1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:04,240 Speaker 1: Hello everybody, Welcome back to the show. Welcome back to 2 00:00:04,280 --> 00:00:08,080 Speaker 1: the podcast, new listeners, old listeners. Wherever you are in 3 00:00:08,119 --> 00:00:10,920 Speaker 1: the world, it is so great to have you here. 4 00:00:11,480 --> 00:00:15,040 Speaker 1: Back for another episode as we of course break down 5 00:00:15,280 --> 00:00:19,560 Speaker 1: the psychology of your twenties. This topic has been a 6 00:00:19,560 --> 00:00:22,360 Speaker 1: long time coming. It has been on my list of 7 00:00:22,600 --> 00:00:24,360 Speaker 1: things that I really want to talk about for a while, 8 00:00:24,760 --> 00:00:27,560 Speaker 1: and today we are finally getting around to doing it. 9 00:00:27,920 --> 00:00:31,880 Speaker 1: We're going to be talking about the psychology of hobbies 10 00:00:32,360 --> 00:00:34,959 Speaker 1: and how essential they are not just for your wellbeing, 11 00:00:35,360 --> 00:00:39,360 Speaker 1: but for this decade of life. I think personally that 12 00:00:39,440 --> 00:00:43,640 Speaker 1: hobbies are just as important as our friendships during our twenties. 13 00:00:44,080 --> 00:00:46,680 Speaker 1: But despite that, we really do struggle. You and I, 14 00:00:46,800 --> 00:00:50,320 Speaker 1: both of us can acknowledge that we struggle to devote 15 00:00:50,360 --> 00:00:54,560 Speaker 1: the necessary time to them to doing our hobbies. We 16 00:00:54,640 --> 00:00:57,560 Speaker 1: wish that we had more kind of things that we 17 00:00:57,720 --> 00:01:00,520 Speaker 1: love to do in our free time. For me, personally, 18 00:01:01,040 --> 00:01:04,800 Speaker 1: I feel like I collect hobbies almost like their trinkets. 19 00:01:04,840 --> 00:01:08,320 Speaker 1: Like I have so many hobbies on rotation that I 20 00:01:08,360 --> 00:01:10,800 Speaker 1: adore and that I love doing, but I don't always 21 00:01:10,840 --> 00:01:13,400 Speaker 1: get the chance to actually do them, And you know, 22 00:01:13,440 --> 00:01:15,280 Speaker 1: I'll drop them every now and again and then pick 23 00:01:15,319 --> 00:01:19,560 Speaker 1: them back up like six months later. And what I've 24 00:01:19,560 --> 00:01:22,360 Speaker 1: really begun to realize is that the times when I'm 25 00:01:22,400 --> 00:01:25,880 Speaker 1: not actively doing my hobbies are the times when my 26 00:01:26,040 --> 00:01:29,839 Speaker 1: life kind of suffers. Often it's that my life feels 27 00:01:29,840 --> 00:01:33,400 Speaker 1: like it's all centered on work and my relationships and 28 00:01:33,400 --> 00:01:36,000 Speaker 1: my responsibilities, and we need something deeper than that. We 29 00:01:36,040 --> 00:01:39,399 Speaker 1: need projects, we need creativity, We need to be using 30 00:01:40,000 --> 00:01:42,120 Speaker 1: different parts of our brain. And there are just so 31 00:01:42,200 --> 00:01:46,800 Speaker 1: many benefits that hobbies bring. You think that something so 32 00:01:46,920 --> 00:01:51,200 Speaker 1: small and so playful of it and so fun couldn't 33 00:01:51,240 --> 00:01:54,360 Speaker 1: be so powerful. But I think actually enjoying your life 34 00:01:54,680 --> 00:01:58,600 Speaker 1: is one of those crucial, you know, secret parts of 35 00:01:58,680 --> 00:02:03,960 Speaker 1: being healthy physically, of being more rounded, a more interesting, 36 00:02:04,520 --> 00:02:08,200 Speaker 1: fulfilled person. Hobbies play a big role in that, and 37 00:02:08,280 --> 00:02:10,360 Speaker 1: it's so easy to see. Our well being is like 38 00:02:10,800 --> 00:02:16,360 Speaker 1: physical health, mental health, seeing friends, but having fun, being creative, 39 00:02:16,440 --> 00:02:20,240 Speaker 1: doing something else with your time is significant. I also 40 00:02:20,240 --> 00:02:23,799 Speaker 1: feel like hobbies are so great for reconnecting with your 41 00:02:23,800 --> 00:02:27,600 Speaker 1: inner child. They make you feel curious, they're grateful, connecting 42 00:02:27,639 --> 00:02:31,000 Speaker 1: with others. They use new parts of your brain that 43 00:02:31,080 --> 00:02:33,280 Speaker 1: lay dormant whilst you're at work. You know the list 44 00:02:33,360 --> 00:02:36,519 Speaker 1: goes on. So today we're going to talk about the hidden, 45 00:02:36,600 --> 00:02:40,040 Speaker 1: the psychological benefits of the hobbies that you may not know, 46 00:02:40,520 --> 00:02:43,440 Speaker 1: the different types of hobbies, different categories of hobbies that 47 00:02:43,760 --> 00:02:46,120 Speaker 1: are really actually quite fascinating when you get into it, 48 00:02:46,680 --> 00:02:50,280 Speaker 1: and why it is that we struggle so much to 49 00:02:50,880 --> 00:02:53,120 Speaker 1: get engaged in them. Why it is so much easier 50 00:02:53,560 --> 00:02:58,040 Speaker 1: to consume, to watch television, to watch Instagram reels, to 51 00:02:58,120 --> 00:03:01,960 Speaker 1: watch tiktoks, why that has become the status quo, and 52 00:03:02,080 --> 00:03:06,400 Speaker 1: how we can overcome the three major barriers that are 53 00:03:06,400 --> 00:03:10,920 Speaker 1: stopping us from doing our hobbies. I'm energized by this episode. 