Asklemmy

Here are my hobbies/interests that simultaneously get me off Social Media/Content Streams while giving me something to talk about/post about/watch about when I'm back. I may also have podcasts or youtube on in the background if the activity permits

Group A, the "touch grass" activities:

1. go on a walk
2. do some cleaning/organizing
3. spend time with people irl

That last one requires a lot of effort and rarely has immediate payoffs if you don't already have a friend group bigger that one or two friends, but it's so important and requires putting time into it and developing social skills. In fact, 2+3 both benefit from learning skills and shortcuts and habits; therefore they require just as much time and energy as any hobby.

Group B, the "what I do for fun"

1. "hacking" — pentesting computers and VMs, whether on HackTheBox, TryHackMe, Vulnhub, or someones one-off github-hosted machine; and of course so many online CTFs

2. "tinkering" — I like messing with the physical part of electronics too. Or mechanical devices. Or anything that I can dissect and modify

3. active listening to music — taking the time to listen and be carried away by music, maybe even start to analyze it. I know it's still technically "consuming content," but I consider it to stimulate a different part of the brain than, say, watching a random youtuber bring himself one mukbang closer to an embolism.

4. playing music — the world's shittest bassist. I'm not trying to be good, just have fun and improve my ear and dexterity and musical intuition

5. foreign language learning — good for the brain, good for someone who wants to travel good for jobs and making genuine human connections. Not fluent in anything besides english yet, but I'm always acquiring new vocabulary words when I can

6. Creative writing — Most of what I do anymore is just drafting elaborate shitposts to post online later, but I've been known to crank out parts of short stories and terrible poetry

7. Activism — I won't say where, when, who, nor why, but that doesn't matter. The important part is that there are few things in life more fulfilling than coming home after a long day of doing outreach/aid/[redacted]/fundraising for a community and/or cause you care about.

8. coding — of freaking course I'm also learning to program. You thought I was done with the electronics, but of course I had to sneak this in. You expect me to learn binary exploitation without having a strong understanding of programming? You expect me to do DIY hardware projects without coding the firmware? You've been absolutely HAD.

9. Worshipping the dark goddess [redacted] at the temple of [redacted] — a healthy spiritual aspect to your life has far reaching benefits that scientific medicine and psychology are only just beginning to scratch the surface of. Of course you don't have to start with worshipping [redacted], it can be as simple as cultivating a healthy appreciation for the beauty in every aspect of the natural world around you and the mystique of existence itself. Then later you can move onto the [redacted] sacrifices to make [redacted] [redacted] so [redacted] may once again [redacted] the earth.

Group C, the "dangerously close to consuming content" group, but still technically separate activities/skills

1. Armchair philosophy — we all do it, but I'm the only one who was smart/lazy enough to list it as a hobby. Unfortunately this does ocassionally learning about others' philosophy and the topics you're bullshitting about, which is why I say it's "dangerously close"

2. Media analysis — see previous... Okay, I got my degree in Literature + Language, I really enjoy deep analyses of media, and sometimes make my own. The act itself doesn't require consuming anything more than you already have, but if you haven't consumed any media in awhile...

3. reading — okay, I know, this is literally just back to consuming content, but... You don't learn how to do any of the above without some reading. It helps you learn a language if you read a story in your target language. it's the format most philosophy was originally recorded in. It's the medium writers have to learn to be good at their craft. It's what format most electronic/software documentation is in. It's how music was recorded for centuries before audio media. It's also just a fun activity that engages different parts of the brain and trains your imagination even when it's "just" fiction.

I like cooking, I get a lot from it, like the feeling of fulfillment etc

Pretend to be a racoon. Trespass, go through the trash for things to eat or play with, crawl on rooftops and under the streets through storm drains.

I amuse myself with coding, and for the last couple of years, slowly teaching myself spanish. I know it's a little thing that will probably never matter to anyone, but it feels kind of cool that I can open mexican newspapers and not go "Wtf is this gibberish?"

