Finding a hobby

As I get older I’m finding it’s more and more important to make sure that I always have a hobby.

Years ago I decided to always dosomething on the side for fun. I’d gotten to the point where I was turning my creative ideas into income streams (or at least attempting to), and I’d stripped much of the joy-for-its-own-sake out of my life.

This was of my own doing of course, but I backed myself into a corner without realizing it. One day I looked up and realized every non-family-related moment of my day had a goal toward monetization.

I’ve since changed a few things.

For one, I’ve been in therapy. Recognizing the problem is the first step as they say. I’ve actively sought out ways to just have fun. I’ve moved to taking true breaks on weekends, and not filling every weeknight with work. I’ve re-evaluated how I approach work and life (a thing that, if we’re being honest, I’ll forever be on a journey seeking the right balance). I’ve found new hobbies, picked up old ones, and spent time just exploring things. I’ve also converted hobbies into work, and then had to go out and find new ones.

Through all this I’ve reminded myself that I need to find time each day for fun for its own sake. Not everything has to be turned into a financial reward center.

Still, the things I pour my energy into outside work tend to help in my work in some way or another.

A few years ago I was playing a video game in the evenings to try and relax. One day at work I realized the HUD interface was perfect for an AR based solution I was trying to solve. When I finally connected the two I was able to use that purely-for-fun time and pull it into a design I needed.

It’s fine with that happens, it’s actually a good thing. It means the hobby has leapt across the divide and helped in other areas of life—all without trying.

There will always be connections between play and work, but most importantly the connections occur when they’re not forced. Instead of poking around under every rock for financial benefit, you’re looking for bugs and snakes just for the heck of it.

One recent hobby of mine has been getting back into basketball. I started listening to The Greatest of All Talk because it was part of the Stratechery bundle. It was also around the same time the Sacramento Kings made it back into the playoffs. As a fan of Chris Webber, Mike Bibby, Peja Stojakovic, and Vlade Divek (I got a selfie with him at an airport once), it was a fun excuse to start watching games again and figure out how the game evolved since 2004. Needless to say there’s been a lot to learn. I also got to meet one of the hosts of the podcast and take him on a hike through a local park.

The NBA has been a fun and harmless distraction in my life where I’m able to divert attention and do a thing that is unlikely to make me money. Now there’s a point where I could probably get obsessive, so I’ve limited myself a bit to what I consider a healthy amount each week. That will be different for each person.

Spending time looking into stats, trying to learn about players, attempting to understand all the rules of the game—it’s all been a fun side quest hobby.

Could I turn it into a business? Sure, maybe. But it’d probably not be a great one, and it’d remove one of the areas of life I enjoy purely for the curiosity and fun.

It’s Finals season right now and I watched Game 5 between OKC and the Pacers. I, of course, rooted for Indiana and got my heart ripped out. And naturally I’ve started following the conspiracy theories of the day, ones that crazily enough are still connected to the infamous 2002 Kings and Lakers Western Conference Finals run that broke my heart.

And the funny thing is, in all this I have to remind myself this is fine. It’s not a bad thing to have a passion for something that is exciting purely for its own sake.

I’ve extended this into other areas as well. Spending time just reading a book, or playing a video game.

Now, if you’re reading this you might be wondering if all this play is a problem and gets in the way of work. On the contrary, I tend toward workaholicism, so forcing myself back from that helps me re-center and make my time in work count, instead of extending the days into the point of diminshing returns.

I’ve found that having an attitude of play in a hobby translates well into work. You start looking for ways to have fun with a design, to make it delightful, and to get lost in the problem.

So if you don’t have a hobby, try picking one up again. There’s probably something in the back of your mind you’ve been wanting to do.