54 00:03:11,320 --> 00:03:13,600 Speaker 1: I am excited by this episode. I want us all 55 00:03:13,639 --> 00:03:16,480 Speaker 1: to leave, ready to try something new, to get your 56 00:03:16,520 --> 00:03:20,240 Speaker 1: hands dirty, to get playful, get active, whatever it is. So, 57 00:03:20,520 --> 00:03:24,679 Speaker 1: without further ado, let's dive into all of the psychology 58 00:03:24,760 --> 00:03:34,640 Speaker 1: behind why we need hobbies, especially in our twenties. Let's 59 00:03:34,680 --> 00:03:38,480 Speaker 1: begin with the basics. Something so simple that it might 60 00:03:38,520 --> 00:03:42,360 Speaker 1: seem silly. What is a hobby? What does that even 61 00:03:42,440 --> 00:03:45,040 Speaker 1: mean in this day and age. That's where we really 62 00:03:45,040 --> 00:03:47,640 Speaker 1: have to begin, And it's actually not a stupid question, 63 00:03:47,720 --> 00:03:51,720 Speaker 1: because surprisingly, the very definition of what makes up a 64 00:03:51,760 --> 00:03:56,560 Speaker 1: hobby is up for debate. I think the debate is 65 00:03:56,600 --> 00:04:01,120 Speaker 1: actually best summarized by whether you think watch movies is 66 00:04:01,160 --> 00:04:04,720 Speaker 1: a hobby or not, Because some people say, yes, of 67 00:04:04,760 --> 00:04:08,640 Speaker 1: course it is. It's like quite educational, you can get 68 00:04:08,720 --> 00:04:12,600 Speaker 1: quite intellectual about it, and other people would be like, yeah, absolutely, no, way, 69 00:04:12,880 --> 00:04:16,400 Speaker 1: that's way too passive to be a hobby. Think about 70 00:04:16,640 --> 00:04:20,520 Speaker 1: your answer, because it actually points to a really important 71 00:04:20,560 --> 00:04:23,680 Speaker 1: distinction between what makes up a hobby and what does it. 72 00:04:23,720 --> 00:04:26,520 Speaker 1: We can all agree that a hobby is something we 73 00:04:26,600 --> 00:04:29,600 Speaker 1: do with our free time that we naturally enjoy. It 74 00:04:29,640 --> 00:04:33,400 Speaker 1: also can't be related to work, and some people would 75 00:04:33,400 --> 00:04:35,880 Speaker 1: even say it can't be related to anything that you 76 00:04:36,040 --> 00:04:38,400 Speaker 1: need to do, anything that is essential that you need 77 00:04:38,400 --> 00:04:42,760 Speaker 1: for survival. So I love grocery shopping, right, and I 78 00:04:42,800 --> 00:04:45,400 Speaker 1: do that in my free time, But it's not a 79 00:04:45,440 --> 00:04:49,080 Speaker 1: hobby because it's something that is essential. So hobbies are 80 00:04:49,080 --> 00:04:52,479 Speaker 1: their own unique form of, you know, leisure that is 81 00:04:52,520 --> 00:04:56,000 Speaker 1: not purpose driven. The debate I mentioned before is also 82 00:04:56,040 --> 00:04:59,880 Speaker 1: about whether a hobby requires some kind of effort or 83 00:05:00,240 --> 00:05:04,480 Speaker 1: energy to be considered a hobby. So there is very 84 00:05:04,480 --> 00:05:07,920 Speaker 1: little mental effort that goes into being on your phone 85 00:05:08,200 --> 00:05:11,960 Speaker 1: or scrolling or watching TV and so people would say 86 00:05:12,000 --> 00:05:15,480 Speaker 1: there's not an active commitment. You're not really getting something 87 00:05:15,480 --> 00:05:18,240 Speaker 1: out because you're not putting anything in. But maybe you 88 00:05:18,279 --> 00:05:21,600 Speaker 1: know foreign films that festivals would count because it does 89 00:05:21,640 --> 00:05:26,559 Speaker 1: require some kind of cognitive expenditure. Hopefully that makes sense. 90 00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:29,960 Speaker 1: It's really that debate abound what crosses the line, And 91 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:32,240 Speaker 1: if you want my opinion, I'm a bit of a 92 00:05:32,240 --> 00:05:37,080 Speaker 1: hobby traditionalist. I do think that your hobbies kind of 93 00:05:37,120 --> 00:05:40,840 Speaker 1: require something extra. They require you to like switch on 94 00:05:40,880 --> 00:05:44,680 Speaker 1: your brain or your body or your creativity in a 95 00:05:44,720 --> 00:05:47,320 Speaker 1: way that you know, a passive act like watching TV 96 00:05:48,080 --> 00:05:51,840 Speaker 1: or being on your phone doesn't like it's active. If 97 00:05:51,880 --> 00:05:54,039 Speaker 1: you don't agree, obviously, it would love to hear from you, 98 00:05:54,080 --> 00:05:58,320 Speaker 1: because I know that there is differing opinions. But basically, 99 00:05:58,800 --> 00:06:00,640 Speaker 1: it's something that you find fun, that you do in 100 00:06:00,680 --> 00:06:03,440 Speaker 1: your leisure time, that you do regularly, which we'll get 101 00:06:03,480 --> 00:06:06,719 Speaker 1: to later, and that uses some part of your brain 102 00:06:07,400 --> 00:06:11,320 Speaker 1: or your body which is not related to work or 103 00:06:11,360 --> 00:06:16,640 Speaker 1: something essential. Something really fascinating at least I think it's fascinating. 104 00:06:16,760 --> 00:06:20,800 Speaker 1: But something fascinating that I discovered is about how certain 105 00:06:20,839 --> 00:06:25,760 Speaker 1: people think about hobbies, especially sociologists, and how they group 106 00:06:25,839 --> 00:06:30,880 Speaker 1: them so there are actually three different types of hobbies 107 00:06:31,040 --> 00:06:34,160 Speaker 1: or hobbyists people who do hobbies. According to this book, 108 00:06:34,200 --> 00:06:38,400 Speaker 1: which is a whole book on the psychology and the 109 00:06:39,040 --> 00:06:43,279 Speaker 1: sociology of hobbies published in twenty fifteen, there is the 110 00:06:43,480 --> 00:06:47,760 Speaker 1: casual leisure kind of hobby that is fun, you know, 111 00:06:47,800 --> 00:06:51,839 Speaker 1: maybe short lived, doesn't really require a lot of preparation 112 00:06:51,960 --> 00:06:55,000 Speaker 1: or money. So like you might go and play basketball 113 00:06:55,000 --> 00:06:58,080 Speaker 1: at a community court once a week, or you swim 114 00:06:58,080 --> 00:07:00,520 Speaker 1: at the local pool, you play board game, you make 115 00:07:00,600 --> 00:07:05,520 Speaker 1: some kind of art like coloring in. That is casual leisure. 116 00:07:06,320 --> 00:07:08,760 Speaker 1: Then we get a bit more serious, and this is 117 00:07:09,120 --> 00:07:14,680 Speaker 1: very properly called serious leisure hobbies. These are the kinds 118 00:07:14,680 --> 00:07:17,800 Speaker 1: of hobbies that require a bit more effort, a bit 119 00:07:17,800 --> 00:07:22,000 Speaker 1: more money as well to be rewarding. Like ceramics there 120 00:07:22,080 --> 00:07:24,280 Speaker 1: is do you have to pay for the tools, you 121 00:07:24,280 --> 00:07:27,280 Speaker 1: have to pay for the equipment, or horse riding or 122 00:07:27,320 --> 00:07:31,400 Speaker 1: scuba diving. It can also describe people who have taken 123 00:07:31,560 --> 00:07:35,640 Speaker 1: a casual leisure hobby so like bike riding and made 124 00:07:35,680 --> 00:07:38,560 Speaker 1: it a lot more serious. You know, you can get 125 00:07:39,160 --> 00:07:42,880 Speaker 1: a fifty dollars secondhand bike on Facebook marketplace and like 126 00:07:43,480 --> 00:07:45,600 Speaker 1: ride it around your neighborhood, and that can be a hobby. 