Non-Tech Hobby Suggestions

This cluster features recommendations for programmers to pursue hobbies outside of screens and coding, such as sports, hiking, cooking, woodworking, music, and martial arts, to improve work-life balance and mental health.

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Keywords

EVERYTHING e.g HN i.e PRETTY justinguitar.com CrossFit DIY ALL USB hobbies cooking gardening hobby guitar hiking woodworking learn music art

Sample Comments

buzzert Mar 6, 2025 View on HN

You should consider getting a hobby.

thefz Jan 12, 2023 View on HN

Sport! Hiking, mountain biking, running, weight lifting.Trail maintenance in my region. I'd probably camp overnight a lot.Catching up on all the books I havbe left behind.I always wanted to pick up woodworking and I'd like to learn how to sew with a sewing machine. Practical stuff keeps me engaged.Drinking beers? :)

annoyingnoob Oct 7, 2020 View on HN

Sounds like you ran out of hobbies. Find a new hobby.

spatten Mar 14, 2016 View on HN

I agree with everyone else about the physical hobbies, but I find you need something else to fill the evenings when you don't necessarily want to go outside, or when you just want to spend half an hour doing something that's not coding and not reading.Music does that for me. If you're at all interested, check out justinguitar.com (no affiliation, just love what the guy does) and try it out. There's something about the meditative aspects of playing music that really works f

Gigachad Jun 10, 2022 View on HN

Already some good responses to this, but for something different. Have you considered some other hands on hobbies? Knitting, painting, sharpening knives, advanced cooking.

sotojuan Feb 12, 2019 View on HN

Have hobbies outside of sitting in the couch refreshing HN or watching Netflix. Hobbies where you get better at something.

xradionut Apr 25, 2013 View on HN

Computers have been my hobby and career for almost 3 decades. Sometimes you need to take a break and do something different.So here's a small list of activities that have kept me semi-sane through the years: Body building, hiking, reading, gardening, ren fairs, martial arts, shooting sports, cooking, ham radio, traveling, writing, robotics, public service, building, boating and dinner parties.

gethly Dec 26, 2025 View on HN

martial arts was so far the best thing i did. it has so many positive aspects that there's just too many to name. but an overlooked one worth mentioning is that it is also a social activity and programmers could use a lot more of that.unfortunately i have no gym i can go to nowadays.i started seriously running this year and i like it.going for a motorcycle ride is also nice, especially if you have good roads near by(which I don't).going for a long walk with your dog, somewh

Frost1x Jul 14, 2021 View on HN

I used to exercise 1-2 hours a day, everyday (I was in great shape), that's gone completely. I'd love to go hiking regularly, that rarely occurs now. I used to spend a decent amount of time doing amature photography, I don't anymore. There's a significant amount of home improvement I'm perfectly capable of doing, in fact, even enjoy aspects of, yet I have to pay others to do it from lack of time. I love gardening but that's completely impossible, I occasionally trim

drakonka Feb 9, 2019 View on HN

Going to the gym, working on my hobby projects, cuddling with my cats, being in nature, learning something new.