Author Topic: What to do  (Read 8139 times)

MgoSam

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What to do
« on: December 11, 2013, 11:42:25 PM »
What to do with idle time? This is a serious question for me. I am weaning myself away from the television and have a lot of time on hands after work hours. Part of it I do spend thinking about work related things, but I don't want that to be the sole of my evenings.

What do you recommend doing while home? I am a big reader, and am working on reading even more. I am considering getting some jigsaw puzzles. Maybe I should try knitting? Any suggestions?

Plus with winter coming, it is harder to get out of the house, so suggestions that can be done at home would be appreciated.

nikki

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Re: What to do
« Reply #1 on: December 11, 2013, 11:55:48 PM »
CLEAN! I have pretty high standards here, so I could clean forever and still feel like I have things to do (but after a certain point, it doesn't cause anxiety--I *do* sweep daily and have a pretty solid cleaning routine down, though)

You already said this, but READ! This is my favorite.

COOK! This can take as much or as little time as you want, depending on the level of from-scratch-ness and technical complexity.

Knitting could work for you too, but I don't want to have to buy and store the materials necessary to have this hobby.

I'm a pretty domestic person, and I wish I could just stay home all day every day already.

EDIT: Do you like video games? I really miss playing World of Warcraft...

MgoSam

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Re: What to do
« Reply #2 on: December 12, 2013, 12:07:14 AM »
I forgot about cooking, but as a single person there is only so much I can make that is readily consumable and I hate wasting food.

Has anyone tried Rosetta Stone or another learning program, doesn't necesarilly have to be used for language? It would be fun to learn something new, right now I've been reading different books on economics in under to understand the field better.

gooki

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Re: What to do
« Reply #3 on: December 12, 2013, 12:54:30 AM »
Have you looked at. https://www.coursera.org

EverlastingMeal

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Re: What to do
« Reply #4 on: December 12, 2013, 01:06:15 AM »
Rosetta Stone makes terrible products. Their real specialty is marketing. Avoid them. You can try to learn a language in your spare time. I've learned several, and I'd say that for most people, it's very difficult, if not impossible to pick one up solely from books and audio/video lessons. If you're just starting out, I'd say face to face classes are indispensable.

I second the cooking recommendation. There's always a new technique to learn, or a new combination of ingredients to pair. Try to learn to cook without recipes.

What about learning to program? If you've got the mind for it, I think one can get a solid foundation in programming from information available online, for free. Coursera.org and Edx.org offer have a number of courses for absolute beginners.

nikki

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Re: What to do
« Reply #5 on: December 12, 2013, 01:27:08 AM »
I forgot about cooking, but as a single person there is only so much I can make that is readily consumable and I hate wasting food.

Has anyone tried Rosetta Stone or another learning program, doesn't necesarilly have to be used for language? It would be fun to learn something new, right now I've been reading different books on economics in under to understand the field better.

I'm single too, so I sort of get this, but I can make a lot of meals for myself with leftovers that don't suck. I'm also limited by not having an oven and only having one electric burner, but it's still a nice, frugal thing to do sometimes. I make tortillas, for example, which last at least two meals. The insides can vary and be recreated, or I just make a double batch of those too.

I wouldn't recommend Rosetta Stone, unless you pirate it. It's just so expensive and there are so many other good products available for free. It would depend on which language you want to learn, of course.

And I second the Coursera recommendation! I've taken five courses so far and have really enjoyed them. One, a literature course on Fantasy and Science Fiction, has given birth to an online book club that will outlive the course. Nice!

Self-employed-swami

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Re: What to do
« Reply #6 on: December 12, 2013, 01:49:07 AM »
When I read your first sentence, I was going to suggest knitting and puzzles, LOL.  I'd do more of both of those things, if my cats weren't so desperately interested in both ;)

C. K.

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Re: What to do
« Reply #7 on: December 12, 2013, 05:33:49 AM »
Ah, yes! Consumer fatigue. I know it well. You've taken in a lot of information; it's now time to produce something.