I built a homelab.

Basically you buy some old enterprise server hardware (or, if you are smart unlike me, you build low-power machines from scratch!) and then you can run your own services.

Some fun stuff includes:

• Plex or Jellyfin or Emby - stream your own video library
• HomeAssistant - Control and automate all the smart things with little to no cloud connection!
• TrueNAS - file server storage for large share drives and local backups
• Grocy - Inventory management for groceries/supplies. Includes special features for batteries, chemicals/food with expiration dates, shopping list generation + barcode scanning, chore tracking (with automatic inventory of supplies like dish soap and laundry detergent), and recipes based on what you have on hand. Integrates with HomeAssistant
• PiHole or AdGuard Home - DNS-based adblocker. Any device connected to your network has a ton of advertising blocked at the network level, no plugins or installation required; devices simply can’t find the ad servers to connect with. (Can break stuff like Paramount+ or Hulu, etc but you can add exceptions)
• the “arr” suite - Sonarr/Radarr/Lidarr/prowlarr - fill up your Plex library with ahem legal backups of legitimately purchased media automatically over the internet.
• OPNSense - free, professional grade firewall with support for network-wide VPN clients. Put your entire house behind a VPN, allow VPN access inside your network from anywhere (get the benefits of PiHole on the go!), block shady IoT devices from seeing anything else on the network (Chromecasts, shady smart switches, etc), the sky’s the limit with this one
• Fediverse instances - Run your own personal Lemmy or Mastadon instance!

And tons and tons of other stuff. It’s not cheap, it’s time consuming, and the wife hates the power bill. But if you’re into doing shit with computers, it’s a damn interesting rabbit hole

Hiking.

I like sewing my clothes, I usually put on some content in the background while I'm doing my mending. It helps avoid fast-fashion and is helpful with thrift shopping, since it allows you to purchase garments that don't fit quite right or are slightly frayed.

The word you are looking for is "hobby."

Knitting is super fun. I used to do it every day until I started my masters. I keep thinking I should restart this hobby. As long as you don't buy ridiculously premium yarns, it's super cheap too. I used to find boxes of yarn at yard sales or thrift stores.

Rock Climbing/Bouldering. It’s great exercise, I throw in my earbuds, do my own thing, it’s a lot of fun. Don’t worry about being out of shape there are routes for all skill levels

a few ideas:

Learn:
An instrument
A living language
A dead language
A fictional language
A programming language
A new sport
A craft
New recipes
Bodyweight exercises

Go:
To Hell (Hell, Michigan)
Hike
Powerwalk your local mall
Cross country skiing
To your local arcade
To the coffee shop
On a road trip
Walk all the streets in your city
Test drive something interesting
To a movie
To your local library
To a concert
To an art gallery
To a museum

• Try out recipes to cook from the internet. Thats an easy way to learn and in the end you can improvise.
• learn an instrument. Easier said than done really, best is to find a group and make fix appointments
• find a cool sport to do. Really, going out is sooo important. Dancing, martial arts, athletics, swimming, climbing, cycling. There is so much.
• learn another language that people actually speak in your area lol. For example signing! Signing is so useful, next to english, spanish, mandarin and russian maybe. Integrating deaf people is sooo important and it needs hearing people that can sign to translate.

I picked up bouldering, and I highly recommend it! Its a great way to have fun while doing something active, and is fun solo, with a couple of people, or a larger group.

Learn to skateboard.

One option that is kind of a middle ground is to learn a craft. Knitting, crochet, making fly fishing lures, sculpting. There are lots of things you can do with your hands while listening to a podcast or audiobook, so while it still involves content consumption it also engages your motor skills and creativity and you end up with something to show for it by the time you are finished.

