Stuff to do AFK

Why do you want to go out? Do you want it to be beneficial in a specific way, fun or does your current environment provide too much of a distraction?
If it's the latter, I never get anything done when I'm at home but going to places like college libraries (even with a computer) and setting up a plan of procedures (more than just schedules) really helps.

Have you ever heard of coursera ( https://www.coursera.org/courses)? It's a site where colleges set up online courses for free. I know it sounds a lot like what you explicitly ruled out, but many of these courses don't try to substitute college courses. Many either try to interest you in a subject or provide you with elementary skills for practical use (though usually not with physical objects, more like writing and programming). I started with Critical Thinking (the global warming path) not too long ago and have at least partially participated in about 10 since then. I was really impressed with quite a few, though the courses don't really have a pattern and of course some are rather boring; so I wouldn't give up too soon.
If you click on the link the list keeps getting bigger as you scroll down. You can actually earn certificates if you join an ongoing course and complete the tasks before its deadline. The courses which recently finished or are beyond their first deadline are below the scheduled ones. You can't currently earn a certificates for those, but the material is still available. The projected workload is usually highly exaggerated.

Other than that...sorry I live in a city and don't really go out except when I have to or for exercise. I use meditation and the likes to clear my mind.

arts wrote:Why do you want to go out? Do you want it to be beneficial in a specific way, fun or does your current environment provide too much of a distraction?

"Fun" would be the closest alternative out of these. I need some kind of change of scenery (which can be a literal change of scenery, but can also be metaphorical, more like a temporary immersive change of mindset). Essentially passive distractions, like movies for example, can work well enough for that purpose sometimes, but their effect is usually too short-lived to actually help achieve a mental balance, and they can backfire and end up promoting laziness instead.

Active distractions, like computer games or musical instruments, on the other hand, can easily become an obsession, for me at least. I'm awful at self-regulation. Activities involving some level of physical exertion or other self-limiting factors are ideal. Activities where the limiting factor is discipline are a no-go. I can be very patient and persistent when I'm convinced that I can do something, but otherwise, I inevitably give up sooner rather than later and it only brings me frustration.

I'd like to get overall healthier by being at least a little less sedentary, but my ultimate goal with this little quest for a hobby is to make work-related activities feel more like something just slightly unfamiliar (just slightly) when I get back to them, just so they can stop being something so often intolerably boring (or, conversely, obsessive).

I think an adequate hobby can also help you keep your mind "fresh", not only by unclogging your brain, but also by allowing you to experience situations and develop skills that otherwise you simply wouldn't have any reason to. "Marginally relevant" skills are often what actually pushes forward a serious endeavor. The "moment of genius", which can really be something trivial and not genius at all, but essential nonetheless.

If it's the latter, I never get anything done when I'm at home but going to places like college libraries (even with a computer) and setting up a plan of procedures (more than just schedules) really helps.

I'm pretty much the opposite with this, actually. I can't get anything done if I'm not at home. And plans and procedures only ever work as loose initial guidelines for me. I can't function if I'm required to strictly adhere to any plan (or if I try to force myself to). I haven't mentioned it so far in this thread, but even though I have never been formally evaluated for it, my first psychiatrist did point out to me that I seemed to show most of the signs of ADHD, and I agree with him on that.

Have you ever heard of coursera ( https://www.coursera.org/courses)? It's a site where colleges set up online courses for free. I know it sounds a lot like what you explicitly ruled out, but many of these courses don't try to substitute college courses. Many either try to interest you in a subject or provide you with elementary skills for practical use (though usually not with physical objects, more like writing and programming). I started with Critical Thinking (the global warming path) not too long ago and have at least partially participated in about 10 since then. I was really impressed with quite a few, though the courses don't really have a pattern and of course some are rather boring; so I wouldn't give up too soon.
If you click on the link the list keeps getting bigger as you scroll down. You can actually earn certificates if you join an ongoing course and complete the tasks before its deadline. The courses which recently finished or are beyond their first deadline are below the scheduled ones. You can't currently earn a certificates for those, but the material is still available. The projected workload is usually highly exaggerated.

I was told about this site not long ago. The person who told me it about was very enthusiastic at the time about starting some courses, but, as she also has ADHD, a couple of months later when I asked her about how it was going, she seemed to have already forgotten about it completely . Still, I haven't really taken a look at it, and I think I should. Even if I don't really start a course, it sounds like an interesting place to get ideas from. Thanks for the suggestion.

photography
urban exploration
[^these two are great excuses to go to places and behave in a strange way]
growing orchids or herbs
buy a bird and teach it to speak or do what Birdy did
buy a snake and try to tame it
keep spiders
veganism
yoga
homebrewing
crochet
journaling
calligraphy
tattoo yourself

anagram wrote:I wish I spent more time outdoors (preferably away from people). But I don't really have anything to do outdoors, or any place to go on a whim. I also would like to spend more time doing something offline. Even rearranging furniture can be fun. Or organizing drawers and shelves. Or disassembling electronic equipment. But I really don't know what kind of thing I could do on a regular basis (either for money or as an affordable hobby).

