Most of us are in trouble
We don't exactly live the healthiest of lifestyles. With our profession requiring us to sit at a desk for hours at a time, this affects the human body in multiple negative ways. The most prominent of them are bad posture from sitting in the wrong position, weight gain from not doing much physical activity and poor skin condition. Worst of all though is a strong possibility of depression and general unhappiness due to lack of sun. Now the sun does a lot of really cool stuff to increase your general health but most importantly it increases your vitamin D production, which is key in your general mood.
So here is a short list of the very best hobbies for developers that wanna reduce their screen time and sit down time.
Photography
The single best hobby any developer could get an interest in would have to be photography. It involves having a strong interest in gadgets and how they work. Most of the really difficult shots require strong attention to detail and a very technical knowledgeable approach. Plus most of all it forces you to go out in the world for a reason other than just go out cause it's good for you. If photography is a thing that interests you, soon you'll find yourself climbing mountains and traversing through forests in search of the next good shot. Honestly what more could you ask for, you get to stretch your legs, correct your posture problems, increase blood flow, get some sunshine AND use a ton of really cool gadgets.
Photography is something I'm very interested in besides development and I just have to recommend these guys:
Photobite UK they got some of the best prices, guides and a very entertaining youtube channel. That will help guide you through your beginner phase all the way into your expert phase.
Seriously check them out this is not sponsored in any way shape or form. I just really think the service they offer is top notch. Plus they do a ton of giveaways which you might want to enter.
Also check out these amazing photographers to see what you can one day achieve:
LittleElkPhotography
Photobite UK
Manuel.whpt
dominiksaure
kasper.hoglund
traoutdoor
Hiking
Hiking usually bundled with photography, but if you're not so much into photography and would like to completely limit your screen time, then just plain old hiking will do wonders for your overall well-being. Just like above, it increases your exposure to sunshine which increases your overall happiness and is generally good for you. Most importantly it's free any anyone in the world, no matter where you are from, can do it. As long as you got two healthy legs you can hike anywhere you want.
There's nothing like that feeling of accomplishment after you climb a high hill or mountain and take in the spectacular view while you slowly catch your breath. I urge anyone to give it a try as soon as they can.
Woodworking
Yes, you heard me right. I think wood working and general DIY projects are an amazing hobby for any developer out there. Now a lot of the times it's not done outside, but it can be and yes there's not a lot of movement involved. BUT there is a lot of thinking and creativity involved. If you think about it, it's basically what we already do. Create stuff, what to some people might seem out of nothing or very basic components. Most importantly DIY and woodworking teaches you an important skill you need to have as a developer which is: discipline. It forces you to finish your work because unlike unfinished code, unfinished DIY projects take up actual space in the house. And serve as a depressing reminder to yourself. So sooner or later, you will get back to it and finish it or at the very least have to clean up after yourself.
Cooking
Another creative hobby that much like DIY, serves a practical purpose. With cooking you can feed yourself, improve your diet and by that your health. Most importantly you can impress your loved ones and any potential dates. Plus you know when you eventually loose it at the office you'll always have a backup profession.
Reading
It involves a lot of lying or sitting down, so it may not be the most healthiest of the choices for your physical well being. But it will do wonders for your mental well being. Plus you can go outside to read and enjoy every bit of sun you can get. Our jobs are stressful enough and every once in a while we need a disconnect from reality, or we need to learn something new or get in depth advice. There is no better place for that than a book. It can transport you to a magical world with elves and orcs, or take you all the way to space, or at times slam you right down to reality and blow your mind with a unique perspective that someone else gained and wanted to share with you.
Music
Hey look at that another creative hobby. Yes, those are amazingly good for developers. No matter how much we wanna perceive ourselves to be these logical people. At the end of the day we are creatives and creatives suffer without exposure to creativity. Music is the ultimate form of expression and it takes years of practice. It's not the easiest on the list but it's one of the most worth while hobbies. If you've always wanted to play and instrument today is a better time than tomorrow.
Cop-out answer anything you always wanted to do
Hey don't let me tell you what you SHOULD be doing. At the end of the day it's your life and your leisure time. Spend it as you wish but make sure that what you are doing benefits you or your loved ones directly.
Top comments (30)
I really like all your ideas, and that's excatly what I do in my free time. But I have to be honest, I always struggle with actually taking that time to do these things.
If I have some free time (which is becoming rare these days), I often find myself lying on the couch instead of doing productive, creative things. Just reading is something I do almost every day, even if it is only for a few minutes :)
I used to do that a lot, then I included 30min of excericise into my daily routine and suddenly found that my energy levels spiked up and I was not drawn to just procrastinating as much.
that worked wonders for me for other people it might be something else.
I really try to do some exercises everyday... I end up with every other day - what is still better then no exercises I guess. I will try to do this more often :)
Every second day is still better than "no day" ;)
Do you also find that your mind works better post excercise?
I feel a lot sharper and a lot more ready to tackle my chores or engage in my hobbies post excercise.
I don't know the specifics of it but I suppose it has to have something to do with the adrenaline or something.