Painting miniatures, 3d printing to make it more affordable in the long run

Playing (optional) single player board games - picked that one up during the pandemic. I enjoyed some free print and play (or basic playing cards) games like:
Utopia Engine (both parts or expansion, whatever Beast Hunter is) - pretty much an exploration rpg? Very simple to setup and learn.
The Quiet Year - a map drawing game that gives you prompts to expand the map and lore of a small commumity/civilisation. Very peaceful.
Gridcannon - a single player puzzle/tactic game played with a standard deck of cards. Been a while but I enjoyed it a lot in pandemic times.

You can also play games like Gaslands or even Warhammer by yourself if you're into that sort of stuff. I enjoyed gaslands by myself the other day :)

My suggestion would be to reframe your thesis. Rather than consuming content, change your perspective to one where you are appreciating art.

The world is vast and full of amazing things, you don't need to feel like you're wasting time when you dedicate that time to appreciating art that you love. There are books, games, movies, short form video essays, podcasts, and all sorts of things that are real expressions of the human experience from different angles, which is what art is, and there's nothing wrong with appreciating that art, learning something from it, and growing your understanding.

Unless you're harming yourself or others by enjoying the art you enjoy, just keep on doing it.

That said, if you really want something else, gaming is (IMO) a great way to spend some time, tabletop or video. Learning a programming language is another one and can lead to very fulfilling paths where you can make things that you enjoy and easily share them with others.

Whatever you do, make it a challenge to do it every day (or as often as possible) for a month. If at the end you still look forward to it, you found a new hobby.

It might help to set some fixed times in your week for hobbys so you don’t get into the situation where you need to decide between that or Netflix. The drug always wins.

If you need to buy some things first, get it used or even just lend it but try to find something that’s not rubbish. You can later invest more money but you don’t want to waste it on something you end up not liking.

Hobbys that stuck with me:

• cooking
• running
• hiking
• gardening
• golfing
• reading
• jigsaw puzzles

Maybe try programming? It's incredibly exciting once you get the hang of it. It can be frustrating at times but it's really rewarding. Since becoming my hobby/job its given me an endless source of things to do at home. Plus it can open up new career paths :)

Making things, learning things.

E.g.:

• painting

• clay/ceramics

• learn a language

• learn the history of a region

• visit a museum

• grow vegetables

• make pickles

• learn a weapon

Learn to solve a Rubik’s cube. Couple of weeks and you’ll be able to do it in around a minute or two.

Painting by numbers is chill.

Walking is fun.

Learn an instrument.

Code some tools to help you do things that bore you.

cooking! finding out about good ingredients and how to make them even better! fermenting too...

Fun ways to spend your time:

Walking, running, hiking, cycling, transitting to a nice spot in town you've never been. Fairly cheap, and fun way to get out and forget the rest of your problems for a bit.

Sports and Yoga, cooking and baking, sewing, learning an instrument like guitar, piano/keyboard.

For things that aren't mindless fun but useful long term: Try learning a new language! It's kind of difficult but it's cool when you start to figure out tiny tidbits of other languages.

I always recommend roleplaying games like DnD or pathfinder as a hobby since it has a built in social and private element to it. You can join a group at most local game stores or by looking for organized play. Both Pathfinder and DnD have organized learning sessions where you can learn to play. Both allow you to start for free.

The good part is there is a regular scheduled social element usually weekly and between time you can do things yourself. That includes reading rules, making minis, practicing voices, writing modules, reading old source book, watching live streams, making maps etc. You don't have to do all of those but you can really go in depth or as shallow as you want. All of the things you do my yourself will enhance the enjoyment of the group which is a great as well.

I got into lockpicking recently

If knitting/crochet is not metal enough for you, make chainmail instead! It's so easy that you can let your mind wander while doing it. So it basically doubles as active meditation!

Instead of playing video games, I'm leaning frontend programming. I'm making a chatGPT movie recommendation assistant right now. Finishing projects supplants the dopamine hits I got from gaming.

