Tips on stepping back from screens and starting a new hobby
[September 13, 2025]
By JAMIE DUCHARME
During the winter of 2024, Rachel Martin came to a startling
realization: She spent most of her free time staring at screens. “I
couldn’t really think of hobbies or things that I did that took a break
from the digital world,” she said.
With pastimes like watching television, playing video games and creating
digital art, Martin, 33, sometimes spent more than 12 hours per day
looking at screens. She longed for an analog alternative.
After some trial and error, she found one: journaling with fountain pens
and specialty inks. “It’s quite a cool tactile experience,” she said,
and one that unexpectedly turned social when she started attending
meetups for fountain pen enthusiasts in her city of Sydney, Australia.
“It’s something that I definitely didn’t expect to love,” she said, “but
that actually really helped me with going (mostly) screen-free.”
Martin had extra motivation for avoiding devices — she has chronic
migraines, and screens are a trigger for her — but many people share her
goal.
Adopting a new hobby can be an effective way to get a break from
screens. (Martin is even looking into selling her TV.) And as an added
bonus, enjoyable pastimes can reduce stress and improve mental and
physical health, research suggests.
Finding a screen-free hobby that sticks, though, can be easier said than
done. Here’s where to start:
A mix of enjoyable activities is fine
Some people feel pressured to find the “ideal” hobby that will perfectly
optimize their free time — but there’s no such thing, said Sarah
Pressman, a professor of psychological science at the University of
California, Irvine who has studied leisure time.
“Having a mix of small enjoyable activities — a little bit of
pickleball, cooking something new, chatting with a friend over coffee,
spending some time in your garden — can have a cumulative effect on your
mood and health,” she said. “So rather than putting pressure on yourself
to find the perfect pastime, just ask, ‘What brings me a little joy
today?’”
Similarly, hobbies don’t have to fill hours upon hours of time to be
beneficial, said Matthew Zawadzki, an associate professor of
psychological sciences at the University of California, Merced who has
studied hobbies.
Start small by thinking about activities that would be fulfilling for
20, 10 or even five minutes at a time.
“We really need to embrace small engagements with our leisure,” he said,
particularly given how many other demands there are on our time.
A pastime may not reset your life, “but instead it’s going to reset the
next hour,” Zawadzki said.
Try lots of things
Cast a wide net.
“Test out a few activities for 30 minutes each and just notice how they
make you feel,” Pressman said. “Think of it like dating. You may have to
go on a few first dates before you find your match.”
Think about how activities you loved as a child could be adapted for
adulthood, or about things that you naturally lose track of time while
doing, she suggested.
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(AP Illustration / Peter Hamlin)
 It can also be helpful to consider
what you’re missing, or want more of, in your daily routine,
Zawadzki said. If you feel too sedentary, try a new form of fitness.
If you need to get out of your head, pick up an engrossing book. If
you feel starved for social connection, join a club or volunteer. If
you haven’t used your creative muscles in a while, pick up a
paintbrush.
“It’s about being more intentional about how you use your time,”
Zawadzki said.
Ask for recommendations
“It’s hard to think past what we currently do,” Zawadzki said. So,
outsource your search.
Just as you’d ask a friend for a book or movie recommendation, ask
your loved ones which activities they’d recommend for someone with
your interests and tastes. Make sure they’re aware of any financial,
time or space constraints, too.
Make your hobbies as accessible as screen time…
If you’re used to spending your evening in front of the TV, it can
be hard to put those hours to new use —even once you’ve found a
rewarding hobby.
“Screens are so easy,” said Gabriela Tonietto, an associate
professor of marketing at Rutgers Business School who has studied
leisure time.
So, keep your sketchpad or crossword puzzle in plain sight rather
than stored away, Pressman suggested, and flow directly from work or
dinner into hobby time before you get distracted by screens.
Setting specific goals (not just, “I want to reduce screen time,”
but something like, “I will read for an hour before bed”), carving
out designated time for your activity, and enlisting a hobby buddy
for accountability can all help you stick to your pastime, Tonietto
said.
…but don’t beat yourself up if the screens sometimes win
Screen time isn’t inherently bad, Zawadzki said. Watching a movie
with your family can be a bonding activity — especially if you talk
about it afterward — and catching up with a juicy TV show on the
treadmill may motivate you to exercise.
“Any kind of activity has the potential to be positive,” he said.
“But you have to optimize it a little bit to serve your goals,” and
set a cap on how much time you spend vegging out.
So don’t be too hard on yourself if you can’t totally quit your
screen-based hobbies. They may have some benefits too — and
recognizing them is half the battle. Tonietto’s research suggests
that viewing leisure time as wasteful can make it less enjoyable and
beneficial.
“Step one is actually experiencing that positivity when you engage
in these activities,” Tonietto said. “The consequences of that are
feeling more relaxed, feeling less stressed, feeling happier.”
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