12 Productive Indoor Hobbies for Men

As the winter weather approaches and you start spending more time inside, you need to replace your outdoor activities with indoor hobbies. There are many ways to spend your free time inside without becoming lazy or getting cabin fever. Here are 12 productive indoor hobbies for men that will help you become a more well-rounded individual.

1. Read Non-Fiction

Reading in general is a great indoor hobby, but non-fiction reading is the most beneficial. Non-fiction includes genres such as history, science, philosophy, biographies, autobiographies, self-help and business. Focusing on these genres will lead to the following improvements:

• Increases your general knowledge of past and current events
• Improves your reading comprehension level
• Stimulates your critical thinking abilities
• Develops your concentration skills
• Teaches you valuable lessons about work, relationships and life in general

Although reading fiction books can unlock your sense of imagination and adventure, non-fiction offers more functional benefits that you can use to improve your situation. That’s why it’s one of the greatest indoor hobbies for men. Give one of these renowned non-fiction books a try and start reading every day!

2. Start a Journal

Keeping a daily journal is one of the universal habits of successful people, going all the way back to the times of historical figures like Marcus Aurelius. Putting your thoughts in writing can be extremely therapeutic, helping you release your negative energy in a productive way and gaining a more objective viewpoint of your situation.

Most importantly, journaling allows you to set specific and measurable goals rather than always thinking in the abstract. Writing down an idea can be the first step in a major breakthrough. On the flip side, you also get all of the bad ideas out of your head and make room for more productive thought processes.

3. Make a New Workout Plan

Exercising at home isn’t always ideal, but you can still put together a complete workout plan to stick with your fitness goals. You can easily achieve a full-body workout at home with just a few pieces of equipment, including exercise bands, a yoga mat and a doorway pull-up bar. Or you could just buy a treadmill or elliptical machine and do some cardio. You can always get in a solid home workout no matter your exercise preferences.

4. Learn How to Cook

Cooking is an excellent hobby to learn at home, especially if you have children or plan on having them in the future. You never know when you’ll have to cook a quick meal for yourself or your family. Everyone should know how to make a handful of basic recipes if you can’t go to a restaurant or order delivery.

Plus cooking is a must-know skill if you ever want to invite someone over for a date. You can make a great first impression by cooking a good meal from scratch. It shows that you’re independent but also thoughtful and attentive — three traits that women love in their male partners.

5. Study a New Language

Studying a new language is another great indoor hobby for men that can translate to more real-world success. You might discover new job opportunities, meet new friends or be able to travel to new destinations. Plus, being bilingual will give you a huge advantage as countries around the world become more multicultural and less focused on a singular language.

Choose a language that’s relevant to your location, lifestyle and future travel plans. Spanish is the second language that most people learn. French, German, Chinese and Japanese are great options as well. It will take years to become fluent, but after just a few months you should be able to perform basic communication with native speakers.

6. Practice a Musical Instrument

Practicing a musical instrument is another mentally stimulating hobby. It can improve your concentration, memory and overall cognitive functioning. There’s a reason why music is such an integral part of school curriculums. Studies have shown that kids who play musical instruments get better grades in all subjects than their non-musical counterparts.

Most musicians consider the violin, harp and French horn the most difficult instruments to play, while the guitar, piano and drums are the easiest. However, all of them will give you a legitimate challenge. That’s why this hobby is so productive. There’s always something new to learn, and you can practice at your own pace.

7. Listen to Podcasts

Podcasts are all the rage these days. It seems like everyone you meet has a favorite podcast that they listen to while doing chores or driving to work. If you haven’t already jumped on the podcast bandwagon, you definitely should. You can find a podcast for every conceivable topic, from sports to politics to history to science. There’s bound to be something out there that meets your interests.

Whatever podcast you choose, it needs to support your other hobbies. It shouldn’t be a distraction. Podcasts are supposed to be entertaining, but they’re also supposed to give you knowledge and insights. Choose a topic that simultaneously keeps you entertained and improves your overall lifestyle.

8. Declutter Your Room

Keeping a clean room is one of those indoor hobbies for men that many of us avoid. For whatever reason, this particular chore feels like such a hassle. That’s all the more reason to do it. Decluttering your room also declutters your mind by boosting your mood, improving your productivity and laying the foundation for other healthy habits.

Start by making your bed. The bed is the centerpiece of your room and the place where you spend most of your life. Then go through your clothes and toss or donate anything you don’t need. It will be difficult to part ways with some of your belongings, but you’ll feel much better afterward. It’ll be a load off of your shoulders.

9. Play Board Games

Board games will always be productive indoor hobbies for men. They force you to think strategically and unlock your competitive side, which is crucial for men’s well-being. Men have an intense craving for competition with everything they do, even something as trivial as a game of Monopoly. We love to win and hate to lose. Playing board games will keep that competitive fire alive.

However, you need to choose the right games. Something meant for kids like Candyland or SORRY! won’t be mentally stimulating enough. Play something a little more challenging, such as Chess or Risk. Something that forces you to think long-term is ideal.

10. Research Your Genealogy

Who doesn’t love learning about their family history? Studying your genealogy is a great way to spend your time indoors. You might discover an unknown branch of the family tree that completely changes your outlook on your heritage. You’ll also get to learn about the occupations and lifestyles of your ancestors, which instills a great sense of pride.

11. Join an Online Forum

If you spend a lot of time online, you need to spend it productively. You can’t just mindlessly scroll through social media and watch pointless YouTube videos. Instead, you should join an online men’s forum to have thoughtful discussions with other likeminded individuals. Similar to podcast, there’s an online forum for every niche. Start by joining a health and wellness forum then branch off to other interests from there.

12. Meditate

Last but not least, there’s nothing wrong with some simple meditation. Meditation can work wonders for anxiety and depression. It’s also nice just to sit in silence and think for a while. If you prefer to listen to some audio, there are five forms of guided meditation you can do:

• Visualization
• Yoga
• Breathing Exercises
• Body scans
• Chakra meditations

You can learn more about these types in our full Guided Meditation guide in the lifestyle section. Meditation is definitely more popular among women, but that trend is starting to shift in the opposite direction.

Start Something New

These hobbies for men aren’t just benign activities. They help you improve mentally, physically and emotionally. They’re important parts of a healthy lifestyle. If you feel yourself falling into a rut, starting something new is often the best solution. Give one of these hobbies a try, and you just might change your life.

Looking to turn your hobby into a side hustle? We have a guide for that too!