127 00:07:46,000 --> 00:07:47,960 Speaker 1: Or for example, you don't have a friend Felix who 128 00:07:48,560 --> 00:07:51,280 Speaker 1: spends so much money on bikes and equipment and he 129 00:07:51,320 --> 00:07:55,080 Speaker 1: does races and he has gels and outfits, like you know, 130 00:07:55,120 --> 00:08:00,840 Speaker 1: he's at that serious leisure level. I'm going to make 131 00:08:00,880 --> 00:08:04,520 Speaker 1: an argument that even like a hobby like reading can 132 00:08:04,600 --> 00:08:07,680 Speaker 1: become serious leisure. And we're seeing that more with like 133 00:08:07,720 --> 00:08:12,120 Speaker 1: the popularity of book talk, where like people build whole 134 00:08:12,200 --> 00:08:15,480 Speaker 1: rooms for their books, they collect them, they have these 135 00:08:15,800 --> 00:08:19,240 Speaker 1: long term yearly reading goals of like one hundred two 136 00:08:19,280 --> 00:08:21,520 Speaker 1: hundred books like that has to cost money. And I 137 00:08:21,560 --> 00:08:23,600 Speaker 1: was speaking to a friend about this recently who was saying, 138 00:08:23,600 --> 00:08:26,600 Speaker 1: and she's like a huge avid reader, and she was saying, 139 00:08:26,640 --> 00:08:30,040 Speaker 1: how that culture has really taken the fun out of 140 00:08:30,080 --> 00:08:32,679 Speaker 1: reading and like and the fun of book clubs and 141 00:08:32,760 --> 00:08:36,200 Speaker 1: of the community, because it's not leisure anymore. It's almost 142 00:08:36,200 --> 00:08:40,160 Speaker 1: like work. It's almost like competition amongst other people in 143 00:08:40,200 --> 00:08:42,480 Speaker 1: the community. Just a quick sidebar. I thought that was 144 00:08:42,559 --> 00:08:48,520 Speaker 1: very interesting. But finally, we have project based leisure. That's 145 00:08:48,559 --> 00:08:51,920 Speaker 1: our final category. And this is short term. It's often 146 00:08:52,600 --> 00:08:57,560 Speaker 1: one off projects that are rewarding, like building lego sets, 147 00:08:57,800 --> 00:09:02,120 Speaker 1: volunteering for sports events, or like building a really elaborate garden. 148 00:09:02,720 --> 00:09:05,080 Speaker 1: You know, you just you can't do that every day. 149 00:09:05,120 --> 00:09:06,959 Speaker 1: You might only do it like three to four times 150 00:09:06,960 --> 00:09:10,520 Speaker 1: a year, but it is still like an ongoing project 151 00:09:10,720 --> 00:09:17,280 Speaker 1: based hobby. So that brings us to another fascinating debate. 152 00:09:17,800 --> 00:09:22,160 Speaker 1: How many hobbies should you have and how often should 153 00:09:22,240 --> 00:09:25,720 Speaker 1: you be doing them? This definitely like varies on age. 154 00:09:25,920 --> 00:09:29,679 Speaker 1: I feel like we all have the experience of being 155 00:09:29,720 --> 00:09:33,839 Speaker 1: a kid or a teenager and having seemingly like thousands 156 00:09:34,040 --> 00:09:38,000 Speaker 1: of hobbies that are then replaced by work and replaced 157 00:09:38,000 --> 00:09:40,400 Speaker 1: by like the other things that we need to do 158 00:09:40,800 --> 00:09:42,760 Speaker 1: day in and day out as we get older. But 159 00:09:42,760 --> 00:09:45,560 Speaker 1: then I think as we reach like an older age, 160 00:09:46,040 --> 00:09:50,640 Speaker 1: almost becoming elderly, all of our hobbies come back. And 161 00:09:50,679 --> 00:09:53,560 Speaker 1: I am going to use the example of my grandma 162 00:09:53,720 --> 00:09:58,120 Speaker 1: as a prime opportunity to explain this. That woman is 163 00:09:58,160 --> 00:10:03,559 Speaker 1: so busy. She is bustling doing sheet gardens, she paints, volunteers, 164 00:10:03,640 --> 00:10:06,880 Speaker 1: she reads, bakes, go to the gym, even like seventy eight. 165 00:10:07,520 --> 00:10:12,720 Speaker 1: So it's kind of like it definitely differs across our lifespan. 166 00:10:13,200 --> 00:10:16,479 Speaker 1: But if we are following the law of averages. Researchers 167 00:10:16,920 --> 00:10:21,080 Speaker 1: will typically say that two to five hobbies is the 168 00:10:21,080 --> 00:10:23,880 Speaker 1: sweet spot. You should have between two to five things 169 00:10:24,040 --> 00:10:27,240 Speaker 1: that you're really passionate about and then maybe a few 170 00:10:27,280 --> 00:10:31,440 Speaker 1: other things that you do you know occasionally. So one 171 00:10:31,480 --> 00:10:35,000 Speaker 1: study from twenty ten that was actually the first of 172 00:10:35,040 --> 00:10:40,120 Speaker 1: its kind, it basically tried to find the golden number 173 00:10:40,360 --> 00:10:46,600 Speaker 1: for hobbies and fascinatingly, interestingly shockingly, they found that the 174 00:10:46,679 --> 00:10:50,280 Speaker 1: limit does not exist as long as you have the 175 00:10:50,360 --> 00:10:54,040 Speaker 1: space and the time. The more hobbies you do, the 176 00:10:54,200 --> 00:10:58,959 Speaker 1: more improvements you will see to your physical and psychological health. 177 00:10:59,480 --> 00:11:03,720 Speaker 1: It's all so associated with less stress, lower blood pressure. 178 00:11:04,200 --> 00:11:07,720 Speaker 1: That's what having more hobbies and more leisure time brings you. 179 00:11:07,800 --> 00:11:10,640 Speaker 1: I think the more leisure time is also an important factor. 180 00:11:11,280 --> 00:11:12,880 Speaker 1: These are all things that you know. We really want 181 00:11:12,880 --> 00:11:15,600 Speaker 1: to say, so basically, as long as you have the space, 182 00:11:15,760 --> 00:11:18,040 Speaker 1: you can have as many hobbies as you want and 183 00:11:18,120 --> 00:11:22,520 Speaker 1: still be benefiting. There is another formula that you've probably 184 00:11:22,559 --> 00:11:28,040 Speaker 1: heard as well, another like golden number for hobbies, and 185 00:11:28,120 --> 00:11:32,360 Speaker 1: that is the formula of four. We need four hobbies. 