  • Blog on a subject you like or would be interested in doing (or blog about an organization that you're fond of). Publish regularly (once per week might be good). It's like owning a magazine, really. You're always coming up with ideas during the commute, on the weekends, etc. Be helpful and you'll get the feedback you crave. ProBlogger.net is a good place to start for advice.
  • Home-based side hustles to get you closer to FI.
  • Pretend this is retirement.  What would you like to be doing then?
  • Learn a new skill. The language skills you mention are a good start. You could even link it to an area of the world where you'd like to retire.
As much as I gripe on this forum about people offline taking up my time, I really do enjoy being of service. Whatever you decide, make it something that will not only help you, but helps others. The hobbies that I sustain tend to be the ones that have helped someone else. But be sure to enjoy yourself first.

starbuck

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Re: What to do
« Reply #8 on: December 12, 2013, 06:32:52 AM »
Volunteer! I spend two hours every Friday night after work volunteering. It's not always enjoyable or easy, but it is satisfying. I know other volunteers that help much more with planning fundraising events, web design, outreach, etc than going to a scheduled shift at the shelter if you're looking for strictly at home ideas.

Thirding (fourthing?) the cooking suggestion. Build up your from-scratch prowess. Look at what you buy from the grocery store and see if you can make it from scratch instead. Tortillas? Pizza dough? Cheese crackers? Almond milk? Ketchup? Not everything is worth the effort, but you'll probably discover some that are.

Michread

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Re: What to do
« Reply #9 on: December 12, 2013, 06:43:27 AM »
Open courses are free online courses.  I'm watching a few Yale Open Courses now: http://oyc.yale.edu/courses 

There's also The Teaching Company courses which are available through the library.  My favorite is Foundations of Western Civ.: http://www.thegreatcourses.com/tgc/courses/course_detail.aspx?cid=8700

I also sing in a choir and belong to a book group that meets weekly.  Look in your area for opportunities that you may enjoy. Large libraries usually have many programs going on (knitting, ESL volunteers, meditation, etc.).

Let us know if you find something!  Good luck

ShortInSeattle

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Re: What to do
« Reply #10 on: December 13, 2013, 07:10:37 PM »
If you want to learn a language check out LiveMocha.com. The BBC also has some cool free online language tutorials.


Rebecca Stapler

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Re: What to do
« Reply #11 on: December 13, 2013, 08:08:21 PM »
If I had more free time, I would learn to paint or quilt or create some other type of art.

If you like to write, starting a blog will take as much time as you have available! But it doesn't exactly get you away from a screen. (not sure if you stopped watching TV b/c of screen time or other reasons).

annaraven

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Re: What to do
« Reply #12 on: December 14, 2013, 12:20:38 PM »
I knit. When I'm not busy knitting gifts for my family (instead of buying), I knit hats for chemo patients. There's a wonderful community of knitters in most towns and cities, and online too (ravelry.com!). Great way to spend time, keep busy and help people. And you're typically learning new skills regularly. I also am learning to spin, sew, and weave. The sewing helps me mend things instead of buying new, reuse things instead of tossing them. Spinning and weaving are just fun, although I'm hoping to be able to make my own yarn blends. If it works well, there are places to sell it online.

I also work out. And read. And garden. And care for my chickens. And cook. And can. So - yeah. There's a lot of things to do.

jamaicaspanish

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Re: What to do
« Reply #13 on: December 14, 2013, 03:19:32 PM »
Foreign language teacher here.
I highly recommend Duolingo and Memrise for independent learners.
They're both free and have multiple levels. 
And I'll second the LiveMocha recommendation, as well.

snellbert

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Re: What to do
« Reply #14 on: December 14, 2013, 06:56:32 PM »
+1 for Foreign Language. I also second the Live Mocha suggestion, paired with Pimsleur Cds (they're excellent!), which are available at most local Libraries.

Guardian

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Re: What to do
« Reply #15 on: December 15, 2013, 05:30:35 AM »
Stay the f*ck away from World of Warcraft.

If you want a good story, read.

If you want a good community - find one: for game nights, book clubs, food clubs, athletic clubs, anything.

The internet can be a black hole, and WoW is part of that.

bassman

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Re: What to do
« Reply #16 on: December 15, 2013, 05:50:52 AM »
If you don't already, learn a musical instrument! I get real satisfaction from expanding my musical knowledge and ability. It's also a great way to meet new people (just place an ad for people to jam with and you'll get heaps of responses), plus you can even use it to generate some income once you're at a good enough level.

chasesfish

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Re: What to do
« Reply #17 on: December 15, 2013, 05:51:56 AM »
Start learning construction. 

annaraven

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Re: What to do
« Reply #18 on: December 15, 2013, 12:52:34 PM »
Stay the f*ck away from World of Warcraft.

Yep. They call it World of WarCrack for a reason. It'll eat your time worse than tv.

Go learn something - whatever you're interested in. Languages, DIY, art history, whatever. And do something active. Exercise your brain and your body.