Gonna sound dumb but honestly my favorite hobby is probably collecting hobbies. There's very few hobbies/passions that I have had my entire life (gaming, history, watching soccer) but every couple...
Exemplary
Gonna sound dumb but honestly my favorite hobby is probably collecting hobbies. There's very few hobbies/passions that I have had my entire life (gaming, history, watching soccer) but every couple weeks or months I'll get really interested in some random thing, then spend a lot of time researching/exploring that thing, to the point where I'll feel accomplished at having learned/experienced said thing. Then I'll probably put it down for either a few years or maybe forever. The list is endless, from physical things (cycling, gardening, skateboarding, inline skating, kayaking, fishing), some artistic things (painting, drawing, crocheting, hand-tool woodworking, writing), and then more tech-y things (programming, web development, home server stuff, pc building, tinkering) and tons of other stuff I can't remember off the top of my head.
Was a big realization when I finally came to terms with the fact that I'm not 'quitting' or 'failing' at some of these hobbies, I'm just testing them out. Some stay and I regularly come back to them from time to time, others I come to realize that I don't actually enjoy all that much, which is fine too.
Never have I resonated more strongly with a comment! If I look around my office right now, I can see my hobby home server, my halfway stood up server-turned-router, my repair kit I set up for tech...
Never have I resonated more strongly with a comment! If I look around my office right now, I can see my hobby home server, my halfway stood up server-turned-router, my repair kit I set up for tech tinkering, my unfinished drum set restoration project stacked in the corner, and my recording/production setup for my chiptune project. My whiskey inventory is packed up in boxes in the crawlspace because my one-year-old is moving around the house too much, so I’m not holding tastings, cataloguing reviews, or chasing bottles anywhere near as much. And don’t even get me started on all my partially finished hobby apps and sites I’m trying to stand up :)
(Though if any of my pilot testers see this comment, I promise that my work on plots.club is actually still actively ongoing)
I really appreciate your perspective on allowing yourself to see them as trials that you choose to pursue or let go. I’m still in denial - I keep telling myself that one day I’ll get back to them all, as unlikely as that might be…!
Thanks! And yeah the mind shift was a pretty big one back when I first came to the realization that I wasn't actually failing anything, just testing different things out. I used to beat myself up...
Thanks! And yeah the mind shift was a pretty big one back when I first came to the realization that I wasn't actually failing anything, just testing different things out. I used to beat myself up a lot more over being a jack of all trades sort of person but master of none. But now I realize that what I actually enjoy is the researching and planning and discovery parts of most hobbies more than I enjoy doing the actual hobby itself. Heck maybe my favorite hobby is researching things.
And yeah, having a baby/toddler is a sure-fire way of keeping most of those half-done projects unfinished, lol.
I have a similar hobby. I love getting interested in a subject, finding out all I can, buying what I need for it, and doing it until I'm satisfied. Sometimes my interest sticks, sometimes it's...
I have a similar hobby. I love getting interested in a subject, finding out all I can, buying what I need for it, and doing it until I'm satisfied. Sometimes my interest sticks, sometimes it's over pretty quickly once I've reached a certain level of proficiency. Very fickle it is.
I do something similar, though I pick up new things at a slower pace. How am I going to be sure my favorite thing is really my favorite thing ever if I never try new things? My partner told me he...
I do something similar, though I pick up new things at a slower pace. How am I going to be sure my favorite thing is really my favorite thing ever if I never try new things? My partner told me he used to think I was kind of a flake/couldn’t follow through on things.
On the negative side, this can get expensive if I’m not careful. On the positive side, I have a pretty broad basic knowledge in a lot of things, which occasionally comes in useful. Especially the lock picking.
That's a beautiful thought! That's... less beautiful, lol. But I get it. I used to feel similarly about myself but luckily have grown to the point where I recognize that not pursuing these many...
How am I going to be sure my favorite thing is really my favorite thing ever if I never try new things?
That's a beautiful thought!
My partner told me he used to think I was kind of a flake/couldn’t follow through on things.
That's... less beautiful, lol. But I get it. I used to feel similarly about myself but luckily have grown to the point where I recognize that not pursuing these many interests is not the same thing as quitting or failing.
On the negative side, this can get expensive if I’m not careful. On the positive side, I have a pretty broad basic knowledge in a lot of things, which occasionally comes in useful.
So true! I'm not an expert at a lot of things, but boy do I know a little bit about a lot of topics.
I think this is actually what I wish I would do, assuming there's a focus on doing the actual hobby. Unfortunately, once I get all these ideas rolling around in my brain, what I usually end up...
