[slyfox125]

While there are a ton of replies here with great ideas, you make the most important point: most of the best work (across disciplines) is done when you have an objective. Find an issue in need of a solution (or better solution) and use the tools available (or make better ones) to accomplish the task at hand.

My suggestion would be to find something that can be improved on in daily life and then learn the skills necessary to make that improvement, to include the trades more physical in nature, such as woodworking, 3D printing, etc. Then, combine those skills with, say, programming embedded devices, etc. or whatever else is needed to accomplish the task.

This ultimately provides a diverse skill-set, feeds the desire to learn, and provides legitimate improvements to quality of life - both tangible and intangible.