186 00:11:32,840 --> 00:11:36,240 Speaker 1: A hobby to keep you physically fit, a hobby to 187 00:11:36,320 --> 00:11:41,640 Speaker 1: stay creative, a hobby to stay mentally fit, and a 188 00:11:41,720 --> 00:11:46,880 Speaker 1: hobby to make money. I tried so hard to try 189 00:11:46,880 --> 00:11:49,560 Speaker 1: and figure out who said this first. I think nowadays 190 00:11:49,760 --> 00:11:53,040 Speaker 1: it's just common wisdom. And I love the first three. 191 00:11:53,200 --> 00:11:55,760 Speaker 1: My hobby to keep me fit is boxing in the gym, 192 00:11:55,760 --> 00:11:58,720 Speaker 1: and then I do ceramics to stay creative, and I 193 00:11:58,760 --> 00:12:01,679 Speaker 1: read and I listen to podcasts, I read journals to 194 00:12:01,679 --> 00:12:06,000 Speaker 1: like keep myself mentally fit. But the last one hobby 195 00:12:06,040 --> 00:12:09,320 Speaker 1: to make you money. I do have a small issue 196 00:12:09,320 --> 00:12:12,840 Speaker 1: with including that because I think when you make money 197 00:12:13,040 --> 00:12:18,920 Speaker 1: from a hobby, you lose the implicit natural enjoyment that 198 00:12:19,080 --> 00:12:21,360 Speaker 1: is meant to bring. And I actually say that as 199 00:12:21,360 --> 00:12:24,280 Speaker 1: someone who made one of their hobbies like a full 200 00:12:24,280 --> 00:12:27,880 Speaker 1: time job. You know, this podcast used to be purely 201 00:12:28,040 --> 00:12:31,240 Speaker 1: a leisure activity. I posted what I wanted, not as 202 00:12:31,240 --> 00:12:34,080 Speaker 1: frequently as I do now. It was just super random 203 00:12:34,080 --> 00:12:37,280 Speaker 1: topics that I'd cover and I'd literally have my friends 204 00:12:37,280 --> 00:12:40,560 Speaker 1: on as guests, and then a lot of you tuned in. 205 00:12:40,640 --> 00:12:42,440 Speaker 1: Thank you for doing that, and it became my full 206 00:12:42,440 --> 00:12:45,160 Speaker 1: time job. This is what I want to say about that, 207 00:12:45,200 --> 00:12:47,240 Speaker 1: and I want to caveat by saying I absolutely love 208 00:12:47,280 --> 00:12:49,719 Speaker 1: what I do, but when you start doing the thing 209 00:12:49,760 --> 00:12:52,559 Speaker 1: that you used to do purely for enjoyment as a 210 00:12:52,600 --> 00:12:55,480 Speaker 1: way to make money. You have got to love it 211 00:12:56,120 --> 00:12:59,480 Speaker 1: at least like two hundred percent, because when money and 212 00:12:59,600 --> 00:13:03,160 Speaker 1: fine answers get involved, it is naturally going to become 213 00:13:03,200 --> 00:13:06,000 Speaker 1: stressful and you will lose I would like to say, 214 00:13:06,160 --> 00:13:08,840 Speaker 1: one hundred percent of the love. So you have to 215 00:13:08,840 --> 00:13:11,480 Speaker 1: be at a two hundred percent level to afford to 216 00:13:11,559 --> 00:13:13,439 Speaker 1: lose one hundred percent of the love, so that you're 217 00:13:13,440 --> 00:13:17,040 Speaker 1: still full of passion for it. So you you know, 218 00:13:17,080 --> 00:13:19,880 Speaker 1: you've still got to make sure you have that motivation. 219 00:13:20,280 --> 00:13:23,400 Speaker 1: You're naturally going to lose that when it becomes a job. 220 00:13:23,480 --> 00:13:27,480 Speaker 1: And it's really really common that this happens, especially amongst 221 00:13:28,280 --> 00:13:32,160 Speaker 1: people who are creators or musicians, or people who are 222 00:13:32,600 --> 00:13:35,560 Speaker 1: sports people athletes. I love that. I didn't know the 223 00:13:35,559 --> 00:13:39,120 Speaker 1: word for that. Athletes for me. I you know, I 224 00:13:39,160 --> 00:13:42,720 Speaker 1: had like basically a hobby crisis when the podcast became 225 00:13:43,280 --> 00:13:45,480 Speaker 1: my full time job, like almost two years ago now, 226 00:13:45,520 --> 00:13:49,320 Speaker 1: because it was all I cared about. It was all 227 00:13:49,360 --> 00:13:53,600 Speaker 1: I cared about. It was the thing I really loved doing, 228 00:13:54,200 --> 00:13:59,040 Speaker 1: and then it became additionally my source of financial security 229 00:13:59,320 --> 00:14:04,760 Speaker 1: or lack their and it made it pretty exhausting because additionally, 230 00:14:04,800 --> 00:14:08,840 Speaker 1: I think nothing had taken its place in my life 231 00:14:08,920 --> 00:14:11,480 Speaker 1: as the thing that I just purely did for the 232 00:14:11,520 --> 00:14:16,079 Speaker 1: pleasure of it. There was nothing leisure based that I 233 00:14:16,120 --> 00:14:18,440 Speaker 1: was doing outside of this because it was taking a 234 00:14:18,480 --> 00:14:22,920 Speaker 1: while for everything to kind of line up or kind 235 00:14:22,920 --> 00:14:25,760 Speaker 1: of settle into place. And that is when I think 236 00:14:25,800 --> 00:14:28,240 Speaker 1: I had this whole crisis of like, who am I? 237 00:14:29,040 --> 00:14:32,200 Speaker 1: What do I even stand for? That isn't work? And 238 00:14:33,040 --> 00:14:35,200 Speaker 1: I made it a real thing that I was dedicating 239 00:14:35,200 --> 00:14:38,640 Speaker 1: myself to. I was dedicating myself to my hobbies. I 240 00:14:38,680 --> 00:14:41,600 Speaker 1: started pottery, I started swimming in the ocean again. I 241 00:14:41,640 --> 00:14:45,240 Speaker 1: started boxing because I didn't want to lose myself any 242 00:14:45,240 --> 00:14:49,080 Speaker 1: further in that process. So why do we need to 243 00:14:49,120 --> 00:14:52,800 Speaker 1: do this? Why do we need to spend time, devote time, 244 00:14:52,920 --> 00:14:57,880 Speaker 1: prioritize time for our hobbies and speaking from a psychological, emotional, 245 00:14:57,920 --> 00:15:01,680 Speaker 1: even physical perspective, what are the benefit We are going 246 00:15:01,720 --> 00:15:05,400 Speaker 1: to talk about all of that and more after this shortbreak. 