I think this is actually what I wish I would do, assuming there's a focus on doing the actual hobby. Unfortunately, once I get all these ideas rolling around in my brain, what I usually end up doing is getting stuck learning about the hobby rather than actually practicing it. So, I've stuck with relatively fewer activities while I work on my "doing" skills rather than "planning" skills.
Hey, same here - I find researching to be my favorite hobby. Do you perchance have ADHD? As that is a pretty common case for people who have such intense hobbies, then once we have a grasp and...
but every couple weeks or months I'll get really interested in some random thing, then spend a lot of time researching/exploring that thing, to the point where I'll feel accomplished at having learned/experienced said thing
Hey, same here - I find researching to be my favorite hobby. Do you perchance have ADHD? As that is a pretty common case for people who have such intense hobbies, then once we have a grasp and decent understanding, we put it aside to move onto the next thing to learn and become knowledgeable on.
Lol, my best friend officiated my wedding and one of his "gags" while describing me was to list out all of my hobbies... wine making, swimming, climbing, printmaking, bread making, olive oil...
Lol, my best friend officiated my wedding and one of his "gags" while describing me was to list out all of my hobbies... wine making, swimming, climbing, printmaking, bread making, olive oil making, mountain biking, geology, snowboarding, vinyl collecting, barefoot running, pottery, writing, pickling, bike building, sewing, and on and on and on. I had literally never thought it was that weird until they were all listed out. Like you, with most of them I get to a point of competency and move on. And I have pretty mad ADHD.
I don't think so. But I have suspected before that I deal with a lot of symptoms of OCD (never tested, just a gut feeling based on my personal experience and observations). And some of the...
Do you perchance have ADHD?
I don't think so. But I have suspected before that I deal with a lot of symptoms of OCD (never tested, just a gut feeling based on my personal experience and observations). And some of the symptoms of that include:
Difficulty concentrating or making decisions
Feeling a need for things to be perfect or just right
Fear of losing control or making a mistake
Which might explain why I love researching things extremely thoroughly before starting up a new hobby. I want to make sure I'm not caught off guard by anything. Then I start the hobby, and things either turn out as expected (because of all the research I did) in which case I continue on with them now that it no longer feels daunting. Or they don't turn out as expected, which stresses me out and makes me think "ya know what, maybe this hobby ain't for me".
So yeah, I'm with ya. Researching seems to be my favorite hobby.
I like lizards. Have had various lizards as pets since I was 8. I stopped buying them “new” because after one repticon too many I just couldn’t handle the whole reptile breeding industry any more....
I like lizards. Have had various lizards as pets since I was 8.
I stopped buying them “new” because after one repticon too many I just couldn’t handle the whole reptile breeding industry any more. I’m sure theres good breeders out there and I know many of them are doing great work saving endagered species like the axolotl, theres just so many lizards who need homes and will die if I dont step in.
So right now I rehab lizards. I have two permanent residents, a leopard gecko who’s too high needs to be rehomed and a cresty who’s perfectly healthy I just love crested geckos.
My favorite of all time is the green anole, though, and when I bought my house one of the selling points was theres plenty of them on the property
To clarify, is your favorite hobby eating bread while you read books as one combined hobby? I would put reading books as my favorite hobby that I would drop other hobbies in favor of. I love being...
To clarify, is your favorite hobby eating bread while you read books as one combined hobby?
I would put reading books as my favorite hobby that I would drop other hobbies in favor of. I love being able to sit down with a physical good book and disappear in to it. I don't get to do that as often these days, but when I do, it is so nice.
Mmm, oxford comma. That being said, your first sentence reminded me of the Animaniacs sketch with watching movies with George Wendt while eating beans. Back to topic: my favorite hobby is...
Mmm, oxford comma.
That being said, your first sentence reminded me of the Animaniacs sketch with watching movies with George Wendt while eating beans.
Back to topic: my favorite hobby is currently roller derby.
Outside of a lifelong interest in good'ol vid'ya, I used to be huge into archery, competing at national level recurve (far from making the olympic team though) from 18-23. Thankfully it's a very...
Outside of a lifelong interest in good'ol vid'ya, I used to be huge into archery, competing at national level recurve (far from making the olympic team though) from 18-23. Thankfully it's a very individual sport because I am not very P2P competitive, I was always in my own game and that's as far as it took me. Ten years ago, from 26-29 I played a lot of golf thanks to a friend's corporate membership, and I can confidently break 90 on any kind of course, 80s on my best days with some course knowledge, but that season has passed and my clubs have been collecting dust under the deck. After that I had a brief dirtbike stint which turned into snowmobiles, and I still have an old yamaha on a little trailer beside my garage. Recently I have gotten into kendo, which immediately showed me the limits of my athleticism since it is much much more demanding cardio-wise as well as leg/feet dexterity. However I find myself loathing the amount of gear as well as the ceremony (typical of japanese arts, I did shoot kyudo for a year as well) so I have been considering joining a friend's kickboxing gym because I think the real secret sauce is simply hitting stuff, so why bother with all of the extra steps?
