10 things you can do instead of looking at your phones for hours.

As many people, I often spend too much time with my iPhone. I like other artists’ posts, take photos of my paintings, answer messages, reply to comments etc. on Instagram almost every day. In addition to this, I check (and edit sometimes) my website and Etsy shop regularly. I also spend some time on Twitter, Reddit, etc. As you can see, this routine can take so much time and be tiresome sometimes. To avoid scrolling for hours on my phone, I try to do different activities as much as possible. I thought sharing some of these here might be a good idea.

1. Painting. Well, this is obvious, I guess. You can start a new painting project that you always postpone or just try to sketch some simple drawings. No matter what I create, painting always works for me. Let yourself be creative and see where it leads you to.

2. Reading. Another favorite one for me. Since childhood, I love reading novels, magazines, etc. Always a good idea to start a good book and get lost in different worlds and realities.

3. Walking. It is always good to take a walk sometimes and refresh your thoughts and body with clean air, sun and blue sky.

4. Listening to music. I know you might need your phone for this one, but you do not necessarily have to look at the phone. Just volume up and feel the rhythm.

5. Watching a good TV series or movie. Find an interesting, new movie or TV series on Netflix or Amazon (or whatever platform you are using) and enjoy. I don’t know if it is just me but I also like to rewatch TV series that I had watched and liked before (like Battlestar Galactica, Avatar The Last Airbender, The Expanse, Attack on Titan, Doctor Who, etc) when I am in a bad mood.

6. Visiting a bookstore or art store. This always makes me feel calm and happy. I like to check over books, paintings, canvases, brushes etc in these stores. You might try this one whether this would work for you too.

7. Biking. Though I can rarely bike lately, it is one of the most enjoyable activity for me. Biking is also good for your health. :)

8. Nap. This is especially useful if you are exhausted or didn't not sleep well last night. Just try to nap for 20-30 minutes and let your body have a rest.

9. Drink coffee or tea with your family. Like most of Turkish, I too really like to drink tea and coffee. Having a nice conversation with your family members while drinking coffee/tea is worthwhile in my opinion.

10. Visit a museum. It can be a contemporary art museum, archeology museum, maritime museum or another one. No matter what museum you decide to visit, it can always be instructive, entertaining or refreshing activity. I especially like to visit art and archeology museums in Istanbul.

So, this is the list of activities that work for me. I hope you like this post. Thanks for your time.