I recently started a series where I share with you new and creative hobbies I am trying, which included Miniature making, Felt Doll making, Cloisonne art, and more. In today’s post I am gonna share with you a list of 20 hobbies that will help you still your mind and keep your hands busy.
Having a hobby is really important for your nervous system regulation. It also helps you bond with people you love over something entertaining, and turn a boring moment into a creative session of reconnecting with our inner artists.
If you are in a hurry, here’s the list of hobbies I’m gonna talk about in this article:
- Coloring, painting and drawing
- Calligraphy
- Knitting and crochet
- Pottery
- Clay making (air dry clay/ polymer clay)
- Board games
- Sewing and clothes making
- Beading and embroidery
- Legos
- Puzzles
- Wood carving
- Scrapbooking and journaling
- Candle making
- Soap making
- Card making
- Quilt making
- Video editing
- Jewellery making
- Cross stitching
- Mosaic art
Hobbies to still your mind
The best hobbies to practice if you want to still your mind are the ones where your thinking process becomes limited to making instant creative decisions, and turning your overthinking off to focus your energy on your hand-mind coordination. In a previous article, I explained how important muscle memory is to creative endeavors, and a hobby is pretty much the same.
For that, I would divide the previously mentioned hobbies to three different categories:
Hobbies that require no thinking at all (Difficulty level: very easy)
Jigsaw puzzles
Puzzles are all about observation skills. No thinking required. They are very effective at keeping you in the moment and fostering your problem solving skills. Puzzles are also very beginner friendly. Anyone can make a puzzle with no skill required which makes it a great hobby for a friends or a couple night in.
This 1000 piece puzzle is one of my favorites, and it’s pretty affordable on Amazon.
Cross stitching
Cross stitching is one of the easiest forms of embroideries out there. It is as the name indicates, a bunch of cross stitches coming together to form an image. Cross-stitching requires no thinking because it’s just X-shaped stitches creating a pattern. If you are following a design, you can turn your mind off completely and just do it.
If it is your first time doing cross-stitching, I highly recommend you get a kit like this one.
Coloring
Coloring is another beginner friendly hobby as it requires no skill to be done. Coloring is very therapeutic and refreshing. It’s also mess free and all you need is a coloring book or page and some colored pencils. So, you can do it outside, inside, on the train, etc.
Hobbies that require some thinking (Difficulty level: easy)
Board games
Board games differ in level of difficulty. Some are easy while others require a bit more strategy and thinking. But it’s overall a super fun social hobby that could make your family time or hanging out with friends way more entertaining and memorable.
Legos
Legos are my favorite. Assembling then into things like the lego flower bouquets or like a house is just a blast to both kids and adults. However, legos are very time consuming and sometimes the instructions are not as clear as you’d wish for them to be and so they end up being a bit tricky.
Scrapbooking and journaling
If you are a reader of my blog, you know how much I love journaling. It is one of my all time favorite hobbies that literally keeps me feeling alive. I have a bad memory and taking the time to journal about my week, or month really helps me remember all the things I did and the little moments I enjoyed. Here are some journaling prompts that you can use for your hobby time:
7 Journaling prompts to boost your creativity
Journaling prompts from my journal that you
Journaling prompts for the new year : my 2025 edition
Quilt making
Quilt making is the process of sewing together layers of fabric—usually three layers—to create a quilt. Quilts are often used as blankets but can also be decorative. Since you are using fabric that already exists, it’s a very easy hobby to practice. But also the fact that you are making it all into an even shape like a square or a rectangle, makes it more on the easy side.
Hobbies to still your mind (Difficulty level: medium)
Card making
Card making is pretty much creating handmade greeting cards. It’s a simple and fun craft that anyone can do, even without much experience or special tools. Here’s how it works in the most basic way:
You will need: Paper or cardstock (thicker paper works best for cards), scissors, glue or double-sided tape, pens, markers, or colored pencils and for decorations (optional), you will need stickers, washi tape, buttons, cutouts, etc.