Outside of that I also make leather bondage gear to order, but that entire skillset has lost the honest hobby maker-pleasure to me the same way welding has. But, it does pay off a bunch of bills consistently, so I will continue to do it as long as orders come in since I already have all of the tools and a lot of materials.
I feel too old for Capoeira, but it did occupy a good part of my 20s and some of my 30s Now, I just like designing stuff. Arcade design and building is a perpetual hobby - to the point that I...
I feel too old for Capoeira, but it did occupy a good part of my 20s and some of my 30s
Now, I just like designing stuff. Arcade design and building is a perpetual hobby - to the point that I think that my current one is becoming more of a theme park ride than a basement cabinet.
I still play the drums, but even with pals who want to jam, the magic and the drive just aren't there like they used to be.
My wife was several years into Capoeira when we first met. She continued for a few more years, but ultimately decided the juice wasn't worth the squeeze as far as further advancement and got kind...
My wife was several years into Capoeira when we first met. She continued for a few more years, but ultimately decided the juice wasn't worth the squeeze as far as further advancement and got kind of burned out on the "in group" mentality of it.
So many groups are do or die when it comes to loyalty and putting in the work. I'm with your wife - I don't like that aspect of it. I'd train again, but if I get a whiff of belts or uniforms, I'm out.
So many groups are do or die when it comes to loyalty and putting in the work. I'm with your wife - I don't like that aspect of it.
I'd train again, but if I get a whiff of belts or uniforms, I'm out.
Hmm favorite would probably have to be cycling (also, most expensive ugh). I do multiple group rides a week, including a couple at 5am. Got into the hobby/sport early last year and slowly went...
Hmm favorite would probably have to be cycling (also, most expensive ugh). I do multiple group rides a week, including a couple at 5am. Got into the hobby/sport early last year and slowly went from riding an old bike from college 5 miles to having new road and gravel bikes, wearing lycra and riding 100-150 miles a week.
Outside of cycling, reading, retro games and hiking are probably tied for second place haha
As someone with ADHD, my preferred hobby changes constantly. There are hobbies I always love, but alternate around, and there is my current preferred hobby. Favorite hobbies in general: Sewing,...
As someone with ADHD, my preferred hobby changes constantly. There are hobbies I always love, but alternate around, and there is my current preferred hobby.
Actually, you know what? My favorite hobby is scrolling pinterest and finding activities (recipes, patterns, books, coloring pages, arts and crafts) that I want to do one day.
Stitched at the edge! English Paper Piecing is something I accidentally stumbled on it on pinterest. I wanted to make a hexipuff blanket a while ago, and I made a few puffs and decided I hated the...
Stitched at the edge! English Paper Piecing is something I accidentally stumbled on it on pinterest. I wanted to make a hexipuff blanket a while ago, and I made a few puffs and decided I hated the feeling of the stuffing, so I gave up.
Of course! I have no idea what I'm going t end up making with them. I don't think I'll make a quilt, I was thinking like a patchwork dress or skirt, maybe a tote bag or purse. I probably have...
Of course! I have no idea what I'm going t end up making with them. I don't think I'll make a quilt, I was thinking like a patchwork dress or skirt, maybe a tote bag or purse. I probably have enough made now that I could make something small lol.
Omg that would be amazing! Mr. Tired is tired (lol) of me using a basket for a very long-term knitting project. Maybe I can make a basket with the hexies and modpodge or something and use that...
Omg that would be amazing! Mr. Tired is tired (lol) of me using a basket for a very long-term knitting project. Maybe I can make a basket with the hexies and modpodge or something and use that instead. Probably not, it's a sticker project than my sensory issues can take on, but it's fun to fantasize!
Actively listening to music! Not as background noise or even singing along (though I still do both) but putting a full album on and reading the lyrics alongside the music. Considering how the...
Actively listening to music!
Not as background noise or even singing along (though I still do both) but putting a full album on and reading the lyrics alongside the music. Considering how the instruments and vocal delivery augment the feelings being evoked or, if the music is purely instrumental, closing my eyes and going on the journey with the band. Sometimes I'll read interviews discussing their inspiration or what world events were happening at the time.
This goes hand-in-hand with finding new bands to listen to. I'll spend an afternoon trawling through live sessions and music award lists. Often I'll find something completely weird that I wouldn't have given the time of day 5 years ago, but I've become more open to.
You should check out musicleague.com! I've been playing with a group of friends for a months now and it's been a fantastic way to find new music that I never would have discovered otherwise. You...