247 00:15:09,480 --> 00:15:11,280 Speaker 1: I'm gonna hold your hand when I say this, but 248 00:15:11,480 --> 00:15:15,280 Speaker 1: your life will never be truly fulfilling if all you 249 00:15:15,360 --> 00:15:18,520 Speaker 1: have is work and your relationships. Both of those things 250 00:15:18,520 --> 00:15:22,280 Speaker 1: are really crucial, But you need something that's just about you. 251 00:15:22,280 --> 00:15:25,760 Speaker 1: You need more flavor, you need more excitement. That is 252 00:15:25,840 --> 00:15:28,800 Speaker 1: what hobbies are for. Especially in our twenties, there is 253 00:15:28,840 --> 00:15:34,480 Speaker 1: this very important developmental transition we experience where work becomes 254 00:15:34,520 --> 00:15:39,080 Speaker 1: the predominant activity in our lives, and naturally it takes 255 00:15:39,120 --> 00:15:42,040 Speaker 1: over a lot of our identity. And that makes sense. 256 00:15:42,080 --> 00:15:46,360 Speaker 1: If you're spending eight hours plus at your job every day, 257 00:15:46,920 --> 00:15:49,760 Speaker 1: that is a big chunk of your time that it's 258 00:15:49,800 --> 00:15:52,720 Speaker 1: going to be consumed with whatever it is you're doing 259 00:15:52,920 --> 00:15:57,840 Speaker 1: data entry, talking to people, solving problems, helping people, moving things, 260 00:15:57,920 --> 00:16:00,320 Speaker 1: whatever it is. There was a really great article from 261 00:16:00,480 --> 00:16:04,000 Speaker 1: Yale University that spoke about how this is particularly a 262 00:16:04,040 --> 00:16:07,240 Speaker 1: problem for those of us who are relatively early on 263 00:16:07,280 --> 00:16:11,200 Speaker 1: in our careers because there's that implicit fear of failure 264 00:16:11,840 --> 00:16:15,720 Speaker 1: that drives us to center our lives on work and 265 00:16:15,760 --> 00:16:19,600 Speaker 1: achieving what is expected of us. This intense like drive 266 00:16:19,800 --> 00:16:25,680 Speaker 1: and focus, it forces our identity to ultimately become synonymous 267 00:16:25,800 --> 00:16:28,440 Speaker 1: with what we do for a living. I remember when 268 00:16:28,440 --> 00:16:31,040 Speaker 1: I was working as a consultant, like someone asked me, 269 00:16:31,200 --> 00:16:34,400 Speaker 1: like two years into working this job, what do you 270 00:16:34,400 --> 00:16:37,640 Speaker 1: do for fun? And I had to really think about 271 00:16:37,640 --> 00:16:39,560 Speaker 1: it and then I had to make it up because 272 00:16:39,600 --> 00:16:43,880 Speaker 1: at that point work was everything to me. Yes, I 273 00:16:43,880 --> 00:16:46,320 Speaker 1: wouldn't like see my friends. I would go out for drinks, 274 00:16:46,320 --> 00:16:48,560 Speaker 1: I would go out for dinner, I'd go to the gym. 275 00:16:49,120 --> 00:16:51,720 Speaker 1: But there wasn't much more. There wasn't much that was 276 00:16:52,000 --> 00:16:55,520 Speaker 1: individual to me. And that is a big risk of 277 00:16:55,640 --> 00:17:00,320 Speaker 1: not having hobbies. You stop being someone who has time mention, 278 00:17:01,160 --> 00:17:05,080 Speaker 1: and that brings me to a huge benefit having a hobby. 279 00:17:05,320 --> 00:17:10,600 Speaker 1: Having a couple allows you to build an intentional life 280 00:17:10,680 --> 00:17:14,960 Speaker 1: outside of Korea and outside your work. Think of yourself 281 00:17:14,960 --> 00:17:18,399 Speaker 1: and your life as like containing five buckets. You have 282 00:17:18,800 --> 00:17:22,680 Speaker 1: your relationships, you have your work, your wellbeing, personal growth, 283 00:17:22,760 --> 00:17:26,160 Speaker 1: and then you have fun, you have leisure. Your way 284 00:17:26,200 --> 00:17:31,120 Speaker 1: to a balanced life is to pour as equally as 285 00:17:31,160 --> 00:17:34,240 Speaker 1: you can into each of these buckets. But you kind 286 00:17:34,240 --> 00:17:36,639 Speaker 1: of never get more water, So at any given time, 287 00:17:37,240 --> 00:17:39,600 Speaker 1: the amount of water you have to distribute across all 288 00:17:39,640 --> 00:17:41,960 Speaker 1: these things is going to be the same. You can 289 00:17:42,000 --> 00:17:45,880 Speaker 1: pour from one bucket into another, you can empty a bucket, 290 00:17:46,200 --> 00:17:50,600 Speaker 1: but when these buckets are uneven, we suffer. If you 291 00:17:50,760 --> 00:17:53,960 Speaker 1: keep pouring into the work bucket, you have to pull 292 00:17:54,119 --> 00:17:56,720 Speaker 1: from the health bucket. You have to pour from the 293 00:17:56,800 --> 00:18:01,479 Speaker 1: personal growth bucket, from your leisure bucket, your relationships will suffer. 294 00:18:02,160 --> 00:18:05,120 Speaker 1: By having those hobbies that we enjoy and make time for, 295 00:18:05,600 --> 00:18:08,640 Speaker 1: we balance out all the other buckets. We make sure 296 00:18:08,680 --> 00:18:11,520 Speaker 1: that no one bucket ever gets too big that it 297 00:18:11,560 --> 00:18:14,240 Speaker 1: consumes all the liquid or the water, all the energy. 298 00:18:14,960 --> 00:18:18,720 Speaker 1: One study, for example, looked at the relationship between when 299 00:18:18,720 --> 00:18:22,080 Speaker 1: you work really long hours and how that impacts depression 300 00:18:22,119 --> 00:18:26,080 Speaker 1: and well being. And on top of discovering the very 301 00:18:26,119 --> 00:18:29,359 Speaker 1: obvious thing, which is that the more hours you work, 302 00:18:29,520 --> 00:18:32,320 Speaker 1: the more significant negative impact it has on your health, 303 00:18:32,880 --> 00:18:37,320 Speaker 1: what researchers did find was that having hobbies, even if 304 00:18:37,359 --> 00:18:41,520 Speaker 1: you had limited time, actually helped mitigate those adverse side 305 00:18:41,520 --> 00:18:46,320 Speaker 1: effects because you were still putting time energy, You were 306 00:18:46,320 --> 00:18:49,520 Speaker 1: making an investment in yourself as someone who was not 307 00:18:49,560 --> 00:18:52,240 Speaker 1: just an employee. You know, you had this place to 308 00:18:52,320 --> 00:18:56,320 Speaker 1: go where