You shouldn’t have to commit to a hobby. The whole point of a hobby is to do something you actually wanna do. If you feel obligated to do it the joy will go away. The “commitment” should be...
You shouldn’t have to commit to a hobby. The whole point of a hobby is to do something you actually wanna do. If you feel obligated to do it the joy will go away. The “commitment” should be entirely organic. Are we so obsessed with productivity that even our leisure must be quantified?
At the same time, if you don't commit to a hobby in some way, you never get good enough at it to gain joy from it. Say you're a somewhat busy person, if 14-16 hours of your day are taken up by...
At the same time, if you don't commit to a hobby in some way, you never get good enough at it to gain joy from it. Say you're a somewhat busy person, if 14-16 hours of your day are taken up by work + normal chores (basic personal/home hygiene, commuting, exercise, eating, etc.), and another 6-8 are made up of sleep, that leaves 4 hours of truly free time, max. If you have roughly normal levels of 'willpower'/motivation, then you'll probably have the energy to spend 2 of those hours with an mentally intensive hobby before you need to switch to a less energetically costly habit. And that's if you're sleep-efficient, and don't have a time-expensive job, or kids or other family who rely on you.
Therefore, this hypothetical person is in a time crunch that necessitates their hobbies either be low-energy, or a true passion of theirs. However, most people don't develop a passion without time spent on the object. Sure, knitting works well for them, but what if they want to develop a more actively-practiced skill?
It is entirely possible to be a happy individual without any hobbies. And if you have an intense agenda, maybe you should not have hobbies in the first place. Besides: resting is important. And I...
It is entirely possible to be a happy individual without any hobbies.
And if you have an intense agenda, maybe you should not have hobbies in the first place.
Besides: resting is important. And I don’t mean just sleeping.
Nobody implied that a hobby is necessary to make you happier or that you should burn out for the sake of being good at a hobby. Hobbies usually require some level of time and energy commitment and...
Nobody implied that a hobby is necessary to make you happier or that you should burn out for the sake of being good at a hobby.
Hobbies usually require some level of time and energy commitment and often have some level of activation energy required to get enjoyment out of them. I love my hobbies but don't always want to do them after a day of work. If I wait until I'm in the right state of mind to do my hobby, I'll only get to it on weekends.
In addition to @kodystriplin's response: I wouldn't call that hypothetical person's agenda intense. It includes the minimum daily habits to thrive, along with a 'normal' level of daily work.
yes, I can't stand idle entertainment because I'm falling behind on all the progress I could be making in my "hobbies". I still do it. but I feel bad about it. similar sentiment to what's laid out...
yes, I can't stand idle entertainment because I'm falling behind on all the progress I could be making in my "hobbies". I still do it. but I feel bad about it.
similar sentiment to what's laid out here: The Guardian: Who killed the weekend? or various others like it in the last year that question our modern obsession with workism and productivity, even in our spare time. I can't shake the feeling. and I'm always on edge.
I have to agree with @wervenyt here. This isn't a very pragmatic take. Take my hobby for example—paragliding. If I want to stay good at it—hell, even safe at it—I need to fly at least once a...
I have to agree with @wervenyt here. This isn't a very pragmatic take. Take my hobby for example—paragliding. If I want to stay good at it—hell, even safe at it—I need to fly at least once a month. And that's not just for my own desires: I am legally obligated to fulfil my currency requirement of a certain number of flying hours per year as a condition of holding my license.
Sounds easy, but when the weather is shit and it's winter and freezing cold, even that can be a huge ask. You can spend whole days waiting to fly by sitting on the ground at launch, without actually doing anything constructive.
Now, my example might be an extreme one, not everyone runs off hills to get their kick out of life. But there tends to be an associated correlation between your quality at practicing your hobby and your time spent doing it. Whether that's surfing, running, rowing, flying, biking. Doesn't matter.
No one should chastise you for 'not doing enough' if you feel like you're meeting your own criteria for success (and that's a whole other topic, success is not something you can define for anyone else. It's an intensely personal topic), but hobbies do require commitment.
There are some hobbies that require commitment but many don't and it seems fine to just try a bunch without committing? That just means you didn't find the one you like yet.
There are some hobbies that require commitment but many don't and it seems fine to just try a bunch without committing? That just means you didn't find the one you like yet.
You shouldn’t have to commit to a hobby. The whole point of a hobby is to do something you actually wanna do. If you feel obligated to do it the joy will go away. The “commitment” should be entirely organic. Are we so obsessed with productivity that even our leisure must be quantified?
At the same time, if you don't commit to a hobby in some way, you never get good enough at it to gain joy from it. Say you're a somewhat busy person, if 14-16 hours of your day are taken up by work + normal chores (basic personal/home hygiene, commuting, exercise, eating, etc.), and another 6-8 are made up of sleep, that leaves 4 hours of truly free time, max. If you have roughly normal levels of 'willpower'/motivation, then you'll probably have the energy to spend 2 of those hours with an mentally intensive hobby before you need to switch to a less energetically costly habit. And that's if you're sleep-efficient, and don't have a time-expensive job, or kids or other family who rely on you.
Therefore, this hypothetical person is in a time crunch that necessitates their hobbies either be low-energy, or a true passion of theirs. However, most people don't develop a passion without time spent on the object. Sure, knitting works well for them, but what if they want to develop a more actively-practiced skill?
It is entirely possible to be a happy individual without any hobbies.
And if you have an intense agenda, maybe you should not have hobbies in the first place.
Besides: resting is important. And I don’t mean just sleeping.
Nobody implied that a hobby is necessary to make you happier or that you should burn out for the sake of being good at a hobby.
Hobbies usually require some level of time and energy commitment and often have some level of activation energy required to get enjoyment out of them. I love my hobbies but don't always want to do them after a day of work. If I wait until I'm in the right state of mind to do my hobby, I'll only get to it on weekends.
In addition to @kodystriplin's response:
I wouldn't call that hypothetical person's agenda intense. It includes the minimum daily habits to thrive, along with a 'normal' level of daily work.
yes, I can't stand idle entertainment because I'm falling behind on all the progress I could be making in my "hobbies". I still do it. but I feel bad about it.
similar sentiment to what's laid out here: The Guardian: Who killed the weekend? or various others like it in the last year that question our modern obsession with workism and productivity, even in our spare time. I can't shake the feeling. and I'm always on edge.
stumbled on some articles just now that interesting:
The Atlantic: Workism Is Making Americans Miserable
CBC: Why we need to rethink our obsession with being more productive
I have to agree with @wervenyt here. This isn't a very pragmatic take. Take my hobby for example—paragliding. If I want to stay good at it—hell, even safe at it—I need to fly at least once a month. And that's not just for my own desires: I am legally obligated to fulfil my currency requirement of a certain number of flying hours per year as a condition of holding my license.
Sounds easy, but when the weather is shit and it's winter and freezing cold, even that can be a huge ask. You can spend whole days waiting to fly by sitting on the ground at launch, without actually doing anything constructive.
Now, my example might be an extreme one, not everyone runs off hills to get their kick out of life. But there tends to be an associated correlation between your quality at practicing your hobby and your time spent doing it. Whether that's surfing, running, rowing, flying, biking. Doesn't matter.
No one should chastise you for 'not doing enough' if you feel like you're meeting your own criteria for success (and that's a whole other topic, success is not something you can define for anyone else. It's an intensely personal topic), but hobbies do require commitment.
There are some hobbies that require commitment but many don't and it seems fine to just try a bunch without committing? That just means you didn't find the one you like yet.