You should check out musicleague.com! I've been playing with a group of friends for a months now and it's been a fantastic way to find new music that I never would have discovered otherwise. You can play in random groups online, too, if you can't get a group of friends together.
Totally justified, good for you (I'm assuming this is a principles thing and not just a budget thing). I'd love to ditch Spotify eventually, I'm just not there yet so I'm enjoying it while I have it.
Totally justified, good for you (I'm assuming this is a principles thing and not just a budget thing). I'd love to ditch Spotify eventually, I'm just not there yet so I'm enjoying it while I have it.
Godspeed my friend! I'm fortunate that I started my library 10 years ago and it's grown into a fairly extensive collection, but I started very slow - maybe 1 albums every 2 months. I know most...
Godspeed my friend! I'm fortunate that I started my library 10 years ago and it's grown into a fairly extensive collection, but I started very slow - maybe 1 albums every 2 months.
I know most people don't buy albums anymore but you could do the same with your 10 most-played songs. Spotify used to have a feature where you could link your personal library alongside your Spotify playlist, so you could chip away at that until you don't feel like you'd be missing much?
That's not a bad transition strategy actually, I hadn't thought of that! Right now my idea is that I'd like to eventually just do everything via Bandcamp (unless I discover something better/more...
That's not a bad transition strategy actually, I hadn't thought of that! Right now my idea is that I'd like to eventually just do everything via Bandcamp (unless I discover something better/more effective), but (a) I expect I'll miss how easy it is to just try out new music on Spotify, and (b) I don't currently have an income so anything that requires me to purchase a large amount of items is going to have to wait lol.
Chipping away at it is definitely the way to go though. That's been my strategy for de-googling over the last few years and I've made a ton of progress.
I'm happy to hear any advice/thoughts you have if you're interested in sharing!
I guess I would have to say reading, though that feels like saying that breathing is a hobby. I have for the last few years been reading about 2 books per month, which is far down from when I was...
I guess I would have to say reading, though that feels like saying that breathing is a hobby. I have for the last few years been reading about 2 books per month, which is far down from when I was younger, but I have more hobbies and less time than I used to.
Cooking, gaming, making music are all my runners-up.
That's easy, painting! After a couple of years when you really get better at it, that's when true enjoyment kicks in, and the interesting part is that you never stop learning, there's always new...
That's easy, painting! After a couple of years when you really get better at it, that's when true enjoyment kicks in, and the interesting part is that you never stop learning, there's always new ways of doing things/using colors etc.
For the past year or so it's been FPV drones. I'm super late to flying them, it seems like their heyday was maybe 6 or so years ago when people were still amazed by the videos, but building,...
For the past year or so it's been FPV drones.
I'm super late to flying them, it seems like their heyday was maybe 6 or so years ago when people were still amazed by the videos, but building, flying, and crashing them has been a blast. I don't do it to make content or post videos, I just do it because flying them is fun, and tinkering with them may be even more fun.
I've always been interested in computers and electronics, so the idea of configuring a computer to fly through the air well is really badass.
There's also a satisfying muscle memory/physical skill progression aspect that comes from being able to fly them well; pulling off cool tricks, flying fast and close to objects, and getting the aircraft to do what you want.
Awesome! I have a couple of betafpv tinywhoops I fly around my house constantly and annoy my fiance with. I don't know if I'd ever be confident enough to try actually racing though, lol.
Awesome! I have a couple of betafpv tinywhoops I fly around my house constantly and annoy my fiance with. I don't know if I'd ever be confident enough to try actually racing though, lol.
If you ever want to dip your toes in the pool, there's an annual whoop race format that's essentially "build a compact track at home using standardized pvc parts and submit video times to a common...
If you ever want to dip your toes in the pool, there's an annual whoop race format that's essentially "build a compact track at home using standardized pvc parts and submit video times to a common global leaderboard", and it's just starting now: https://www.racegow.com/
My all time favorite hobby has always been video games. There's something about safely testing my reaction speed and quick thinking that I love. Other hobbies tend to come and go. I get to a level...
My all time favorite hobby has always been video games. There's something about safely testing my reaction speed and quick thinking that I love. Other hobbies tend to come and go. I get to a level of proficiency that is "good enough" or just burn out and move to the next shiny activity or skill to learn. Some other hobbies include(d) wheel throwing, DJing, poi spinning, woodworking, gamedev, and building audio reactive electronics. They're all very satisfying and test skills I enjoy practicing, but many hobbies need dedicated space or cost a lot. Video games are probably the most fun for the price, accessibility, and variety.
Anything in the "creative" sphere, really. Though, I suppose it's hard for me to truly think about "favorite" depending on how that's defined- What I get the most joy out of is creating things,...
