Asklemmy

Lemmy mostly

Don't replace social media with something else on your phone.

Put the phone down and walk away.

I read ebooks.

Duolingo. My whole family has caught the bug. I hear the little ba-ding! noise from all corners of the house all evening long.

Y todavía no puedo hablar bien español 😕

Various solitaires via LÖVE Solitaire.

Simon Tantham puzzles

And, due to a Lemmy post I saw the other day, a game called Slice and Dice.

Balatro

Mostly tiktok scrolling. It's got a bad rep, but there's a huge amount of seriously talented people on there doing amazing and creative things. I'm a 50-something year old guy and it quickly figured out I like videos about mine explores and restoring vintage vehicles. Once you learn to downvote stuff you don't like, it's quick to learn and aside from the comment bots or obvious trolls (Typically pro-Russian or Pro-Trump, if there's a difference) it's generally a positive thing, in moderation.

I totally get your desire about avoiding socials and have experienced the mood swings it can bring too. That's made me quite tuned into how the algorithms are steering me. For me (and everyone's experience is different) - Facebook is mostly bland generic stuff but quite useful for local content - just avoid the drama llamas), and use an advert blocker. Reddit is mixed. I used to be on there a lot and contributed and modded a bunch of stuff, but quit for a year after spez screwed over the app people. I skim it a bit now, but don't give it much mind. X is awful, won't go near it. Lemmy is less of a shitpost zone than most but still has too few people to be significant. We're all helping with that though.

Lemmy aside, I think most algs will figure you out pretty quick. If you get involved in nasty commenting, it'll feed you more of that. If you do the odd positive thing (as I try to) then it can be less toxic - but with all things, remember why you're there. The more you feed it, the bigger to you it becomes. Balance is important, and be aware of how stuff is affecting you.

Anyway, beyond TT, crosswords, some news sites and the occasional candy crush.

Good question though, I'm reading other comments as it's harder to find stuff outside of the main channels now.

I hang out with all y'all jokers on lemmy

Lemmy

The Wikipedia app or Wikireader

I read lots of books. Libby is an app to electronically check out books from your local library for free. You can also read lots of amateur stories online on various sites. Royal Road has been one of my favorite sites for regular stories that you can read in public.

PPSSPP and Dolphin. Playing through the entirety of Paper Mario: TTYD, Luigis mansion, Sims 2, and Killzone wasted a good chunk of idle time for me.

OpenSudoku. With extra puzzles :)

Find the lesser posted contributors to your field/s of interest, read them, post them, share your thoughts.

This means you are actively using social media, actively considering different texts in subjects you already have an interest in, and actively using your brain to make considered contributions.

This is my go to. Take a look at my post history in aussie-enviro. I continually go out of my way to find environmental or conservation organisations themselves instead of waiting only for a news site like Guardian to do a write up themselves.

I'm finding my reading speed and attentiveness has improved, and i've better knowledge recall, especially on key details. Its of course fun as well.

Wikipedia. Ballz game.

Uhhhh

Post on Lemmy between meetings

yucata.de (online boardgames)

Shattered Pixel Dungeon

Simon Tatham Puzzles

Lichess app - Puzzle of the Day

Gurgle app (wordle)

https://wikitok.vercel.app/ (endless mood-scroll Wikipedia)

I have miniflux setup for RSS feeds, and I'll doom scroll lemmy. For games I emulate old pokemon games. You can also just get lost in your thoughts for a bit too. It can really be good for your brain to just sit with your thoughts for a while.

NYT Games: Wordle, Spelling Bee, Connections, Mini crossword puzzles. They refresh every day

I have anki decks that i don't use on everyday basis especially for that. You can spend from 2 seconds to hours on this.

I do solitaire, cryprograms, crossword and mahjong, and sometimes I'll read creepypastas from the archive like I used to do in highschool

Other than that if I know I'll have to wait somewhere and occupy myself I bring a book with me.

Emulate classic games

Lemmy (Summit) Open Sudoku

Play the NYT wordle, mini crossword, connections for the day. I have some small simple games that can be stopped at any time. My most played ones are cake sort, water sort, sudoku and sometimes minesweeper. Also scroll lemmy sometimes, it's small enough that it doesn't take long to see everything that is new, so there's no risk of getting sucked in for long

Physical Games

Not sure what your personal in-person social circle looks like but playing physical games (board/card, etc) with people is great. Spent 2 weeks with family and we had a blast playing some games every night.

A few I really enjoyed:

• 5 Crowns
• Phase 10
• Cribbage (good grief the rules are nuts)
• Hues and Cues
• Organ Attack

3D Printing

A time sink hobby is 3D Printing. It’s a challenge enough, and can be so low cost per part, that it’s fun. Starting with a lower cost 3D printer means the cost of entry is not much. Once you get a printer dialed printing things for people and functional prints for home is great. You can also learn 3D Modeling enough to design your own prints. Definitely gonna take some time to do so.

Retro Gaming

If you like retro games setting up a retro handheld is a ton of fun and then playing the games is great too. Handhelds from Anbernic, Retroid, or Powkiddy is a low cost of entry and much higher quality than you think, and they can run up to PS1/N64/Dreamcast. Took me ~1 month to go from never having done one to having a great OS with a tailored UI (Anbernic RG40XXV running Knulli OS). Going over guides from Retro Game Corps (YouTube and website) was easy but took long enough to teach me a ton.

Gardening

Obviously depends on your personal circumstances but even if you’re in a city/apartment a lot of cities/towns have community gardens. Setting up a raised garden is pretty easy and doesn’t have to cost a ton. Maintaining it is a challenge based on your location and takes learning many different skills. We grow Lettuce, Cucumbers, Zucchini, Green Beans. We had no success with Tomatoes in our climate (although a lot of people have no issue growing them). We’ve had limited success with potatoes (another really easy to grow crop, that we suck at, lol).

Canning

My wife LOVES canning. That’s a massive rabbit hole in its own right. Cost of entry is decently mid due to having to buy canning supplies like the glass jars (called cans), lids, rings, canning pots, pressure cooker, etc. You’ll get incredible quality vegetables and fruits out of it and can can meats and other things. My wife has been canning for 5 years now and we don’t buy store bought canned vegetables and fruits anymore. You wont really save any costs but you will know exactly what you’re eating. Does take having access to fresh produce at local markets to make it as cheap as the grocery store.