Some hobby ideas for minimalists

If you want to live in a minimalist home but also enjoy lots of hobbies, there are certain criteria for hobbies which suit a minimalist lifestyle. You need to be able to enjoy them without too much extra or specialist equipment, and preferably use things which you already have. They need to only take up a small amount of space while you are working on them, and it's nice if the finished product has a purpose, whether it's something that you can use yourself or something that you can give as a gift.

I've made a list of hobbies which I think work well if you consider yourself to be a minimalist - enjoy!

Reading - you don't need to keep every book that you read, and they take up hardly any space if you have a e-book reader. You don't need to buy books if you visit the library, and there are lots of places that you can swap books with others - with friends or on shared bookshelves at the gym, stations or supermarkets.

Gardening - whether that's in your own garden or growing herbs and pots on a windowsill.

Exercise - you can go for a walk or a run, do exercises using things that you already have around the home for weights, and find free fitness exercise and relaxation routine videos on YouTube.

Writing - either journalling in a physical book or writing a blog online, write articles, poems or stories.

Drawing - whether sketching with a pen and paper, painting or working with digital images.

Colouring - in an adult colouring book, or you can find lots of free pages to print and colour online.

Cooking and baking - you can share the results with family and friends.

Games - some board games take up very little space, or you can play hundreds of different games with a simple pack of cards.

Knitting or crochet - you can make lots of useful things like clothes and blankets for yourself and others.

Visiting a museum, zoo or other tourist attraction both where you live and further afield.

If you live near a larger town or city you may be able to find a treasure hunt or scavenger hunt, for example hunting down different themed statues or benches and trying to find them all. There are also treasure hunts that you can buy - we have used Treasure Trails successfully in the past.

Photography - you don't need expensive equipment, you can just use a smart phone. You can extend this into making videos - you don't need to blog to camera you can put together little videos of places that you've visited and enjoyed.

Puzzles - logic puzzles, crosswords, Sudoku and so on. You can buy puzzle books or there are plenty online to complete electronically.

Writing letters, postcards or e-mails to friends and family.

Geocaching - a fun way to explore your surroundings and discover new places. All you need is a smart phone and the Geocaching app. Find out more here - Geocaching.

Jigsaws - the do take up a bit of space while you are working on them, although they can be slid under a sofa or bed if you have a board for them. They are easy and cheap to find in charity shops, or there's a good chance that family and friends have some you can borrow!

Playing a musical instrument - small instruments like the recorder, ukelele or flute don't take up much space and you can find videos and tutorials online to get you started.

Learning about the world around you - learning to identify flowers and trees or using a map to navigate to different interesting spots. You can also learn constellations and look out for different astronomical events.

There are also lots of hobbies which product lovely things that you can use as gifts. For example soap and candle making, making bath bombs, confectionery making like fudge or peppermint creams, or making your own greetings cards and wrapping paper.

I hope that you find some inspiration!

Photo credit Daria Tumanova via Unsplash.