Anything in the "creative" sphere, really. Though, I suppose it's hard for me to truly think about "favorite" depending on how that's defined-
What I get the most joy out of is creating things, whether songwriting/recording/playing instruments, or 3D printing, or trying to learn how to draw, or taking photos of all sorts of things (including other hobbies/interests like tea and coffee), or writing poetry/lyrics, or finding new music and writing on my blog about it, or trying to learn pixel art, or... (you see how this goes, lol).
Truth is, sometimes the things I get the most joy out of aren't things I do as often as others, simply because of my energy levels or something else. So sometimes, video games, on a given day, are my favorite hobby. Other days it's tinkering with tech stuff.
But ultimately, anything in the creative sphere is definitely what I derive the most joy from, bar none.
If I had to choose- probably anything specific to music (playing/practicing instruments, songwriting, recording, lyrics, etc). There is nothing more euphoric for me
Currently I'm learning to swim with regular leg-kicks (I've only known how to frog-swim before, and badly) with the intention to learn to crawl and down the line dolphin-kick-swim. I'm practising...
Currently I'm learning to swim with regular leg-kicks (I've only known how to frog-swim before, and badly) with the intention to learn to crawl and down the line dolphin-kick-swim. I'm practising with a diving mask & snorkel so that I don't have to worry about my arms or breathing intervals.
I'm also training to hold my breath. Only on land for now (mostly in my bed but also while going up stairs - when I remember), when I get a better understanding of how I feel while holding my breath and the signals I need to listen to I will start combining the two.
My goal is to become as comfortable under water (and ice) as Johanna Nordblad.
Depends on the day. But I really enjoy painting and playing miniature wargames. I've painted hundreds of models at this point and probably played a couple hundred hours worth of games. But I also...
Depends on the day.
But I really enjoy painting and playing miniature wargames. I've painted hundreds of models at this point and probably played a couple hundred hours worth of games.
But I also really enjoy fixing things. From cars to electronics, I like taking things apart, understanding how they work and then repairing them.
Drecktharx what kind of breads are your favourite, do you make any, and what's on your bread bucket list? I'm also ADHD so while I have a collection of "would be" hobbies like a few others here,...
Drecktharx what kind of breads are your favourite, do you make any, and what's on your bread bucket list?
I'm also ADHD so while I have a collection of "would be" hobbies like a few others here, the one I actually end up "practicing" most is looking at real estate. Because I'm almost never going to actually be buying anything, it's what I like to spend time on instead of watching sportsball or scrolling Instagram. I like looking at flip fails, classic houses, laughing at McMansions, admiring other people's decor, pretty kitchens etc. But I also like researching the geology or area around the house.
I have very little interest in speculative buying or being a landlord though, and I remain forever bearish. Mostly mean spirited schadenfreude and "yes if money fell out of the sky I would like to live here" type.
Gonna sound dumb but honestly my favorite hobby is probably collecting hobbies. There's very few hobbies/passions that I have had my entire life (gaming, history, watching soccer) but every couple weeks or months I'll get really interested in some random thing, then spend a lot of time researching/exploring that thing, to the point where I'll feel accomplished at having learned/experienced said thing. Then I'll probably put it down for either a few years or maybe forever. The list is endless, from physical things (cycling, gardening, skateboarding, inline skating, kayaking, fishing), some artistic things (painting, drawing, crocheting, hand-tool woodworking, writing), and then more tech-y things (programming, web development, home server stuff, pc building, tinkering) and tons of other stuff I can't remember off the top of my head.
Was a big realization when I finally came to terms with the fact that I'm not 'quitting' or 'failing' at some of these hobbies, I'm just testing them out. Some stay and I regularly come back to them from time to time, others I come to realize that I don't actually enjoy all that much, which is fine too.
Never have I resonated more strongly with a comment! If I look around my office right now, I can see my hobby home server, my halfway stood up server-turned-router, my repair kit I set up for tech tinkering, my unfinished drum set restoration project stacked in the corner, and my recording/production setup for my chiptune project. My whiskey inventory is packed up in boxes in the crawlspace because my one-year-old is moving around the house too much, so I’m not holding tastings, cataloguing reviews, or chasing bottles anywhere near as much. And don’t even get me started on all my partially finished hobby apps and sites I’m trying to stand up :)
(Though if any of my pilot testers see this comment, I promise that my work on plots.club is actually still actively ongoing)
I really appreciate your perspective on allowing yourself to see them as trials that you choose to pursue or let go. I’m still in denial - I keep telling myself that one day I’ll get back to them all, as unlikely as that might be…!
Thanks! And yeah the mind shift was a pretty big one back when I first came to the realization that I wasn't actually failing anything, just testing different things out. I used to beat myself up a lot more over being a jack of all trades sort of person but master of none. But now I realize that what I actually enjoy is the researching and planning and discovery parts of most hobbies more than I enjoy doing the actual hobby itself. Heck maybe my favorite hobby is researching things.