your brain can think about something different. It 309 00:18:56,359 --> 00:19:00,520 Speaker 1: can be stress, it can compartmentalize. That's also why I 310 00:19:00,560 --> 00:19:04,119 Speaker 1: really often say that your hobbies should be different to 311 00:19:04,280 --> 00:19:05,840 Speaker 1: what you do at work all day. You know, like 312 00:19:05,880 --> 00:19:08,880 Speaker 1: if you're a nurse, your hobby there's going to sound santly, 313 00:19:08,920 --> 00:19:11,000 Speaker 1: but it can't be like playing operation. You know, that's 314 00:19:11,000 --> 00:19:14,560 Speaker 1: a silly example. But if you spend your day working 315 00:19:14,600 --> 00:19:16,800 Speaker 1: in front of a screen doing like data or like 316 00:19:17,240 --> 00:19:20,080 Speaker 1: marketing or whatever, you know, it's not great. If you 317 00:19:20,119 --> 00:19:23,760 Speaker 1: come home and you have more screen based hobbies, you 318 00:19:23,760 --> 00:19:25,680 Speaker 1: want it to be quite nuanced. You want to give 319 00:19:25,720 --> 00:19:30,240 Speaker 1: your brain something more to play with. You know. Hobbies 320 00:19:30,359 --> 00:19:32,640 Speaker 1: also just simply make you happier. We're just gonna say 321 00:19:32,640 --> 00:19:36,760 Speaker 1: it from the most basic psychological lens. When you participate 322 00:19:36,840 --> 00:19:40,760 Speaker 1: in something you love, your brain rewards you with dopamine 323 00:19:41,280 --> 00:19:44,560 Speaker 1: that keeps you motivated to keep going. It makes you happier. 324 00:19:45,160 --> 00:19:49,879 Speaker 1: A life filled with hobbies feels more purposeful. One of 325 00:19:49,920 --> 00:19:53,960 Speaker 1: my favorite, favorite, favorite, favorite pieces of research that supports 326 00:19:54,000 --> 00:19:56,880 Speaker 1: this was conducted with almost and I'm going to say 327 00:19:56,880 --> 00:20:01,080 Speaker 1: this number because it's astounding, one hundred thousand people. That's right. 328 00:20:01,160 --> 00:20:04,320 Speaker 1: It was a piece of research on a hundred thousand people, 329 00:20:04,800 --> 00:20:07,679 Speaker 1: all of them over the age of sixty five, and 330 00:20:07,680 --> 00:20:11,120 Speaker 1: they'd all retired. And what they found was that when 331 00:20:11,200 --> 00:20:16,200 Speaker 1: these older adults had hobbies and they did their hobby 332 00:20:16,359 --> 00:20:19,560 Speaker 1: more than once a week, they not only were happier, 333 00:20:19,800 --> 00:20:24,560 Speaker 1: they also lived longer. Because health is not just physical, 334 00:20:24,680 --> 00:20:27,920 Speaker 1: it is mental, It is cognitive you will start giving 335 00:20:28,000 --> 00:20:30,439 Speaker 1: up on your physical health. You will start not caring 336 00:20:30,440 --> 00:20:33,520 Speaker 1: about yourself as much. If you don't have something that 337 00:20:33,520 --> 00:20:36,040 Speaker 1: you actually want to live for, something that you actually 338 00:20:36,119 --> 00:20:40,600 Speaker 1: enjoy doing, you won't feel as positive towards yourself. You 339 00:20:40,640 --> 00:20:43,400 Speaker 1: won't feel as positive towards your well being and as 340 00:20:43,480 --> 00:20:46,359 Speaker 1: active and protective. If you don't feel like you have 341 00:20:46,400 --> 00:20:49,439 Speaker 1: a purpose, if you're not happy. And you know, we 342 00:20:49,480 --> 00:20:53,600 Speaker 1: don't need like a study to tell us that, like intuitively, 343 00:20:53,760 --> 00:20:57,760 Speaker 1: humans need recreational time, they need things to care about. 344 00:20:58,119 --> 00:21:00,719 Speaker 1: But I do think it's really important that I remind you. 345 00:21:01,160 --> 00:21:03,520 Speaker 1: I'm it's going to rattle off some other benefits. I 346 00:21:03,560 --> 00:21:05,920 Speaker 1: know I've probably convinced you by now, but just quickly, 347 00:21:06,800 --> 00:21:09,760 Speaker 1: Hobbies improve your focus. You know, even if you think 348 00:21:09,840 --> 00:21:12,119 Speaker 1: I don't have time for this, I'm so busy with 349 00:21:12,240 --> 00:21:14,280 Speaker 1: work or school, Like I'm not going to do my hobbies. 350 00:21:14,560 --> 00:21:16,040 Speaker 1: I'm not going to go for a swim, I'm not 351 00:21:16,040 --> 00:21:17,280 Speaker 1: going to go to the gym, I'm not going to 352 00:21:17,359 --> 00:21:21,000 Speaker 1: do this that whatever. Actually setting a same time to 353 00:21:21,119 --> 00:21:25,080 Speaker 1: do those things will mean that you perform better anyways. 354 00:21:25,760 --> 00:21:27,919 Speaker 1: They make you less stressed, They make you more in 355 00:21:27,960 --> 00:21:31,520 Speaker 1: touch with your authentic self and like depending on whether 356 00:21:31,520 --> 00:21:33,800 Speaker 1: the activity is solo or group based as well, it 357 00:21:33,840 --> 00:21:39,119 Speaker 1: can make you less lonely. It's a valuable part of 358 00:21:39,119 --> 00:21:43,480 Speaker 1: our routine. It makes us more flexible. Every single thing 359 00:21:43,560 --> 00:21:47,040 Speaker 1: points to us needing more time to do This. Scary 360 00:21:47,080 --> 00:21:49,840 Speaker 1: finding though, from the last few years, is that this 361 00:21:50,000 --> 00:21:53,280 Speaker 1: generation you know, you and me, people born after nineteen 362 00:21:53,320 --> 00:21:56,280 Speaker 1: ninety five, we are not picking up hobbies the same 363 00:21:56,320 --> 00:22:00,359 Speaker 1: way people used to. We're seeing a steady decline in hobby. Yes, 364 00:22:00,400 --> 00:22:02,640 Speaker 1: the people who have a lot of hobbies who make 365 00:22:02,720 --> 00:22:05,680 Speaker 1: hobbies a part of who they are. And a lot 366 00:22:05,720 --> 00:22:10,800 Speaker 1: of our hobbies are based on consumption, so they are 367 00:22:10,800 --> 00:22:14,879 Speaker 1: based on watching TV, they are based on collecting things 368 00:22:14,880 --> 00:22:20,240 Speaker 1: that we have to buy, shopping, video games, movies, rather 369 00:22:20,359 --> 00:22:27,200 Speaker 1: than production based hobbies, production