What Are the Easiest Hobbies to Pick Up?

What Are the Easiest Hobbies to Pick Up?

 If a hobby is a recreational pursuit, something that is done with one’s spare or leisure time, then what activity outside of work isn’t a hobby? Is sleeping a hobby? What about eating? Can unemployment be considered a hobby? As a mother of two very active kids, can I consider the act of driving around in a mini-van—while I shuttle my kids to their various activities—my hobby? (Since, of course, I have no spare or leisure time, except for the moments I’m in my car and stopped at a red light.)

To shed a little more light on what a hobby really is, consider the reasons why people start one. Some people seek hobbies to relax. Others have specific goals, like building their self-esteem or reaching a certain level of expertise¹. And still there are some people who simply want to exercise their brains. So a hobby can be learning a new language, taking up a sport, mastering a craft, making art, or collecting specific things.

Despite the kvetching about my overscheduled kids, I actually do have a few hobbies, like running. Once both my kids entered elementary school, I found that I had some free time every morning. So I laced up my running shoes one morning and I’ve been running ever since. Running is a cheap hobby and, other than a pair of sneakers, doesn’t require a whole lot of skill. Not to rip off Nike, but anyone can just do it.

There are a slew³ of other hobbies that are easy and inexpensive to start. Below are just a few suggestions.

Collecting Things

Starting and maintaining a collection is something anyone can do, and the type of thing that is collected can vary in dollar value and size. For instance, my six-year-old son collects baseball cards, packs of which cost anywhere between two and twenty dollars. My seventy-year-old mother collects Lladro figurines, each one costing at least a few hundred dollars. And the talk show host Jay Leno collects cars and motorcycles, an expensive hobby that takes more investment. If I were starting my first collection, I would probably try my hand at something more akin² to my son’s baseball cards.

Collecting is probably the easiest hobby to start because you don’t need any special knowledge or equipment. It can immediately be started on a whim⁴; for instance, you might buy wind chimes while on a beach vacation and then decide to start wind chime collection. Or someone gives your kid a comic book for her birthday and thus begins her lifelong collection and obsession⁵ with Archie and Friends.

You can collect stamps, certain types of toys, baseball cards, comic books, action figures, model trains, certain types of clothing or accessories like hats or rings, cookie jars, figurines, posters, or rocks. You can set the parameters⁶ of your collection, narrow down the type of item by time span, material, or manufacturer.

Brain Exercises

Learning a new game or mastering an already learned game can really boost a person’s self-confidence. The “analog” games are the ones that I would try over the current regimes of PSP and Wii. Board games, card games, word searches, crossword⁷ puzzles, and Sudoku are everywhere you look. If you buy a daily newspaper, chances are you will find a word search or the familiar Sudoku grid⁸ inside.

Take a trip to your local public library. Whether it’s learning a new language or simply reading books of any genre⁹, the library is commonly overlooked, forsaken¹⁰ in favor of the quick Google search and impulse Amazon purchase. And, don’t forget—the library has movies, too.  

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Easy Crafts

Some types of crafts are harder to learn than others. But with a good set of written and illustrated¹¹ instructions, some crafts are universally easy. Sure, every book ever written on any type of craft will advertise itself as being so easy that anyone can do it. But these three crafts have the added incentive¹² of being cheap, too.

Origami

Though there are special papers that you can buy, any foldable paper will do. Magazine advertisements are perfect because they are colorful as well as plentiful¹³. Colorful flyers that somehow wind up in your mailbox are another source of origami paper. And you can get origami books from the library or check out video instructions via YouTube.com.

Sewing

Needle and thread. Scissors. Old clothes. Tada! Now begin sewing. My first sewing project was a sock monkey, which is incredibly easy and super fun to make. 

Scrapbooking

Who doesn’t have photos, a photo album, scissors, and a glue stick? You can get fancy with all the embellishments, whether they’re store-bought or homemade. There are many Web sites that help neophyte¹⁴ scrapbookers get their feet wet, so don’t feel intimidated¹⁵ by the boxes of undated and unorganized photos in your closet.

Outdoor Hobbies

The easiest types of outdoor hobbies are the ones that do not require you to learn a new physical skill. Walking, running, and hiking, for instance, are all based on something you learned as a toddler. As long as you wear the proper foot attire¹⁶, you should be good to go.

Bird-watching requires you to sit quietly in a wooded area and search high and low through a pair of binoculars¹⁷. Sitting and looking are quite passive skills that should not be too hard to do; although the bird identification itself can be challenging, this is part of what makes it fun. Buying a book and borrowing a pair of binoculars are the only things required before starting, and many recreational areas have free, guided bird watching tours.

Digital Photography

I don’t know anyone who doesn’t have a digital camera these days. Taking pictures for the sheer pleasure of color, content, and composition has never been easier. And Web sites like Flickr encourage amateur digital photographers to share their photos and talk about their experiences. If you don’t want the cost of buying and maintaining a color printer, most local photo labs and online services like Kodak Easyshare Gallery and Snapfish offer inexpensive digital prints.