And yeah, having a baby/toddler is a sure-fire way of keeping most of those half-done projects unfinished, lol.
I have a similar hobby. I love getting interested in a subject, finding out all I can, buying what I need for it, and doing it until I'm satisfied. Sometimes my interest sticks, sometimes it's over pretty quickly once I've reached a certain level of proficiency. Very fickle it is.
I do something similar, though I pick up new things at a slower pace. How am I going to be sure my favorite thing is really my favorite thing ever if I never try new things? My partner told me he used to think I was kind of a flake/couldn’t follow through on things.
On the negative side, this can get expensive if I’m not careful. On the positive side, I have a pretty broad basic knowledge in a lot of things, which occasionally comes in useful. Especially the lock picking.
That's a beautiful thought!
That's... less beautiful, lol. But I get it. I used to feel similarly about myself but luckily have grown to the point where I recognize that not pursuing these many interests is not the same thing as quitting or failing.
So true! I'm not an expert at a lot of things, but boy do I know a little bit about a lot of topics.
I think this is actually what I wish I would do, assuming there's a focus on doing the actual hobby. Unfortunately, once I get all these ideas rolling around in my brain, what I usually end up doing is getting stuck learning about the hobby rather than actually practicing it. So, I've stuck with relatively fewer activities while I work on my "doing" skills rather than "planning" skills.
Hey, same here - I find researching to be my favorite hobby. Do you perchance have ADHD? As that is a pretty common case for people who have such intense hobbies, then once we have a grasp and decent understanding, we put it aside to move onto the next thing to learn and become knowledgeable on.
Lol, my best friend officiated my wedding and one of his "gags" while describing me was to list out all of my hobbies... wine making, swimming, climbing, printmaking, bread making, olive oil making, mountain biking, geology, snowboarding, vinyl collecting, barefoot running, pottery, writing, pickling, bike building, sewing, and on and on and on. I had literally never thought it was that weird until they were all listed out. Like you, with most of them I get to a point of competency and move on. And I have pretty mad ADHD.
I don't think so. But I have suspected before that I deal with a lot of symptoms of OCD (never tested, just a gut feeling based on my personal experience and observations). And some of the symptoms of that include:
Which might explain why I love researching things extremely thoroughly before starting up a new hobby. I want to make sure I'm not caught off guard by anything. Then I start the hobby, and things either turn out as expected (because of all the research I did) in which case I continue on with them now that it no longer feels daunting. Or they don't turn out as expected, which stresses me out and makes me think "ya know what, maybe this hobby ain't for me".
So yeah, I'm with ya. Researching seems to be my favorite hobby.
I like lizards. Have had various lizards as pets since I was 8.
I stopped buying them “new” because after one repticon too many I just couldn’t handle the whole reptile breeding industry any more. I’m sure theres good breeders out there and I know many of them are doing great work saving endagered species like the axolotl, theres just so many lizards who need homes and will die if I dont step in.
So right now I rehab lizards. I have two permanent residents, a leopard gecko who’s too high needs to be rehomed and a cresty who’s perfectly healthy I just love crested geckos.
My favorite of all time is the green anole, though, and when I bought my house one of the selling points was theres plenty of them on the property
Care to share any pics? Lizards are adorable.
I could but I’m not sure how? What third party site do people use to host pics here?
I use imgbb, but I'm sure there are others.
I like envs.sh because it's fast and doesn't serve me ads.
But yes I would love to see your cuties too
To clarify, is your favorite hobby eating bread while you read books as one combined hobby?
I would put reading books as my favorite hobby that I would drop other hobbies in favor of. I love being able to sit down with a physical good book and disappear in to it. I don't get to do that as often these days, but when I do, it is so nice.
Mmm, oxford comma.
That being said, your first sentence reminded me of the Animaniacs sketch with watching movies with George Wendt while eating beans.
Back to topic: my favorite hobby is currently roller derby.
Outside of a lifelong interest in good'ol vid'ya, I used to be huge into archery, competing at national level recurve (far from making the olympic team though) from 18-23. Thankfully it's a very individual sport because I am not very P2P competitive, I was always in my own game and that's as far as it took me. Ten years ago, from 26-29 I played a lot of golf thanks to a friend's corporate membership, and I can confidently break 90 on any kind of course, 80s on my best days with some course knowledge, but that season has passed and my clubs have been collecting dust under the deck. After that I had a brief dirtbike stint which turned into snowmobiles, and I still have an old yamaha on a little trailer beside my garage. Recently I have gotten into kendo, which immediately showed me the limits of my athleticism since it is much much more demanding cardio-wise as well as leg/feet dexterity. However I find myself loathing the amount of gear as well as the ceremony (typical of japanese arts, I did shoot kyudo for a year as well) so I have been considering joining a friend's kickboxing gym because I think the real secret sauce is simply hitting stuff, so why bother with all of the extra steps?
