To fight the assumption that I need to spend money to enjoy myself, I drafted a list of essentially free, and generally enjoyable, activities. Depending on your supplies and equipment, some of these options will not be free. Plenty are free for anyone. To avoid a repetitive list, I’ve broken the list into broad categories:
- Consume
- Read a free eBook
- Listen to a free audiobook
- Listen to podcasts
- Play a game
- Watch YouTube or other free video streaming
- Watch nature
- Socialize
- Call your parents
- Visit a friend or family
- Talk to people you encounter
- Learn
- Practice a skill
- Learn a language
- Think
- Reflect on your past
- Imagine possible futures
- Imagine the lives of others
- Meditate
- Wander
- Exercise
- Run
- Stretch
- Informal Yoga
- Lift weights
- Lift yourself
- Attend
- University lecture
- Community event
- Seminar
- Support
- Volunteer for a charity or nonprofit
- Help a friend
- Relax
- Nap
- Browse
- Draw/doodle
- Organize
- Clean something you’ve ignored too long
- Cook food before it goes bad
- Groom
- Plan
- Review expenses
- Express
- Write
- Recite
Without adding anything too specific, what have I missed?