The 'fun' adjective means everyone's answers will be different! For me, exercising is good even if many times it ends up being a VR adventure or workout.

I enjoy growing a small garden! You might not xD

Pick up some acting classes and volunteer down at the local theatre to learn more about yourself, your expression to others, learn the intricacies of a great classic story and make new friends!

Really, just pick something and go to the moon with it

Is reading technically considered consuming content? Fun and it’s a pretty cheap hobby if you have library access or go to used bookstores!

Woodworking!

One could argue that a boring life is the best one could wish for. Perfect time to make some kids. That's natures way to cope with that situation. :)

Here's a few of mine:

-Skateboarding

-Writing (books, plays, puppet shows, greeting cards, etc.)

-Learning Linux

-Writing and performing rap

-Petting cats

-Repairing video game consoles and controllers

-Decorating (using things you own or spending very small amounts)

-Cooking, baking, etc.

I also enjoy putting on some music when I have to do stuff that isn't fun, like laundry, washing dishes or cleaning.

List of things you would do with friends like going to a bar, to a movie, eating wings/dinner, driving somewhere fun, or going on a trip then do the list alone.

I got into scratch/trash building and kit bash modeling crazy mechs and stuff last year and it’s been a blast.

I've not been able to do any of these for a while with life doing its thing and being overwhelming, but I've enjoyed things like those "gem" mosaic pictures (apparently called diamond painting) and good old colouring books. I also got in to making stim jars for a while, then someone suggested I monetise them and I completely lost interest lol (though that gif is making me want one now)
Also tried indoor gardening for a while, but I just kill any plant that comes my way, so I've stopped that abuse now😂

Meta answer.

To me personally any sort of addiction is a symptom of feeling out of touch with life. It's a kind of rejection of what is and slapping a bandaid on that pain by constantly asking for more. More food. More content. More whatever.

It's a desire that can't truly ever be satisfied.

It's important to take a step back when you feel lost in such a stream of more. Instead of trying to change things, try to accept things as they are. You can always decide to change it later. For example when you wake up, just take a few moments to experience waking up, rather than immediately focusing on what needs to be done.

When it comes to doing anything, play around with how much care you put into it. Try doing it quick and badly and without any care. And try doing it with utmost care and perfection. Think of it like training your ability to control the number of fucks you give for any specific thing. That way you can let go of control by giving up your need for change, but also regain it for the things that really matter.

And then it's a matter of trying out many things to see what resonates with your personality. When you find something you can sharpen it by removing the things that don't really matter to you.

For example you might figure out that you enjoy painting. You'll probably come up with lots of unnecessary goals for yourself such as being able to paint realistic portraits with oil. Whereas actually you would have enjoyed art history more, or perhaps drawing childish looking animals with crayons.

If you had held onto the idea that you need to do oil portraits, you would've just saddled yourself with another thing that you only partially enjoy, and so you might just leave it laying around. It's just a disconnect from who you really are. You'd be imprisoning yourself again with a need for more, instead of realizing that you are free by nature and that it's alright to enjoy seemingly unimportant things.

going outside, musing around, gazing at the clouds and plants and all

music is life <3

Thrift shopping is great. Window shop at antique stores, goodwill, pawn shops, thrift shops. Even without buying things you can come across lots of interesting finds.

Find your local free community center. Your local library is a good start. There's bound to be countless free activities or events to join and also meet people at to make casual friends while doing new things.

Multiple times I have found satisfaction and joy in reading non-fiction or how to books about a certain topic and then deep diving. With a library nearby you can avoid spending any real money. Almost every book about a topic has other books as references or recommendations which leads you down a hole of information about things you can learn about and implement. I am currently deep into a research hole about plant identification, herbalism, wild food forging and permaculture. This is great since I can then implement these in my garden this spring but I enjoy the learning part just as much as the doing. Its a fun way to see what interests to you. It doesn't have to last forever but you will keep the knowledge