Beading and embroidery
You can watch a tutorial online and you’ll be able to start if you have the supplies needed. Embroidery can look very tricky, but once you know the basic stitches, it’s more of a practice and less of a thinking process. I have a detailed guide on embroidery and beading with photo references for inspiration that you can read here: 10 Stunning hand embroidery art designs and how you can start embroidering
Candle making and soap making
Very simple and easy to figure out. If it’s your first time, I would use a kit. They usually come with all the necessary supplies for the project, as well as clear instructions for you to follow.
Clay making
Now weather you choose air dry clay, polymer clay, or some other type of clay, the techniques is gonna vary. However, clay making is mainly just shaping the clay to whatever outcome you wish to have, so it’s a medium level of difficulty kind of hobby. I have separate articles for each of them so make sure to check them out.
Air Dry Clay Project ideas First-timers must try
Polymer Clay For Beginners: Your Ultimate Guide
Jewellery making
I personally don’t wear jewellery if it’s not real gold or real silver because I’m allergic to metals. So for this hobby, I usually go with silver clay which is pretty much the same as polymer clay except that after baking, the clay disappears and you have only silver left. If you wanna know more about this hobby, read this article: Silver Clay Beginners guide: create your silver clay jewelry
Hobbies to still your mind (Difficulty level: medium to hard)
Calligraphy
Calligraphy is the art of beautiful writing. It’s not just handwriting—it’s about drawing letters in an artistic way, often used for invitations, quotes, cards, or decoration. As a fun fact about me, I actually took Arabic calligraphy classes for 5 months, but I soon grew bored with it because it lacked the visual interest I need for stimulation. Calligraphy is a great hobby that requires a lot of practice and the right supplies to start. You can get a kit like this one from Amazon as a beginner.
Knitting and Crochet
Both my parents are really good at knitting and crocheting, but that couldn’t make it easier for me. I have knitted for a couple of years (very basic scarf designs and random squares), and I definitely think that knitting is a very rewarding hobby that requires a lot of patience, practice and mathematical skills. You can always start with a kit. If I was to ever go back to crochet or knitting, I’d pick something like this crochet bouquet kit.
Sewing and clothes making
The GOAT of all hobbies. I would literally be unstoppable if I knew how to sew. It is the best hobby one can learn and the most rewarding. However, it’s not the easiest and the supplies needed are more on the pricey side (as it is the case for almost every hobby, but you get the point).
Now sewing requires a lot more than just the passion or the skill. It calls for a machine, a kit, and patterns that you need to buy. Which makes it a bit up there in my opinion.
Wood carving
Wood carving is the art of shaping wood using tools like knives, chisels, or gouges. You can carve simple patterns, figures, or even sculptures. It’s a relaxing and hands-on creative activity. You need to be careful and patient to avoid any possible accidents. You could start off with a kit like this one:
Mosaic art
A beautiful and time consuming hobby. I have a full detailed guide on mosaic art that you can check out here: Mosaic Art for Beginners: How to Make Stunning Projects
Mosaic pattern books: The best selection of books for beginners
Video editing
The only hobby that includes you being with a screen. And hear me out, I know a lot of people don’t view video editing as a hobby but to me, it is. I enjoy making videos (not claiming that they are good) but the process is as enjoyable and rewarding as any other form of hobby. It’s also a great skill to develop in the digital age as it can be easily monetized and turned into content creation for your personal brand or even for UGC business model. You only need an app to get started and there are plenty of options out there.
Pottery
Last but not least, traditional pottery. One of the first hobbies that come to mind when we talk about anything handmade. However, as an action plan, it’s not the easiest. Pottery requires a throwing wheel, technique, and a specific oven to bake that is big enough to not be justified as a purchase for a hobbyist. And for that, I am mentioning it as the last hobby to try. If you can however get access to a studio or a school for pottery, it is a very therapeutic activity that has the right amount of challenge to it.
Conclusion
This was my list 20 Hobbies to still your mind. Let me know if you have tried any of them or plan to try one soon. Follow me on my socials as well. Enjoy creating <3
