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17 Hobbies To Try If You Suck At Hobbies

For introverts, extroverts, and everyone in between.

Augusta Falletta
by Augusta Falletta

BuzzFeed Staff

Alice Mongkongllite / Via BuzzFeed

1. Upcycle everything you own.

Trends With Benefits / Via trendswb.blogspot.ca

Crafting can be hella theraputic, and upcycling means turning the trash that's sitting in your house into treasure. Once you successfully upcycle one thing you own, you're bound to want to continue with everything in your possession.

To get started, look through your house for items for which you have no current use. Instead of tossing them, look through this list of 33 Impossibly Cute DIYs You Can Make With Things In Your Recycling Bin to find a potential project.

For online resources, check out upcycle boards on Pinterest. Then look at Upcycle That, a blog of upcycle ideas and inspiration.

2. Make cooking fun for yourself.

3. Paint something beautiful.

4. Or bust out an adult coloring book.

Johanna Basford / Via johannabasford.com

If you want to get ~artistic~ but need a bit of help with the actual art, restore your faith in coloring books. The outlines are done for you, which means you just have to focus on creating colorful beauty.

To get started, look into coloring books for adults, like Secret Garden, the book (above) from Johanna Basford. You always have the option to revert to childhood with action-hero books, but venturing into the adult coloring book realm means more intricate pages that will keep you busy for hours. If you're a marker person, take a look at this Pentel set of 36 colors. For a colored pencil vibe, opt for the Crayola Twistable colored pencils, which don't require sharpening.

For online resources, check Pinterest for free, printable adult coloring pages. Then, look at Amazon's list of the best coloring books for grown-ups.

5. Get into podcasts.

NPR/Invisibilia / Via media.npr.org

There's a podcast for everyone. You can learn a foreign language, sit in on interviews with your favorite comedians, listen to captivating radio shows, and basically anything else you can think of doing with your ears.

To get started listening to podcasts on your phone, download the (free) Podcast app then search for topics or people you're interested in hearing more about. If you love Louis C.K., listen to his interview with Marc Maron. To learn Spanish on your commute to work, listen to Discover Spanish. You can download podcasts directly to your phone so that you won't need Wi-Fi (or data) while you're listening.

For online resources, take a look at some of the most popular podcasts, like Another Round and Internet Explorer (from BuzzFeed), or Invisibilia, which usually suggests similar podcasts during the show.

6. Become a documentary buff.

HBO / Via rottentomatoes.com

Chances are if you have an interest in just about anything from religion to true crime to women in the media (and anything in between), there's a documentary on the subject. Once you start watching solid, compelling stories, your interests will expand and you'll become more curious about the world around you.

To get started, figure out what it is you're interested in, and search for a documentary on the topic using the Categories section on TopDocumentaryFilms.com, where you can stream all of the documentaries for free. Or take a look on Reddit to search for the best documentaries recommended by users.

For more online resources, head to the Documentaries section on Netflix. For recommendations on which ones are worth watching, read 25 Documentaries That Will Make You Cry Uncontrollably, or 13 Chilling True Crime Documentaries To Keep You Up At Night, or 13 Wonderfully Weird Streaming Documentaries To Watch ASAP.

7. Start a club with your friends.

Flickr User: brittanystevens / Via goo.gl

Whether it's a book club, a writing club, or anything else, getting a group of friends together regularly for something besides brunch can be ridiculously fun.

To get started, talk to a few of your friends and get a sense of what everyone would be interested in. Once you've decided an activity, decide on the frequency of meetings and block out your time.

For online resources take a look at Doodle, a program that simplifies scheduling problems for groups of people, to find meeting times that work with everyone. Look through 14 Nonfiction Books Your Book Club Needs To Read Right Now for book suggestions. Here are a few tips for leading a book club discussion. Or, if you're more interested in a writing club, read 21 Creative Writing Prompts That Will Unleash Your Creativity.

8. Take up hiking.

9. Try your hand at calligraphy.

Flickr Creative Commons User: thingsarebetterwithaparrott / Via goo.gl

There's a deep satisfaction that comes from being able to scrawl incredibly beautiful lettering. Plus, it can come in handy when you're sending out invitations, cards, or letters.

To get started, you'll need a nib (the pointed metal piece of the utensil), a straight pen, black ink, some tracing paper, a practice grid, and any other kind of paper you want to practice with before you move on to heavier cardstock.

For online resources, read through Julie Blanner's "How To Learn Calligraphy" blog series or take an introductory calligraphy class through Skillshare. Then, follow @Seblester on Instagram for inspiring calligraphy videos.

10. Start taking photos with a real camera.

Flickr Creative Commons: Snaps_at_aquastuff / Via goo.gl

iPhone pictures with an Instagram filter can only take you so far. Getting into digital photography will give you a project to dive into, and if you get really good at it, you can use your new skill for extra cash on the side.

To get started, find a digital camera you're comfortable with. (The Sony NEX-5R is an excellent digital camera for beginners.) Once you're comfortable with your first camera, you can graduate to different, separate lenses that can be attached for higher-quality photos. Sign up for a photography class in your area or online to get a handle on the basics. Then, choose one kind of environment to start photographing — lighting outdoors will be different than lighting indoors — and begin learning firsthand.