Yes I feel better in every way :)
I should do my exercises before work, but I am having problems with getting out of bad in the last couple of week - I think winter time is not my favorite time of the year 😅
I signed up for a gym with a personal trainer. Twice a week. It's not cheap but I guess that's the price to pay for not doing any actual workout for nearly 50 years. :) It's a good thing I have a trainer because I often don't do the exercises correctly and he's there to tell me. He's also good at identifying which parts needs more strengthening, etc. I'm doing this for 6 months and after that I'm hoping I'll know what I'm doing enough to go on my own. If I had just signed up for a random gym, I wouldn't go. In this case I have an appointment and, if I don't show up, they charge me anyway. Good incentive!
He's shown me some exercises I can do at home, like dumbbells and floor exercises and I'm also trying to get back into doing a bit of yoga more regularly.
I think that is a good idea! :)
For me, personally, that is no solution. I had a membership at a gym for more than two year. At the beginning I went there three times a week. After a while I got sick and after that I just couldn't get my self to show up at the gym anymore 😅
So I signed up for a home workout app (it also saves a lot of time)... and that really helps me. A personal trainer would not be good for me because I can get really mean when I get to the point where I think that I am out of energy 😏 And I don't want to yell at somebody 😂
The sessions with the trainer are only 30 minutes, so I can usually handle it. Anything more I would get bored or wouldn't have the energy (my appointment is usually around 4 pm).
I have a yoga app on my iPad (Daily Yoga), but I have been really bad at getting back into it since my concussion last winter. I tried a couple of workout apps but I really need to "master" the basics before I go on my own. I'm really good at messing myself up!
How funny these are all my hobbies 😂From a music background myself, I would say programming for me just like learning a new "instrument" or writing a new song!
Musical background? how fun!
I myself never had a talent for it sadly.
Yeah, I play piano more than 20 years..It's never too late to learn :) Just like coding, it's just need practice, practice and practice haha!
That is impressive! I heard the piano is one of the hardest instruments to master.
Hit the nail on the head there, discipline is the most important skill any coder can master.
I agreed!! It's easy to learn but hard to master. Sometimes I find myself lack of discipline, but with the passion, it gives me motivation to keep the learning journey going.
I find that very commendable.
Cooking I do out of necessity, but at least now I've actually learned to cook more elaborate stuff. Couldn't say that three years ago!
Reading - lots of that. My Kindle is loaded with books, and that's on top of some printed books I have on my reading list.
I'm trying to get exercise to be a regular thing. I've always walked a lot (and I don't own a car anymore, so 99% of my errands are done on foot), but I need to exercise the rest of the body.
I got back into plastic modelling three years ago but stopped a few months later after a health scare that kind of threw my mind off that kind of stuff. I have a bunch of unbuilt models that I should really get to.
It's an amazing skill to posses isn't it?
Out of all of them, that one instantly improves your quality of life.
Any recommendations? I'm always open for new books
Oh no =/ I hope it wasn't anything serious, either way get well soon!
I don't even notice what books I read - lol. For the past few years I've mostly been grabbing books from unknown authors with an interesting storyline on Amazon. They're often cheap or free, or the first one of a series is free to get you interested. Anything from crime or law thrillers to science-fiction. Come to think of it, if you like science-fiction, the Space Force series is really good. I've found that a lot of those unknown authors have nothing to envy bestselling authors (well, except the money they make, of course).
Health scare was pre-diabetes, which was scary because diabetes runs on my father's side of the family and I'm really not interested in having to deal with that. I kicked it off the curb after three months or so, but it's still a constant stress as I need to be more mindful of what I eat, exercising, etc.
I do and I saved that tip, thank you!
Completely agree, some of my favorite books were by somewhat unknown authors.
Yikes! as it does on my father's side, I should probably get that checked out someday as well.
Don't forget gaming! Linking up with some friends online or in the real world and playing games together not only increases social skills, but also teamworking. It also introduces you to a whole new community of people
Sure but the point is to get away from the screen and sitting
The last hobby (Music) I feel more in tune with, I'm obsessed with DJ equipment and applications. As well as music production using DAWs(Digital Audio Workstations). This one I completely agree with.
got some tracks for us to check out?
Lol! I got some house music mixes I can share, It's a combination of both this hobby of mine, music production and "Bedroom DJing" I do the latter more often however.
I enjoy(ed) working on cars. You still get to solve problems, but you get to work with your hands and use dangerous power tools. Then someone stole my WRX when it was just starting to look respectable :(
Writing can be a fulfilling and rewarding hobby allowing me to express my creativity and share my ideas.
Custom catalog printing is a great way to share my work with others and potentially gain a following. Printing my work in a catalog format can make it more accessible and professional-looking, which can help attract readers and promote my writing.
It's great that I have found a hobby I enjoy and am passionate about. Writing can be a fun and therapeutic activity that can help you to develop your skills and express yourself creatively.
That a lot of ideas to get ride off video games.
At least it could make me play less and go out more than just 30mn at lunch time !
Actually, there is no "best hobby". Whatever you like to do in your spare time, and whatever gets your batteries recharged is a good hobby.
I’m combining woodworking and music. I’ve been refinishing one of my guitars for a while now and can confirm that woodworking is a very active hobby. 10 minutes of sanding and I’m dripping in sweat 😆