5 ms·

Many people I've met really could use more fulfilling hobbies.

by Taywee 3y ago

petsfed 3y ago
How many of those people feel like they have time to pursue more fulfilling activities? Speaking only for myself, my more fulfilling hobbies feel like a zero-sum proposition when I factor in taking care of myself, my kids, my home, etc. What little leisure time activies I pursue are almost all pursued between the hours of 9 and 11pm, because that's the time I have. I think the OP is right in a lot of ways, that work has replaced our other social outlets. But its also the case that just existing costs more, so time formerly spent on hobbies is now spent on basic lifestyle maintenance, and the time formerly spent on basic lifestyle maintenance is spent working, or commuting to/from work (because a lot of people can't afford to live near they work).
- Taywee 3y ago
  I understand that. I am in a very similar position. I make time for my hobbies and it is often very difficult, especially as an active parent who makes a strong effort to be present regularly in my kids' lives. Sometimes, I don't get any time into my hobby projects for over a week at a time. Sometimes I get time in and it's unsatisfying because they're creative and intellectual hobbies and I'm already mentally drained, so I can't even appreciate them fully. I wasn't making a judgment (though I wasn't explicitly not making one either), just saying that many people could use them. Hobbies are good identities, and many people feel a need to define themselves but struggle to do so. That said, I do know people who complain about having very little time, but I know they spend 4 or 5 hours every day on television, video games, and social media. They don't own a home, they don't have kids, they get on the TV as soon as they get off their 40-hour-a-week job, and complain about how they can't afford the time to have hobbies. Excuses exist on a spectrum of reasonableness, and some excuses are more understandable than others. The majority of people I know who really want to have fulfilling hobbies do have fulfilling hobbies. Many of them work long hours, also have kids, have to take care of their home, and the like. They'll still scrounge together a few hours a week to paint some Warhammer figurines and decompress. Most people would also benefit from occasional therapy or a personal accountant. It's not accessible for everybody, but the fact remains.
- JohnFen 3y ago
  > How many of those people feel like they have time to pursue more fulfilling activities? And yet, most people have hours every day available to spend watching movies, YouTube, etc. That is time that could be spent doing something fulfilling.
  - cableshaft 3y ago
    I wouldn’t judge those people too harshly. That might be all they have the mental energy to do at the end of the day, they need to let their brain reset. As someone who tries to spend most of my days after work making games, there are days I just don’t have the mental energy to do it. And there have been months where I haven’t worked on it at all, as work and things in my personal life get more stressful.
    - deleted 3y ago
      [deleted]
    - JohnFen 3y ago
      Oh, I'm not judging at all -- I have my own preferred time-burners as well. I'm just pointing out that a lot of the time when I hear people say they don't have time for something, they also spend a lot of time every day doing things like that. For many people, "not having time" is the result of decisions about how their time is allocated. Those people can allocate differently if they so choose.
  - petsfed 3y ago
    I think you missed some nuance there. If I only realistically have between 9 and 11pm, I am pretty limited on what hobbies I can take up. It's not just that I'm literally time constrained, but also that the time I have available is not conducive to certain activities, so I'm left with video games, TV, etc. Its the same story as "I can't go to the bank if they're only open when I have to be at work", but for mental health rather than finances.

Many people I've met really could use more fulfilling hobbies.

by Taywee 3y ago

Many people I've met really could use more fulfilling hobbies.

How many of those people feel like they have time to pursue more fulfilling activities? Speaking only for myself, my more fulfilling hobbies feel like a zero-sum proposition when I factor in taking care of myself, my kids, my home, etc. What little leisure time activies I pursue are almost all pursued between the hours of 9 and 11pm, because that's the time I have. I think the OP is right in a lot of ways, that work has replaced our other social outlets. But its also the case that just existing costs more, so time formerly spent on hobbies is now spent on basic lifestyle maintenance, and the time formerly spent on basic lifestyle maintenance is spent working, or commuting to/from work (because a lot of people can't afford to live near they work).

Taywee 3y ago
I understand that. I am in a very similar position. I make time for my hobbies and it is often very difficult, especially as an active parent who makes a strong effort to be present regularly in my kids' lives. Sometimes, I don't get any time into my hobby projects for over a week at a time. Sometimes I get time in and it's unsatisfying because they're creative and intellectual hobbies and I'm already mentally drained, so I can't even appreciate them fully. I wasn't making a judgment (though I wasn't explicitly not making one either), just saying that many people could use them. Hobbies are good identities, and many people feel a need to define themselves but struggle to do so. That said, I do know people who complain about having very little time, but I know they spend 4 or 5 hours every day on television, video games, and social media. They don't own a home, they don't have kids, they get on the TV as soon as they get off their 40-hour-a-week job, and complain about how they can't afford the time to have hobbies. Excuses exist on a spectrum of reasonableness, and some excuses are more understandable than others. The majority of people I know who really want to have fulfilling hobbies do have fulfilling hobbies. Many of them work long hours, also have kids, have to take care of their home, and the like. They'll still scrounge together a few hours a week to paint some Warhammer figurines and decompress. Most people would also benefit from occasional therapy or a personal accountant. It's not accessible for everybody, but the fact remains.
JohnFen 3y ago
> How many of those people feel like they have time to pursue more fulfilling activities? And yet, most people have hours every day available to spend watching movies, YouTube, etc. That is time that could be spent doing something fulfilling.
- cableshaft 3y ago
  I wouldn’t judge those people too harshly. That might be all they have the mental energy to do at the end of the day, they need to let their brain reset. As someone who tries to spend most of my days after work making games, there are days I just don’t have the mental energy to do it. And there have been months where I haven’t worked on it at all, as work and things in my personal life get more stressful.
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
  - JohnFen 3y ago
    Oh, I'm not judging at all -- I have my own preferred time-burners as well. I'm just pointing out that a lot of the time when I hear people say they don't have time for something, they also spend a lot of time every day doing things like that. For many people, "not having time" is the result of decisions about how their time is allocated. Those people can allocate differently if they so choose.
- petsfed 3y ago
  I think you missed some nuance there. If I only realistically have between 9 and 11pm, I am pretty limited on what hobbies I can take up. It's not just that I'm literally time constrained, but also that the time I have available is not conducive to certain activities, so I'm left with video games, TV, etc. Its the same story as "I can't go to the bank if they're only open when I have to be at work", but for mental health rather than finances.