For online resources, check out CreativeLive.com for free photography courses. You can also enroll in Karl Taylor's free photography course on Udemy.com, which is ideal for beginners.

11. Embroider everything.

12. Become a Wikipedia editor.

Flickr User: eogez / Via goo.gl

History buffs, grammar gurus and people who have vast knowledge in niche areas are just the kinds of people who are ideal for editing Wikipedia. Anyone on the Internet can become a Wikipedia editor. The best part? You don't need to register. Any person can edit any unprotected page, no matter how big or small of an edit they make. By editing the site, you'll be contributing to making Wikipedia what it is.

To get started, take a look at Wikipedia's Help:Editing page. There, you'll find guidelines on how to make edits, the kind of tone to use, adding references, and more. Once you comb through Wikipedia pages you're interested in and you want to make edits, you can submit edit requests and get to fixing!

For more online resources, read Wikipedia's guide on editing for the first time.

13. Channel inner peace with meditation.

Flickr user: Tinaleggio / Via goo.gl

Meditation is shown to improve concentration, will power, and will boost your immune system. Plus, it can decrease stress, depression, and anxiety, among other things. Basically, it's an excellent hobby to adopt for anyone who needs a little zen.

To get started set aside time for yourself to meditate. No amount of time is too small, so don't get overwhelmed by thinking that you need to devote an hour a day to meditation. Next, get into a calming environment to quiet your mind. You can be on a park bench, or on the beach, or on your couch. Just make sure you're somewhere where you feel at peace. Start small with a short, guided meditation, like this 2-minute video of Deepak Chopra's method.

For online resources read through Here's Why You Should Learn To Practice Mindfulness. Get the podcast Hay House Meditations for audio guided meditations specifically targeted towards helping you to fall asleep, focus on peace, and more.

14. Join a community sports league.

15. Send physical letters to people.

Flickr User: Wimmulder / Via goo.gl

Receiving a physical piece of mail that's handwritten is one of the greatest feelings in the world. Start by sending letters to your family and friends. Then, branch out and send postcards to strangers who may need a boost: prison inmates, military personnel, or senior citizens in nursing homes.

To get started, grab stamps from your local post office, grocery store, or on Amazon.com then get some postcards or stationery. Make a list of who you'd like to write.

For online resources look through this list of nursing home addresses. Go to WriteAPrisoner.com for a complete guide on how to write letters to inmates. To send letters to military personnel, go to AMillionThanks.org.

16. Become a gamer.

Flickr User: Wizzer / Via goo.gl

Go old school with chess, get deep into the world of online gaming, or invest in a gaming system. Added bonus: Studies have shown that casual gaming leads to reduced stress.

To get started, focus on one specific game that interests you and learn the rules. Play chess against a computer online at SparkChess.com (this way, you don't need to rely on a friend to learn the game too). Check out the iTunes Popular chart for games you can play right on your smartphone.

For more online resources, go to the Subreddit /r/gaming for user recommendations on online games.

17. Learn to DJ.

Flickr User: evarinaldiphotography / Via goo.gl

DJs do a lot more than press "play." Learning to DJ will give you the basics of scratching, mixing, and spinning music. Even if you're not planning on making it a professional gig, you'll get a handle on how to DJ all of your parties.

To get started, learn the basics with this guide from Passionate DJ. Then, look into Scratch DJ Academy, which has DJ locations in major cities across America. Download Virtual DJ, a free program that allows you to digitally DJ with any music on your computer.

For online resources check out DJCoursesOnline.com for, you guessed it, DJ courses you can take online!

Now that you've got a hobby, here's how to dive in:

Enroll in online classes.

Or sign up for a class IRL.

Flickr User: lindadee2006 / Via goo.gl

Depending on what you're interested in, you may want to sign up for one mega session, or you can choose to enroll in a program with weekly classes. Either way, getting yourself to a physical class is an excellent way to tackle your new hobby head on.

To get started, check out Course Horse, a site that curates learning opportunities and classes in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Even if you're not in one of these major cities, sifting through the class offerings will give you an idea of all of the different kinds of options out there. Then, search for a class about your interest in your area.

For more online resources, go to Groupon and look through the Things To Do section for your area to get a deal on a class.

Give yourself weekly challenges.

choretell.com

It's kind of like making a New Year's resolution, but it's much smaller and you only have to push through for 7 days, not 365. If you've decided on a goal-based hobby like learning a new skill, break down your goals into digestible pieces throughout the week (or month if that better fits your schedule).

To get started, make a blank, week-long calendar for yourself. Decide what you want to accomplish by the end of the week, and fill in each box with a daily goal and a reasonable amount of time you'd like to spend on the task. Put the calendar somewhere you'll have to see it on a daily basis, like your bedside table, so you'll have a blatant reminder to keep the challenge going.

For online resources, check out Pinterest for free, printable weekly calendars. To get an idea of the kinds of challenges you can start, take a look at BuzzFeed's Spring Cleaning Challenge or BuzzFeed's Better Skin Challenge.

Go forth and hobby!

CBS / Via wifflegif.com