based activities things that are 370 00:22:27,240 --> 00:22:33,800 Speaker 1: about creating something new, expressing yourself, expending energy, giving something back. 371 00:22:34,359 --> 00:22:36,720 Speaker 1: And it's not to say that certain hobbies are better 372 00:22:36,840 --> 00:22:40,119 Speaker 1: or worse than others, or like more pure, but I 373 00:22:40,160 --> 00:22:44,080 Speaker 1: think if all our activities are attached to consumption and 374 00:22:44,119 --> 00:22:48,000 Speaker 1: spending money, you know, it doesn't feel as fruitful. You 375 00:22:48,040 --> 00:22:51,679 Speaker 1: don't actually feel like you're connecting in the same way 376 00:22:51,800 --> 00:22:55,600 Speaker 1: with what you're doing. This probably comes down to a 377 00:22:55,640 --> 00:22:59,280 Speaker 1: few things, like this whole trend obviously, like the rise 378 00:22:59,400 --> 00:23:01,639 Speaker 1: in technolog is one of them. Like that is just 379 00:23:01,680 --> 00:23:06,040 Speaker 1: what we are being fed. Screens are always at hand, 380 00:23:06,200 --> 00:23:08,959 Speaker 1: always available. I don't think that they're like the devil 381 00:23:09,320 --> 00:23:11,680 Speaker 1: that we think they are. I think they're actually really important. 382 00:23:12,200 --> 00:23:17,200 Speaker 1: But you know, our way of entertaining ourselves has shifted online. 383 00:23:17,840 --> 00:23:20,080 Speaker 1: I also think we are busier than ever, We have 384 00:23:20,160 --> 00:23:23,639 Speaker 1: more commitments, we spend more time at work. There is 385 00:23:23,760 --> 00:23:28,120 Speaker 1: less community feel to our hobbies. This really sticks out 386 00:23:28,119 --> 00:23:31,639 Speaker 1: to me. I think that people are craving in person 387 00:23:31,720 --> 00:23:37,199 Speaker 1: activities and community building, especially after the pandemic, because everything 388 00:23:37,200 --> 00:23:40,800 Speaker 1: that we were doing became so solitary, meaning that we 389 00:23:40,840 --> 00:23:45,639 Speaker 1: don't have the same social motivation to do them. It 390 00:23:45,760 --> 00:23:51,119 Speaker 1: is why personal opinion, book clubs, meetups, social sports so 391 00:23:51,320 --> 00:23:55,119 Speaker 1: special but also so much more popular. I want to 392 00:23:55,119 --> 00:23:58,760 Speaker 1: talk about how we can make our hobbies a priority 393 00:23:58,840 --> 00:24:01,240 Speaker 1: even in our busy life, even when we're burnt out, 394 00:24:01,720 --> 00:24:03,959 Speaker 1: even when it's so much easier to like turn on 395 00:24:04,000 --> 00:24:07,280 Speaker 1: the TV or scroll on TikTok. How do we find 396 00:24:07,320 --> 00:24:11,119 Speaker 1: the time? How do we make the time more importantly? 397 00:24:11,160 --> 00:24:13,000 Speaker 1: We're going to talk about all of that and more 398 00:24:13,480 --> 00:24:20,600 Speaker 1: after this short break. I want you to pause for 399 00:24:20,600 --> 00:24:25,320 Speaker 1: a second and ask yourself an important question. How many 400 00:24:25,320 --> 00:24:29,200 Speaker 1: hobbies do you actually have, like that you regularly do 401 00:24:29,560 --> 00:24:32,439 Speaker 1: more than once a fortnight, and how often are you 402 00:24:32,480 --> 00:24:36,679 Speaker 1: actually doing them? A lot of us might come up 403 00:24:36,680 --> 00:24:39,800 Speaker 1: with a few things, maybe nothing. I think that is 404 00:24:40,119 --> 00:24:42,880 Speaker 1: the major problem we're facing here. We like to think 405 00:24:42,960 --> 00:24:46,159 Speaker 1: that we're doing our hobbies, but actually they tend to 406 00:24:46,440 --> 00:24:49,439 Speaker 1: fall of our prioritization out to do list. Something I've 407 00:24:49,480 --> 00:24:52,000 Speaker 1: seen a lot recently is like even amongst my you know, 408 00:24:52,040 --> 00:24:54,879 Speaker 1: even within myself, being like, oh yeah, I love reading, 409 00:24:54,920 --> 00:24:57,879 Speaker 1: I love hiking, I love rock climbing, And then you 410 00:24:57,960 --> 00:24:59,720 Speaker 1: go back through your recent memories and you're like, I 411 00:24:59,760 --> 00:25:03,600 Speaker 1: kind of actually remember the last time I did those things. 412 00:25:03,760 --> 00:25:06,439 Speaker 1: Can't remember when I last finished a book, when I 413 00:25:06,440 --> 00:25:09,080 Speaker 1: went on a nice hike for the weekend. I think 414 00:25:09,119 --> 00:25:13,199 Speaker 1: it comes down to three major problems. Firstly, there is 415 00:25:13,240 --> 00:25:15,920 Speaker 1: a genuine lack of time. You know, life is really 416 00:25:15,960 --> 00:25:18,680 Speaker 1: busy at the moment. We've got places to go, we've 417 00:25:18,680 --> 00:25:21,760 Speaker 1: got people to see. A lot of us are embracing 418 00:25:21,840 --> 00:25:25,280 Speaker 1: hustle culture, and when there always seems to be something 419 00:25:25,280 --> 00:25:27,680 Speaker 1: more urgent to do. You just don't have the same 420 00:25:27,720 --> 00:25:31,879 Speaker 1: capacity time wise for your hobbies. That's problem one, the 421 00:25:32,000 --> 00:25:36,359 Speaker 1: very serious problem. Problem two is that we just think 422 00:25:36,480 --> 00:25:38,960 Speaker 1: we don't have enough time, but actually we do, we 423 00:25:39,040 --> 00:25:42,920 Speaker 1: just don't have the motivation. Number two, a lack of motivation. 424 00:25:43,560 --> 00:25:46,840 Speaker 1: This is often linked to procrastination, which we know can 425 00:25:46,880 --> 00:25:50,119 Speaker 1: also come down to perfectionism, like I can't do my 426 00:25:50,160 --> 00:25:53,240 Speaker 1: hobbies because I'm not as good as other people are. 427 00:25:53,440 --> 00:25:55,879 Speaker 1: I'm not as good as the people I see in 428 00:25:55,960 --> 00:25:59,560 Speaker 1: the studio, online, at the gym. That's what gets in 429 00:25:59,600 --> 00:26:03,760 Speaker 1: our way. Or we just don't prioritize our hobbies because 430 00:26:04,280 --> 00:26:08,040 Speaker 1: there is something easier to do, something easier that we 431 00:26:08,080 --> 00:26:11,560 Speaker 1: want to do, like maybe scroll on our phones. Whatever 432 00:26:12,000 --> 00:26:16,280 Speaker 1: that gives us that instant dopamine and that instant gratification. 