What to do during awake times

What do you guys do with your little one while they are awake? I don’t hold my son when he’s sleeping but I’ve noticed that he wants to be held all the time when he’s awake. Although I’d love to hold him all the time, I don’t want to create bad habits. He already is starting to cry for me to hold him all the time during his active hours. What do you guys do when your babies are awake? Do you hold them? Do you put them down? How do they stay content? And what advice would you give?