Top 6 Best Hobbies For A Developer

Most of us are in trouble

We don't exactly live the healthiest of lifestyles. With our profession requiring us to sit at a desk for hours at a time, this affects the human body in multiple negative ways. The most prominent of them are bad posture from sitting in the wrong position, weight gain from not doing much physical activity and poor skin condition. Worst of all though is a strong possibility of depression and general unhappiness due to lack of sun. Now the sun does a lot of really cool stuff to increase your general health but most importantly it increases your vitamin D production, which is key in your general mood.

So here is a short list of the very best hobbies for developers that wanna reduce their screen time and sit down time.

Photography

The single best hobby any developer could get an interest in would have to be photography. It involves having a strong interest in gadgets and how they work. Most of the really difficult shots require strong attention to detail and a very technical knowledgeable approach. Plus most of all it forces you to go out in the world for a reason other than just go out cause it's good for you. If photography is a thing that interests you, soon you'll find yourself climbing mountains and traversing through forests in search of the next good shot. Honestly what more could you ask for, you get to stretch your legs, correct your posture problems, increase blood flow, get some sunshine AND use a ton of really cool gadgets.

Photography is something I'm very interested in besides development and I just have to recommend these guys:

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Also check out these amazing photographers to see what you can one day achieve:

Hiking

Hiking usually bundled with photography, but if you're not so much into photography and would like to completely limit your screen time, then just plain old hiking will do wonders for your overall well-being. Just like above, it increases your exposure to sunshine which increases your overall happiness and is generally good for you. Most importantly it's free any anyone in the world, no matter where you are from, can do it. As long as you got two healthy legs you can hike anywhere you want.

There's nothing like that feeling of accomplishment after you climb a high hill or mountain and take in the spectacular view while you slowly catch your breath. I urge anyone to give it a try as soon as they can.

Woodworking

Yes, you heard me right. I think wood working and general DIY projects are an amazing hobby for any developer out there. Now a lot of the times it's not done outside, but it can be and yes there's not a lot of movement involved. BUT there is a lot of thinking and creativity involved. If you think about it, it's basically what we already do. Create stuff, what to some people might seem out of nothing or very basic components. Most importantly DIY and woodworking teaches you an important skill you need to have as a developer which is: discipline. It forces you to finish your work because unlike unfinished code, unfinished DIY projects take up actual space in the house. And serve as a depressing reminder to yourself. So sooner or later, you will get back to it and finish it or at the very least have to clean up after yourself.

Cooking

Another creative hobby that much like DIY, serves a practical purpose. With cooking you can feed yourself, improve your diet and by that your health. Most importantly you can impress your loved ones and any potential dates. Plus you know when you eventually loose it at the office you'll always have a backup profession.

Reading

It involves a lot of lying or sitting down, so it may not be the most healthiest of the choices for your physical well being. But it will do wonders for your mental well being. Plus you can go outside to read and enjoy every bit of sun you can get. Our jobs are stressful enough and every once in a while we need a disconnect from reality, or we need to learn something new or get in depth advice. There is no better place for that than a book. It can transport you to a magical world with elves and orcs, or take you all the way to space, or at times slam you right down to reality and blow your mind with a unique perspective that someone else gained and wanted to share with you.

Music

Hey look at that another creative hobby. Yes, those are amazingly good for developers. No matter how much we wanna perceive ourselves to be these logical people. At the end of the day we are creatives and creatives suffer without exposure to creativity. Music is the ultimate form of expression and it takes years of practice. It's not the easiest on the list but it's one of the most worth while hobbies. If you've always wanted to play and instrument today is a better time than tomorrow.

Cop-out answer anything you always wanted to do

Hey don't let me tell you what you SHOULD be doing. At the end of the day it's your life and your leisure time. Spend it as you wish but make sure that what you are doing benefits you or your loved ones directly.