Recommended for first purchases.
Everyone says they want to spend less time on their phone. Fewer people actually replace that time with something else. The trick is not willpower, it is having something better to reach for. Here are ten creative hobbies worth trying, starting with the one that started this whole list.
We will get the obvious one out of the way first. Sticker by number kits like our When Night Falls Canvas ($32 USD) give you a numbered grid and a sheet of stickers, and the picture builds itself as you go. No drawing skill needed, no mess, and a genuinely satisfying object at the end.
If you like the logic-puzzle side of your brain more than the crafting side, nonograms scratch a different itch. Our Space Nonograms ($14 USD) booklet works exactly like a sudoku or crossword: numbered clues tell you which squares to fill, except here you are placing stickers instead of shading in pencil, so a hidden pixel-art image reveals itself as you solve.
"I love nonograms, so this was right up my alley... This is better for someone who has done nonograms before due to its size making it more challenging." (Hannah M.)
Low-cost, endlessly flexible, and genuinely good for processing a chaotic day. All you need is a notebook and five minutes.
More of a learning curve than sticker by number, but a cheap starter set and some YouTube tutorials go a long way. Good for people who want the open-ended creative challenge.
Portable, meditative, and useful, you end up with a scarf. The learning curve is real, though, unlike peel-and-place crafts.
Our Desk Friends ($9 USD) are technically sticker by number too, but scaled down to a 60 to 90 minute project. Good for the "I want to make something but only have an hour" mood.
The most tactile item on this list, and the only one where you eat the result. High reward, but also the messiest and most ingredient-dependent hobby here.
A classic for a reason. Jigsaw puzzles share a lot of DNA with sticker by number: methodical, low-pressure, and satisfying to watch come together.
The steepest learning curve on this list by far, but also the most rewarding long-term. Not a great "unwind after work" activity at first, more of a slow-burn project.
Similar appeal to sticker by number (a grid, a pattern, a satisfying finished piece) but with actual needlework skill involved. A natural next step if you finish a few sticker by number kits and want to graduate to something with more technique.
Most of the hobbies on this list ask something of you before you get the payoff: a learning curve, an ingredient list, a trip to buy supplies. Sticker by number's whole design philosophy is removing that barrier. Order a kit, open it, and you are placing your first sticker within minutes. That low-friction start is a big part of why it tends to be the hobby people actually stick with past week one.
You do not have to choose a single hobby off this list and abandon your phone forever on day one. A lot of people build a small rotation, journaling some mornings, a canvas some evenings, a puzzle on weekends, so there is always a screen-free option that fits the mood and the time available.
Not every evening calls for the same kind of creative effort. On a high-energy night, an open-ended hobby like watercolor or an instrument might feel exciting. On a genuinely drained night, that same open-endedness can feel like exactly the wrong kind of work. This is where structured, low-decision hobbies like sticker by number or nonograms earn their keep: they ask almost nothing of your depleted decision-making budget while still giving you something to show for the time.
It is easy to buy into the idea that you need a totally new hobby to break a scrolling habit. In practice, the hobbies that actually replace phone time long-term are usually the ones that are easiest to pick back up after a day off, not the most novel or impressive ones. A half-finished sticker sheet sitting on the coffee table is a much stronger cue to put your phone down than a hobby that requires setup time and mental preparation every single session.
Whichever hobby on this list appeals to you, resist the urge to buy the biggest, most ambitious starter kit right away. A small first project, finished quickly, builds the habit far more effectively than an ambitious one that stalls out. We ship worldwide, wherever you're crafting from.
Start with the easiest entry point on this list. Browse our full collection of sticker by number kits and pick whichever design speaks to you.
