The millennial generation has always found new and inventive ways to fend off boredom. Where Generation X, the "Slacker" generation often wore boredom as a perverse, ironic badge of pride, and the baby boomers banished it with rock n' roll and political engagement, millennials indulge in a wide range of ever-changing activities, hobbies and interests in order to keep life interesting and practice mental self-care.
Millennials overwhelmingly define success as being able to spend their time doing something they are passionate about. But the generation that grew up on the internet inevitably has a wider range of knowledge and interests than any that came before them. How can they stick to just one passion? Millennials are also criticized for having short attention spans and for being easily distracted. But actually they are just adapting naturally to the bombardment of information we all have to deal with every day.
So much to do
Because they are interested in everything, and because there is so much to do and so much going on, millennials actually have more hobbies and practice a wider range of non-work activities than previous generations. Some of these are new, enabled by the development and accessibility of the latest technology. But millennials often enjoy the hobbies of their parents or grandparents' generations and take great delight in reviving forgotten activities and giving them a fresh new twist.
A great example of the latter is online bingo. Millennials love to confound expectations, and the idea of a traditional, old-fashioned pursuit like bingo being adapted to the internet age has an irresistible appeal. The best online bingo sites have an exciting, contemporary look and feel and are easy to navigate. For millennials, one of the best things about online bingo is that it can be played on your phone in a spare moment between other activities- ideal for the multi-tasking generation. And like so many popular millennial hobbies, there's also the possibility of making money out of it.
Side hustles
Hobbies that can be financially remunerative but are unlikely to make enough to qualify as a main job, are popular with cash-strapped millennials for obvious reasons. These are known as "side hustles" and can encompass anything from DJing at a club or bar to engaging in some online tutoring work. The boundary between a job and a hobby is definitely more blurred for this generation than it was in their parents' day, when the work-life demarcation was jealously guarded. Now it's much more about finding ways to keep living the best life you can manage.
Relaxing with nature
An amusing spin-off from this outlook on life is the growing interest among millennials in trying to grow your own avocado tree. The avocado is an iconic item in the hipster diet, but many resent paying high prices for this delicious green fruit in a sandwich or crushed on toast. The obvious solution: grow your own! More seriously, many millennials are taking up gardening as a way to switch off from the stresses of city life and get back to nature. Unfortunately far too few can actually afford gardens of their own, which is why communal gardens and vegetable plots are making a comeback.
Combining the notion of putting a new twist on old hobbies with reacting against the stresses associated with technology, many millennials are discovering the joys of a host of relaxing slow-moving activities like knitting, embroidery, ceramics and calligraphy. The clothing, needlepoint, pots and designs that result may display contemporary, humorous and politicized messages, but the actual act of creating them is a way of accessing a slower pace of life and a deep engagement with the creative process that's hard to find elsewhere.
Self-expression
Capturing the moment is important to millennials, and today's smartphones mean that anyone can take great photos. In fact it's so easy that many are looking for more engaging ways to document gigs and get-togethers. Sketching has really taken off, and no experimental music show is complete without at least one audience member drawing the band onstage with pencil or charcoals. Similarly millennials are capturing their emotions by writing poetry and are taking up body painting as a more temporary expression than tattoos.
There's no end to the inventiveness of millennials when it comes to boredom-busting hobbies. Trends come and go, and new activities will doubtless be latched onto as old ones are abandoned, only to be revived again with a new twist in the months to come. One thing is for sure, there's certainly no excuse for sitting around saying there's nothing to do in 2019.