Outside of that I also make leather bondage gear to order, but that entire skillset has lost the honest hobby maker-pleasure to me the same way welding has. But, it does pay off a bunch of bills consistently, so I will continue to do it as long as orders come in since I already have all of the tools and a lot of materials.
I feel too old for Capoeira, but it did occupy a good part of my 20s and some of my 30s
Now, I just like designing stuff. Arcade design and building is a perpetual hobby - to the point that I think that my current one is becoming more of a theme park ride than a basement cabinet.
I still play the drums, but even with pals who want to jam, the magic and the drive just aren't there like they used to be.
My wife was several years into Capoeira when we first met. She continued for a few more years, but ultimately decided the juice wasn't worth the squeeze as far as further advancement and got kind of burned out on the "in group" mentality of it.
So many groups are do or die when it comes to loyalty and putting in the work. I'm with your wife - I don't like that aspect of it.
I'd train again, but if I get a whiff of belts or uniforms, I'm out.
Hmm favorite would probably have to be cycling (also, most expensive ugh). I do multiple group rides a week, including a couple at 5am. Got into the hobby/sport early last year and slowly went from riding an old bike from college 5 miles to having new road and gravel bikes, wearing lycra and riding 100-150 miles a week.
Outside of cycling, reading, retro games and hiking are probably tied for second place haha
As someone with ADHD, my preferred hobby changes constantly. There are hobbies I always love, but alternate around, and there is my current preferred hobby.
Favorite hobbies in general:
Sewing, reading, cooking, baking, knitting, drawing, embroidery
current preferred hobby: English paper piecing
Actually, you know what? My favorite hobby is scrolling pinterest and finding activities (recipes, patterns, books, coloring pages, arts and crafts) that I want to do one day.
Interesting, the paper piecing. How are the hex joined together? I've wanted to do a hex crochet version of something like this (but also ADHD)
Stitched at the edge! English Paper Piecing is something I accidentally stumbled on it on pinterest. I wanted to make a hexipuff blanket a while ago, and I made a few puffs and decided I hated the feeling of the stuffing, so I gave up.
photo of my hexagon progress
Ooooh pretty hexes
Update when done?
Of course! I have no idea what I'm going t end up making with them. I don't think I'll make a quilt, I was thinking like a patchwork dress or skirt, maybe a tote bag or purse. I probably have enough made now that I could make something small lol.
A tote bag would be fantastically cute. Or a craft basket! For your other thousands of craft pieces :)
Omg that would be amazing! Mr. Tired is tired (lol) of me using a basket for a very long-term knitting project. Maybe I can make a basket with the hexies and modpodge or something and use that instead. Probably not, it's a sticker project than my sensory issues can take on, but it's fun to fantasize!
Actively listening to music!
Not as background noise or even singing along (though I still do both) but putting a full album on and reading the lyrics alongside the music. Considering how the instruments and vocal delivery augment the feelings being evoked or, if the music is purely instrumental, closing my eyes and going on the journey with the band. Sometimes I'll read interviews discussing their inspiration or what world events were happening at the time.
This goes hand-in-hand with finding new bands to listen to. I'll spend an afternoon trawling through live sessions and music award lists. Often I'll find something completely weird that I wouldn't have given the time of day 5 years ago, but I've become more open to.
You should check out musicleague.com! I've been playing with a group of friends for a months now and it's been a fantastic way to find new music that I never would have discovered otherwise. You can play in random groups online, too, if you can't get a group of friends together.
Important caveat: requires Spotify.
Ahh, that sounds really fun but I don't pay for streaming services.
Totally justified, good for you (I'm assuming this is a principles thing and not just a budget thing). I'd love to ditch Spotify eventually, I'm just not there yet so I'm enjoying it while I have it.
Godspeed my friend! I'm fortunate that I started my library 10 years ago and it's grown into a fairly extensive collection, but I started very slow - maybe 1 albums every 2 months.
I know most people don't buy albums anymore but you could do the same with your 10 most-played songs. Spotify used to have a feature where you could link your personal library alongside your Spotify playlist, so you could chip away at that until you don't feel like you'd be missing much?
That's not a bad transition strategy actually, I hadn't thought of that! Right now my idea is that I'd like to eventually just do everything via Bandcamp (unless I discover something better/more effective), but (a) I expect I'll miss how easy it is to just try out new music on Spotify, and (b) I don't currently have an income so anything that requires me to purchase a large amount of items is going to have to wait lol.
