If you’re lucky enough to get an hour for your lunchbreak, or have time to fill on weekdays when you’re commuting to and from work, then you might find yourself looking for a quick, easy way to have fun and stay alert during this enforced downtime. Even if you don’t have any free time during your average working day, evenings after work and all those glorious free hours on the weekend need to be filled up somehow.
Sure, you could sit and binge watch the latest episodes of your favourite show on Netflix, or simply sleep away your freedom hours, but wouldn’t you rather have the option to do something entertaining yet productive during your downtime?
Thanks to the accessibility provided by the internet, there are now more options available than ever before in history. All you need is a mobile device, an internet connection and a bit of time to kill.
Learn a new language
This idea may seem a little overwhelming at first, but learning a new language is actually fairly straightforward these days. Whether you’re preparing for an upcoming holiday or business trip, or whether you’d like to explore a different culture more fully, learning a language is the perfect way to keep your brain on top form. Apps like DuoLingo and Memrise can be accessed from your smartphone or other mobile device, and even have offline options so that you can download courses to work on whilst in digital deserts. Their gamified, pick-up-put-down format mean that they’re perfect for fitting into shorter 10 or 20 minute breaks throughout the day. Learning another language has proven benefits for your grey matter, including improved memory skills, thinking ability and focus. It’s also a lot of fun, as you experience the satisfaction of unlocking a new method for communicating and connecting with others. Even though these apps are technically educational, you’ll find that you’re having so much fun you forget the mental effort you’re exerting.
Start gaming
Mobile gaming has really taken off as of late, experiencing a massive boom in popularity last year and continuing to lead the charge towards technological development worldwide. Well, the good news is that all different types of gaming can be great for your mind, as well as providing hours of entertainment. Whether your chosen medium is PC, console, mobile or another gaming device, there is plenty of choice out there in terms of game genres and styles. This pastime doesn’t need to cost you an arm and a leg, either. For example, if your jam is spinning the virtual roulette wheel or doing your best Bond impression at the online poker table, then it’s worth hunting down the best no deposit bonuses at reputable online casinos like casinos.co.za so that you can play for free. Alternatively, many successful battle royale-style titles, like Fortnite and Dota 2, are completely free to download and play, with optional in-game microtransactions. Even though gaming can be seen by the unenlightened as a ‘waste of time’, it’s been proven to increase reaction times, communication skills and memory.
Get Creative
For many adults, their creativity goes out the window once they start working, running their own household and being a responsible member of a wider society. However, it’s worth taking the time to get back in touch with your inner artist, as the results can be incredibly valuable. If you’d rather pick up a craft activity like knitting, painting, drawing or even pottery, then there are hundreds of free instruction videos on YouTube. You could consider subscribing to a full online course through a platform like Skillshare to really make the most of your new interest, or check out social media for inspiration. However, you actually don’t need anything more than your phone to get creative. The cameras that come as standard with most handsets these days are vastly superior to the digital cameras of old, and provide the perfect opportunity to explore the world around you with an artistic eye. Simply noticing the familiar places and faces that you interact with each day through a lens can be enough to help you feel energised and more motivated.