will hold you accountable!
Martial Arts or Self-Defense
Finally, I think it’s important for everyone to know some basic self-defense skills. Why not learn a few today?
What do you think? Are you interested in any of these hobbies? Or if you’re like me, then all of them! 😛
What new hobbies have you picked up since social distancing started? Tell me in the comments!
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