Any ideas on where to start?

This is a problem that I too struggle with. Mainly when my internet connection is temporarily down, or in those rare moments like I feel like I need to get up and "do something."

My three classic AFK pastimes

1. Daydreaming
2. Going on a long, pointless walk (the more scenic, the better)
3. Going into public blistering drunk for no reason

arts wrote:Why do you want to go out? Do you want it to be beneficial in a specific way, fun or does your current environment provide too much of a distraction?
If it's the latter, I never get anything done when I'm at home but going to places like college libraries (even with a computer) and setting up a plan of procedures (more than just schedules) really helps.

Have you ever heard of coursera ( https://www.coursera.org/courses)? It's a site where colleges set up online courses for free. I know it sounds a lot like what you explicitly ruled out, but many of these courses don't try to substitute college courses. Many either try to interest you in a subject or provide you with elementary skills for practical use (though usually not with physical objects, more like writing and programming). I started with Critical Thinking (the global warming path) not too long ago and have at least partially participated in about 10 since then. I was really impressed with quite a few, though the courses don't really have a pattern and of course some are rather boring; so I wouldn't give up too soon.
If you click on the link the list keeps getting bigger as you scroll down. You can actually earn certificates if you join an ongoing course and complete the tasks before its deadline. The courses which recently finished or are beyond their first deadline are below the scheduled ones. You can't currently earn a certificates for those, but the material is still available. The projected workload is usually highly exaggerated.

Other than that...sorry I live in a city and don't really go out except when I have to or for exercise. I use meditation and the likes to clear my mind.

That link is amazing. Thanks for sharing.

if you have time, you should go fishing.
fishing is easy and even if you fail at it, it doesn't matter.
it might be a bit expensive at first and/or if you really get into it.
whenever i was going fishing, that is not all i would do. you can just relax there. read a book.

or maybe go hunting, this is something i have not done yet, but i might.

Parkour. Billiard. Driving/cruising (if you can afford it). Writing. Trying to repair that old radio/speaker/TV that never worked quite right, with google as your guide, and end up destroying it. Swimming in the sea, especially with huge waves. Fishing with a spear gun and snorkel (pretty good if you live near water). Archery or shooting range. Joining rescue team NGOs or something, mountaineering or training in the weekends and having the occasional operation to keep things interesting (can be expensive, but can also not).

Drums. Have much freedom. One song - no one way to play it. Come across new techniques often, adapt them to your playing, and the more comfortable you feel the faster and groovier you get. Grasping and gripping that flow is rather pleasing. Has a steady evolution as to not be dull, yet requires some persistence. Results from practice can be almost immediate. Physically tiring, pretty distracting, and limited by quiet hours of the day. Expensive and space consuming though.

Well this is a tad depressing. I couldn't even convince myself about any of these

Birdwatching
Disassembling a mechanical alarm clock and trying to put it back together

Just walk. I've been making myself walk twice a day because my dog doesn't want to walk more than down the street in the morning and I'd like to be doing at least one thing outside.

Birdwatching is pretty interesting too.

I have no idea what to do inside afk. I spend the majority of my time playing video games and browsing the internet and I still get bored. Maybe buy some legos. The possibilities are endless.

i'd second photography. i photograph wild flowers. but you can 'snap' anything that takes your fancy. and with modern cameras the results can be impresive if one has an eye for an interesting subject and are good at framing a shot.

also watch collecting can be very interesting from an obsessive POV. and it links in nicely with photography, if you have a macro lense and a tripod. there are plenty of internet forums too. seiko is know as 'the gateway drug' because they're reasonably inexpensive. but some high-end watches are very expensive to own. my most expensive one is a second hand breitling B1. and that's hotly followed by a zodiac super seawolf and a couple of omega X-33s. but some of my favourote watches are the inexpensive ones. i have a number of casio DB100s, for example.

one i'm consideing is composing music. i did a ring tone for my old nokia and that was kind of enjoyable and intellectually absorbing too. there are lots of apps to support this and i've always had an interest in synthesisers and alike. a very long tme ago i wanted to build one but never had the time or the money to do it.

perhaps a little less obvious is simply owning a pet. they can make life a lot more enjoyable as companions and caring for them is far more purposeful and rewarding that most other activities.