Chipping away at it is definitely the way to go though. That's been my strategy for de-googling over the last few years and I've made a ton of progress.
I'm happy to hear any advice/thoughts you have if you're interested in sharing!
Probably Brazilian jiujitsu, followed closely by playing with computers
Are you also swole like @aphoenix is?
Nah, I'm a pretty normal shaped middle aged dad.
This shoutout made me smile, especially since I was feeling pretty unswole today. Thanks!
I guess I would have to say reading, though that feels like saying that breathing is a hobby. I have for the last few years been reading about 2 books per month, which is far down from when I was younger, but I have more hobbies and less time than I used to.
Cooking, gaming, making music are all my runners-up.
That's easy, painting! After a couple of years when you really get better at it, that's when true enjoyment kicks in, and the interesting part is that you never stop learning, there's always new ways of doing things/using colors etc.
Rock climbing with video/board games and playing music right behind it.
For the past year or so it's been FPV drones.
I'm super late to flying them, it seems like their heyday was maybe 6 or so years ago when people were still amazed by the videos, but building, flying, and crashing them has been a blast. I don't do it to make content or post videos, I just do it because flying them is fun, and tinkering with them may be even more fun.
I've always been interested in computers and electronics, so the idea of configuring a computer to fly through the air well is really badass.
There's also a satisfying muscle memory/physical skill progression aspect that comes from being able to fly them well; pulling off cool tricks, flying fast and close to objects, and getting the aircraft to do what you want.
Me too! I'm about to try my first in-person tinywhoop race this weekend! :)
Awesome! I have a couple of betafpv tinywhoops I fly around my house constantly and annoy my fiance with. I don't know if I'd ever be confident enough to try actually racing though, lol.
If you ever want to dip your toes in the pool, there's an annual whoop race format that's essentially "build a compact track at home using standardized pvc parts and submit video times to a common global leaderboard", and it's just starting now: https://www.racegow.com/
My all time favorite hobby has always been video games. There's something about safely testing my reaction speed and quick thinking that I love. Other hobbies tend to come and go. I get to a level of proficiency that is "good enough" or just burn out and move to the next shiny activity or skill to learn. Some other hobbies include(d) wheel throwing, DJing, poi spinning, woodworking, gamedev, and building audio reactive electronics. They're all very satisfying and test skills I enjoy practicing, but many hobbies need dedicated space or cost a lot. Video games are probably the most fun for the price, accessibility, and variety.
Anything in the "creative" sphere, really. Though, I suppose it's hard for me to truly think about "favorite" depending on how that's defined-
What I get the most joy out of is creating things, whether songwriting/recording/playing instruments, or 3D printing, or trying to learn how to draw, or taking photos of all sorts of things (including other hobbies/interests like tea and coffee), or writing poetry/lyrics, or finding new music and writing on my blog about it, or trying to learn pixel art, or... (you see how this goes, lol).
Truth is, sometimes the things I get the most joy out of aren't things I do as often as others, simply because of my energy levels or something else. So sometimes, video games, on a given day, are my favorite hobby. Other days it's tinkering with tech stuff.
But ultimately, anything in the creative sphere is definitely what I derive the most joy from, bar none.
If I had to choose- probably anything specific to music (playing/practicing instruments, songwriting, recording, lyrics, etc). There is nothing more euphoric for me
Currently I'm learning to swim with regular leg-kicks (I've only known how to frog-swim before, and badly) with the intention to learn to crawl and down the line dolphin-kick-swim. I'm practising with a diving mask & snorkel so that I don't have to worry about my arms or breathing intervals.
I'm also training to hold my breath. Only on land for now (mostly in my bed but also while going up stairs - when I remember), when I get a better understanding of how I feel while holding my breath and the signals I need to listen to I will start combining the two.
My goal is to become as comfortable under water (and ice) as Johanna Nordblad.
Depends on the day.
But I really enjoy painting and playing miniature wargames. I've painted hundreds of models at this point and probably played a couple hundred hours worth of games.
But I also really enjoy fixing things. From cars to electronics, I like taking things apart, understanding how they work and then repairing them.
Drecktharx what kind of breads are your favourite, do you make any, and what's on your bread bucket list?
I'm also ADHD so while I have a collection of "would be" hobbies like a few others here, the one I actually end up "practicing" most is looking at real estate. Because I'm almost never going to actually be buying anything, it's what I like to spend time on instead of watching sportsball or scrolling Instagram. I like looking at flip fails, classic houses, laughing at McMansions, admiring other people's decor, pretty kitchens etc. But I also like researching the geology or area around the house.
I have very little interest in speculative buying or being a landlord though, and I remain forever bearish. Mostly mean spirited schadenfreude and "yes if money fell out of the sky I would like to live here" type.