A screen-free evening, without buying a hobby kit
By the Happily Drawn studio. Updated .
Put the phone in another room, make a cup of tea, and do one small thing with your hands. Here are five ideas that need almost no kit, one of them a colouring page from One Pen Pages, with what each takes and how to turn one evening into a habit you keep.
What can I do with a screen-free evening?
You don't need a new hobby, a class or a cupboard of supplies. You need one small thing to do with your hands, that you can pick up and put down. Here are five, with what each takes.
| Idea | What you need | How long it takes |
|---|---|---|
| Colour a page | A One Pen book and any dark pen | A few shapes or a whole evening, as you like |
| Do a jigsaw | A jigsaw and a table to leave it on | As long as you want. Add a few pieces and stop |
| Write a letter | Paper, a pen and a stamp | Half an hour for a short one |
| Bake something simple | A recipe you know and ingredients from the cupboard | An hour or so, with the smell as a bonus |
| Go through old photos | A box of prints and a cup of tea | However long you like. Sort them into piles |
Pick whichever you already have the bits for. The best one is the one that is easy to start tonight.
How do I make it stick?
The trick is to make it the same each time. Same chair, same lamp, same time, and the phone in another room, charging. The tea goes on first, and then the thing for your hands. After a few evenings, picking it up becomes a habit and not a decision.
Keep it out where you can see it. A book on the arm of the sofa is more likely to be opened than one in a cupboard. And keep it small. Ten minutes counts as an evening. If you stop and it is nine o'clock, that is fine.
Where does a colouring page fit?
It suits an evening with no plans. The pen is the only kit, and the page is already there. In One Pen Pages small dots mark the shapes to fill, so you don't plan or choose. You find a dot, fill the shape, and find the next. The picture comes through as you go, and your attention rests on one small shape at a time.
It is quiet, it needs no skill, and you can stop at any shape and leave the page on the table. Our guide to colouring when you don't want to choose colours shows where to start.
What if I keep wanting my phone?
Most people do, at first. The pull is strongest in the first ten minutes, and it fades if you give your hands something else to do. Keep a pen or a jigsaw piece in your hand and the habit loosens its grip.
Be kind to yourself about it. If you pick the phone up, put it down and carry on. You are not aiming for a perfect evening, only a different one from the usual, and a quieter one. A cup of tea, a lamp and one small thing in front of you is plenty.
Can I do it with someone else?
Yes, and it is often better. Two books and two pens at the same table, with the radio on, make a pleasant evening that needs no conversation. Or share a book with a grandchild, taking turns on the shapes. The books are for all ages from 8.
If you are thinking of someone who would like a quiet hour, our gift guide for Mum or Nan has ideas.
Questions
What can I do in the evening instead of watching TV?
Anything small you can do with your hands: a jigsaw, a letter, baking, sorting old photos, or colouring a page. Choose one you already have the kit for.
How do I stop reaching for my phone?
Put it in another room, on charge, before you sit down. Then have something ready in front of you to do with your hands.
Do I need to buy a hobby kit?
No. A colouring book and one dark pen is the whole kit. One Pen Pages are £20 a book in our launch offer, and pens are not included.
How long should a screen-free evening be?
As long as you like. Start with a short stretch at the same time each day, and see how it feels.
More guides
Colouring when you don't want to choose colours
If picking colours is what puts you off, a one-colour book does the choosing for you. How to start, which page first, and how to read the difficulty dots.Colouring with one pen. UpdatedWhat is a one-colour colouring book, and how does it work?
A one-colour colouring book has a dot in every shape to fill. You colour them all with one dark pen and a picture comes through. Here is how it works.Colouring with one pen. UpdatedA colouring book gift for Mum or Nan
Two colouring book gifts for a mum or nan who likes a quiet hour: a ready-made One Pen Pages book, or a book drawn from your own family photos.Gifts. Updated