10 Great Hobbies to Pick Up for the Next Pandemic

When New York City first closed down in response to COVID-19, my roommates and I thought that we would have a long two weeks ahead of us. As New Yorkers, we often find it hard to slow down.

Of course, we started by making a list of TV shows to binge. We had also just moved into our new apartment and had plenty of decorating we needed to work on.

When two weeks turned into four, and two out of three of us were officially unemployed, our days began to grow long. Despite not having jobs, our realistic expectations of actually getting another job any time soon were low.

It was time to find a hobby.

…Or two. Or three. Or however many were needed to pass the time.

As a lover of over-researching new interests, I scoured the internet for lists of new hobbies. As a musician, I wasn’t really interested in “picking up a new instrument” or “paint a picture”…my hobbies and, quite honestly, my work, already consisted of these tasks.

No. I was looking for some HOBBIES. Things I had never tried before.

At the hour of my greatest need for guidance on this topic, I could not find any information or advice on this. Therefore, five months later, I am gracing the internet world with this article in case we all find ourselves back in a world of unemployment and bored misery.

My roommates and I found quite a few stellar hobbies that are sure to survive through times that are slow and even when life’s responsibilities pick back up again.

1. puzzles

Obviously, this is something that everyone who lived through quarantine knows about. However, before March 2020, I had never liked puzzles. In fact, I hated puzzles. Now, I would consider this past time to be one of the most relaxing things I can do.

If you have five free hours, you can puzzle. Don’t have time this week? Keep it on the table and work on it next week. It’s awesome.

I also really enjoy the first phase of the puzzling, which is the sorting of all the pieces. So relaxing.

Too boring? No problem, just stop. The best part, there is no consequences in quitting.

2. embroidery

If a year ago someone told me that the greatest joys of my year would be learning how to embroider, I would laugh. However, embroidery is both relaxing and creatively fulfilling. Plus, there are many ways to learn everything and you can learn as fast or as slow as you want.

For example, if you are completely new to the skill, you can buy a beginner embroidery kit. My advice would be to find one that isn’t a picture, but an actual “practice” pattern that explains to you all the different knots and stitches.

You can also just check out tutorials on YouTube, which is what I did to start. Eventually, I started making my own designs instead of buying pre-made patterns, but you also have the option of just always using a pattern. The possibilities are endless!

(Check out society6.com/robcyonk where you can check out my embroidered zodiac calendar, featuring fruits and veggies!)

3. growing your own sourdough ‘starter’

Now, this is not a hobby that I myself tried. However, I know from my roommate’s experience, there is a lot of work folded in with this one.

The good thing is that there are blogs, articles, books and videos on this topic all over the web to help guide you on your journey with your new pet (because it is a living thing…crazy!).

4. taking care of a plant/ gardening

I had tried this one at the beginning of quarantine, but much like the sourdough starter, it is a lot of work to maintain a garden. However, if you find that you have a green thumb, the hobby can become very rewarding.

Whether your garden is filled with beautiful flowers that landscape your otherwise dreary yard, or you have a little flower box filled with seasonal fruits and veggies, you can definitely reap the benefits of this project.

A simple place to start, besides doing some basic research to figure out which type of gardening is best for you, is to buy an air plant or a succulent. Again, you may need to do a little research based on the amount of sunlight your house offers, but these types of plant friends are extremely easy to take care of. They do not require much watering and they are small and adorable. The perfect introduction into your growing plant family!

5. creating song playlists

This is a great alternative for entertainment other than watching TV. One of my favorite pastimes is creating playlists for my friends based on their music preferences. Searching through music and finding the best songs for people that know nothing about music is one of the most fulfilling feelings. And then you can sit and chat about what they liked and disliked.

6. join a book club

In June, I joined a play-reading club with former colleagues that are currently living all over the country. We meet every week via Zoom to talk over the play we were assigned that week. I liked joining this group in particular for some personal preferences, including 1)plays are quicker reads then books 2)we are reading plays that are both well known and lesser known 3)my friends and I love to geek out on plays because we all work in the theatre industry.

This hobby keeps me social, well-read, engaged with current events, and is entertaining.

7. take up skating

Recently I have noticed that all over the world, rollerblading and rollerskating is trending. I love to ice skate during the winter and try to find rinks locally when I’m traveling for work. It is extremely relaxing, or if you find the right rink, can feel like a party!

This form of exercise and expression can be done at a social distance when necessary or with friends when possible.

However, it does cost money, whether it is for the rental of skates and rink admission, or the initial investment for your own pair to skate around town.

8. …learn an instrument

I know I said the I personally was not interested in this, but it doesn’t mean you, a reader, shouldn’t try! Music is creativity fulfilling and attempting to learn a new instrument can be very rewarding. It is, however, extremely hard work.

The bug finally got me about 3 months into the pandemic, and I caved. Check out my article on why I learned to play UBass, which you can find on my page!

9. writing

This can start as a hobby and turn into a career!

But it can be nice just writing for yourself, say, in a journal. In college, we used to have to keep journals of our synthesized class notes. I am so happy I have those journals because there are written reflections from my college years, from the knowledge I was learning in class, and they also feel like a little piece of my own personal history.

But writing doesn’t just stop at keeping a journal. You can also write a blog on platforms like Medium! You can also keep a dream journal, write short stories, write a memoir, write a script for tv or film…anything!

10. biking

My boyfriend recommended this one. He often will just grab his bike, drive his car to the city, park, and then ride around on his bike for the afternoon.

If you are just getting started, you can easily rent a bike in a nearby city. You can also decide to buy your own bike. With owning a bike, you can choose to simply wake up and go for a nice ride around the neighborhood, or, you can sign up for a cyclist club in your area.

I will say, while this can just be a hobby, in places like NYC, it can become a lifestyle. In Brooklyn, where I currently live, you can see cyclist groups that are supper sport heavy and bike long distance, or you can be in a group that bikes to a nearby park and picnics together.

So, whether you are just interested in a solo ride along the water at 10am, or a full-out-meet-up with a bunch of riders, this hobby can be catered to whatever you want it to be.

Finding a hobby,

especially in the slow periods of our life, can be really great in creating motivation and purpose. But a hobby is also meant to be dropped and picked up again. Therefore, when you are finding a new interest, make sure that its only purpose is to give you joy. If the ultimate goal is joy, then there is less pressure to try and perfect this new skill. If something shifts in you life, you should be able to drop what you are doing in regards to a hobby and refocus. Yet, if you find that your life has slowed down again, you should be able to pick that hobby back up and reconnect to that joy!