Although it’s easy to peg¹⁸ sleeping or watching TV as hobbies (i.e., they’re done during your leisure time) a true hobby is one where you learn something, exercise your brain, body, or creative skills, and end up feeling immensely rewarded for your all your hard work … er, I mean, fun. 

1 expertise   

n.专门知识(或技能等)，专长

参考例句：

• We were amazed at his expertise on the ski slopes.他斜坡滑雪的技能使我们赞叹不已。
• You really have the technical expertise in a new breakthrough.让你真正在专业技术上有一个全新的突破。

2 akin   

adj.同族的，类似的

参考例句：

• She painted flowers and birds pictures akin to those of earlier feminine painters.她画一些同早期女画家类似的花鸟画。
• Listening to his life story is akin to reading a good adventure novel.听他的人生故事犹如阅读一本精彩的冒险小说。

3 slew   

v.（使）旋转；n.大量，许多

参考例句：

• He slewed the car against the side of the building.他的车滑到了大楼的一侧，抵住了。
• They dealt with a slew of other issues.他们处理了大量的其他问题。

4 whim   

n.一时的兴致，突然的念头；奇想，幻想

参考例句：

• I bought the encyclopedia on a whim.我凭一时的兴致买了这本百科全书。
• He had a sudden whim to go sailing today.今天他突然想要去航海。

5 obsession   

n.困扰，无法摆脱的思想(或情感)

参考例句：

• I was suffering from obsession that my career would be ended.那时的我陷入了我的事业有可能就此终止的困扰当中。
• She would try to forget her obsession with Christopher.她会努力忘记对克里斯托弗的迷恋。

6 parameters   

因素，特征； 界限； （限定性的）因素( parameter的名词复数 )； 参量； 参项； 决定因素

参考例句：

• We have to work within the parameters of time. 我们的工作受时间所限。
• See parameters.cpp for a compilable example. This is part of the Spirit distribution. 可编译例子见parameters.cpp.这是Spirit分发包的组成部分。

7 crossword   

n.纵横字谜，纵横填字游戏

参考例句：

• He shows a great interest in crossword puzzles.他对填字游戏表现出很大兴趣。
• Don't chuck yesterday's paper out.I still haven't done the crossword.别扔了昨天的报纸，我还没做字谜游戏呢。

8 grid   

n.高压输电线路网；地图坐标方格；格栅

参考例句：

• In this application,the carrier is used to encapsulate the grid.在这种情况下，要用载体把格栅密封起来。
• Modern gauges consist of metal foil in the form of a grid.现代应变仪则由网格形式的金属片组成。

9 genre   

n.(文学、艺术等的)类型，体裁，风格

参考例句：

• My favorite music genre is blues.我最喜欢的音乐种类是布鲁斯音乐。
• Superficially,this Shakespeare's work seems to fit into the same genre.从表面上看， 莎士比亚的这个剧本似乎属于同一类型。

10 Forsaken   

adj. 被遗忘的, 被抛弃的 动词forsake的过去分词

参考例句：

• He was forsaken by his friends. 他被朋友们背弃了。
• He has forsaken his wife and children. 他遗弃了他的妻子和孩子。

11 illustrated   

adj. 有插图的，列举的 动词illustrate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• His lecture was illustrated with slides taken during the expedition. 他在讲演中使用了探险时拍摄到的幻灯片。
• The manufacturing Methods: Will be illustrated in the next chapter. 制作方法将在下一章说明。

12 incentive   

n.刺激；动力；鼓励；诱因；动机

参考例句：

• Money is still a major incentive in most occupations.在许多职业中，钱仍是主要的鼓励因素。
• He hasn't much incentive to work hard.他没有努力工作的动机。

13 plentiful   

adj.富裕的，丰富的

参考例句：

• Their family has a plentiful harvest this year.他们家今年又丰收了。
• Rainfall is plentiful in the area.这个地区雨量充足。

14 neophyte   

n.新信徒；开始者

参考例句：

• The neophyte began to stammer out a reply,but fell silent.新门徒嗫嚅了两句，然后沉默了。
• He is a neophyte at politics.他是个初涉政界的人。

15 intimidated   

v.恐吓；威胁adj.害怕的；受到威胁的

参考例句：

• We try to make sure children don't feel intimidated on their first day at school. 我们努力确保孩子们在上学的第一天不胆怯。
• The thief intimidated the boy into not telling the police. 这个贼恫吓那男孩使他不敢向警察报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 attire   

v.穿衣，装扮[同]array；n.衣着；盛装

参考例句：

• He had no intention of changing his mode of attire.他无意改变着装方式。
• Her attention was attracted by his peculiar attire.他那奇特的服装引起了她的注意。

17 binoculars   

n.双筒望远镜

参考例句：

• He watched the play through his binoculars.他用双筒望远镜看戏。
• If I had binoculars,I could see that comet clearly.如果我有望远镜，我就可以清楚地看见那颗彗星。

18 peg   

n.木栓，木钉；vt.用木钉钉，用短桩固定

参考例句：

• Hang your overcoat on the peg in the hall.把你的大衣挂在门厅的挂衣钩上。
• He hit the peg mightily on the top with a mallet.他用木槌猛敲木栓顶。