We often find ourselves wanting to do something creative in order to pass our time, however, that doesn’t mean that we will feel like doing anything as well. Most of the times, any idea that comes to our mind will be shot down just as quickly, because we do not feel like going through all the hassle involved with it. This happens because most of the ideas that come to our mind were already existing and we had put them on the back burner for something or another. That is where this post can, hopefully, help you identify some new and fun ideas to try.
Note that I have not made this list to list things that are the best way to fill your free time, or those that will become useful to you in different life-situations like learning how to start a fire, use a first-aid kit etc. What I wanted to list here were just some of the things that I have found interesting enough to pull you out of that monotonous and lethargic routine. For those who actually read this monologue, the list, in no specific order, is as follows,
Learn To Solve a Rubik's cube
Most people have seen a Rubik’s cube in their life, but if someone is not aware, then it is a puzzle with multicoloured squares which need to be twisted and turned to get the same colour on each side. Often in the movies, it is shown to be done by someone who is to be portrayed as extremely talented or possessing high mental capabilities. Indeed, it is not something that anyone can solve by just trying hard enough unless they spend a lot of time on it while being a spatial genius as a prerequisite.
This does not mean that you cannot learn to solve this puzzle yourself without the two things mentioned above. In fact, nowadays, several algorithms exist to help you solve this puzzle. And before you think that this is cheating and it doesn’t make you happy to solve the puzzle this way, do note that not everyone can simply remember the algorithms on a whim and it will still take a considerable amount of effort before you can be solving this puzzle under 2 minutes. Besides, no one is stopping you try and solve it without the algorithms later anyway.
Learn To Do Card Shuffling
Even if a minority of people did not know of a Rubik’s cube, then I am certain that everyone is familiar with a basic set of playing cards. They are often associated with gambling and are not considered to be very good in some cultures. However, I am not recommending you learning how to play them, but rather you learning how to shuffle them creatively.
For the uninitiated, this might seem like a very limited and boring activity, but that is only because you have not seen what is actually possible to do with just a deck of cards in your hands. You can even expand this to learn some tricks to surprise everyone around you. The best thing is that it is mostly just your practice and the dexterity that comes with it, rather than sleight of hand or deception to fool your audience. If you are still not convinced, then I recommend you at least watch a video of it before disregarding it completely.
Learn A Musical Instrument
You can never go wrong with a classic. Everyone can have their own preference over which musical instrument they like, and many have also wanted to learn to play them but never found the time for it. Well, maybe now is the time for you to consider starting to learn it from scratch.
Nowadays, you can find many tutorials to help you get on the right track, so that you do not have to make a huge initial investment. As long as you remember that you will not become a great player overnight, and start to learn things step by step, you will find that this particular task is also very soothing in itself. If someone does not have any preference at all, then I recommend that they look into a Ukulele. It is a cheap, miniature Guitar with 4 strings so it is both cost-effective and relatively easy to learn.
Learn to Spin A Pen
You might not have recognized this from the popular media, but everyone has a pen lying here and there around them, and you can spin it in your hand to not only look cool but also pass the time. What more can I say to convince you to try it?
Maybe the fact that it is the most inexpensive thing in this list, or that all the relevant tutorials can also be found on the internet free of any cost.
Start Writing A Blog
Last but not least, you can start writing a blog of your own to share whatever you want to share with the world. There are at least three common misconceptions about this that I would like to address. First, it is not very complicated and you do not need web development or anything like that to make your own website. Although it is a bit costly to begin, you can make your website by simple drag-and-drop options and everyone can do it. Second, you do not need to be an expert at anything to write about it. You can just share your own experience with it rather than trying to write the absolute truth about everything. People can take your experience and build upon it later to make their won discoveries about things. So, you do not need to feel pressured to make everything perfect. It is more important that you start and stick with it for at least a year or two(a couple of hours per week is the most that it takes). Third, you do not need to view it as a source of your income. I know people have come across those posts where the title goes something like, “How I made $X in a month by starting my blog!” etc., but that is an unrealistic expectation that people try to sell you so you end up buying their course or just reading their articles regularly. Instead, you should start a blog and view it as a creative outlet for yourself and nothing else. If you view it as the former, then you will only end up discouraged after coming face to face with the reality and quit.
That is why most people quit after starting for just a couple of months. That is, they see that the handful of post they have posted are not getting any views and they are nowhere close to their initial goal of making $X in a month. In reality, the quality of articles you will write in the beginning will be vastly different than what you will be able to write after a year or two, and everything will gradually improve with time. The most important thing to note is that you should primarily treat it as a way to express yourself to add value to the life of others, rather than a business to squeeze money wherever possible.
Conclusion
I hope that something in this list encouraged you enough to take on a new activity to fill up your free time. Even though these things are not very productive as per the normal standards, I believe that having fun in your down-time is just as important as working towards your goal. Never feel guilty about enjoying your free time, but be cautious not to over extend the aforementioned free time itself. I have not included any links to the tutorials or any of the above mentioned activities because I feel like they can easily be accessed via a quick Google. There are a lot of different ways of learning/starting each thing I mentioned, and I did not want to specify just one way which was relatively easier for me but might be difficult for you. I believe the things I mentioned are exciting as well as easy enough that you can do them if you do stick to pursuing them. Good luck and remember to always have fun with your work!