433 00:26:16,880 --> 00:26:19,800 Speaker 1: Where it's pursuing our hobbies takes more of a time 434 00:26:19,880 --> 00:26:23,959 Speaker 1: investment to get the reward. You may start out your 435 00:26:24,040 --> 00:26:27,080 Speaker 1: night like wanting to do some painting or like wanting 436 00:26:27,119 --> 00:26:29,880 Speaker 1: to do something fun, but then pretty soon you get 437 00:26:29,880 --> 00:26:31,960 Speaker 1: pulled in by your phone. It's ten pm, it's time 438 00:26:31,960 --> 00:26:36,520 Speaker 1: for bed. That is a really common dilemma. Something interesting 439 00:26:36,520 --> 00:26:38,720 Speaker 1: that I found in some research conducted in the UK 440 00:26:38,800 --> 00:26:41,640 Speaker 1: a few years ago, is that our failure to do 441 00:26:41,760 --> 00:26:45,560 Speaker 1: our hobbies is actually a cycle that comes back to 442 00:26:45,760 --> 00:26:52,600 Speaker 1: motivational fatigue or a motivational deficit, whereby our hobbies would 443 00:26:52,640 --> 00:26:55,280 Speaker 1: actually motivate us to do the more, but the more 444 00:26:55,320 --> 00:26:59,159 Speaker 1: we don't do them, the less motivated we become. So 445 00:26:59,320 --> 00:27:03,280 Speaker 1: really the high hardest step when you've fallen off your hobbies, 446 00:27:03,320 --> 00:27:05,760 Speaker 1: when you've stopped doing them, the hardest step is the 447 00:27:05,760 --> 00:27:09,280 Speaker 1: first one, you know, just doing the thing, just committing 448 00:27:09,760 --> 00:27:12,280 Speaker 1: just by all the other distractions. That is where you're 449 00:27:12,280 --> 00:27:15,280 Speaker 1: going to struggle the most. But then you get the motivation, 450 00:27:15,520 --> 00:27:18,480 Speaker 1: you get the wheel rolling again. I think that's like 451 00:27:18,560 --> 00:27:21,760 Speaker 1: any habit. It's always hard at the beginning, Like the 452 00:27:21,880 --> 00:27:24,359 Speaker 1: first five minutes of a run, the first hour of 453 00:27:24,400 --> 00:27:27,600 Speaker 1: starting an assignment. There is just like so much time 454 00:27:27,680 --> 00:27:30,000 Speaker 1: ahead of you. It just feels so long. But then 455 00:27:30,040 --> 00:27:32,439 Speaker 1: you get going, it becomes more enjoyable. That is the 456 00:27:32,480 --> 00:27:38,360 Speaker 1: motivational process of doing your hobbies more regularly. Finally, it 457 00:27:38,440 --> 00:27:43,160 Speaker 1: may be that actually those hobbies that you've fallen away from, 458 00:27:43,320 --> 00:27:46,040 Speaker 1: they just aren't fun anymore. They're just not something that 459 00:27:46,080 --> 00:27:49,240 Speaker 1: you want to do we're not particularly keen on doing them. 460 00:27:49,560 --> 00:27:53,440 Speaker 1: I remember trying so hard to like be into rock 461 00:27:53,480 --> 00:27:56,000 Speaker 1: climbing back in the day and like make that my 462 00:27:56,080 --> 00:27:58,960 Speaker 1: new hobby. I even had like the shoes and everything. 463 00:27:59,400 --> 00:28:01,920 Speaker 1: I just couldn't. I couldn't do it. It was like trying 464 00:28:01,920 --> 00:28:06,040 Speaker 1: to fit into the wrong relationship. I think at those points, 465 00:28:06,119 --> 00:28:09,080 Speaker 1: obviously you're not going to want to participate, but you 466 00:28:09,119 --> 00:28:14,719 Speaker 1: still have this like almost hypothetical, like fake foe idea 467 00:28:14,760 --> 00:28:17,000 Speaker 1: in your mind that that is still an active hobby 468 00:28:17,040 --> 00:28:18,960 Speaker 1: for you. When you haven't done it in like years, 469 00:28:19,000 --> 00:28:22,360 Speaker 1: maybe even months, maybe it's time to start something new, 470 00:28:22,440 --> 00:28:26,400 Speaker 1: Maybe it's time to refresh the hobby roster. And that 471 00:28:26,440 --> 00:28:28,640 Speaker 1: brings me to the final reason that you're not doing 472 00:28:28,720 --> 00:28:31,760 Speaker 1: your hobbies. It's because you're not excited about them. It's 473 00:28:31,800 --> 00:28:35,640 Speaker 1: because you lack inspiration. Let's address that issue first, because 474 00:28:35,640 --> 00:28:39,320 Speaker 1: I actually think that is the biggest culprit of all 475 00:28:39,320 --> 00:28:42,480 Speaker 1: these reasons. I want to give you some ideas of 476 00:28:42,720 --> 00:28:45,760 Speaker 1: some hobbies that you maybe haven't considered. I think we're 477 00:28:45,800 --> 00:28:49,480 Speaker 1: all pretty used to the basic copies that people will list, 478 00:28:49,520 --> 00:28:52,600 Speaker 1: and if you're not really into running or reading, sometimes 479 00:28:52,640 --> 00:28:55,040 Speaker 1: it's like, well, kind of what else is out there, 480 00:28:55,600 --> 00:28:58,320 Speaker 1: But fear not, there are so many other things out there. 481 00:28:58,320 --> 00:29:00,400 Speaker 1: I want to give you some of that inspiration you 482 00:29:00,480 --> 00:29:04,120 Speaker 1: might be lacking. You could go shell collecting. Maybe your 483 00:29:04,160 --> 00:29:06,160 Speaker 1: hobby is to go to the beach once a week, 484 00:29:06,240 --> 00:29:09,760 Speaker 1: have a swim and find some shells and make cool 485 00:29:09,840 --> 00:29:13,040 Speaker 1: jewelry out out of them, like make cool ceramic dishes 486 00:29:13,160 --> 00:29:17,840 Speaker 1: using the shells. Baking for a new person each week. 487 00:29:18,360 --> 00:29:20,800 Speaker 1: I was really into this a few years ago. Like 488 00:29:20,920 --> 00:29:24,680 Speaker 1: each week I would choose someone new, like my neighbors, 489 00:29:24,800 --> 00:29:28,000 Speaker 1: my roommates, some person I was going over to have 490 00:29:28,040 --> 00:29:30,600 Speaker 1: dinner with, and I would make a new recipe for them. 491 00:29:31,200 --> 00:29:34,320 Speaker 1: During a social sport team that like plays a new 492 00:29:34,360 --> 00:29:36,880 Speaker 1: sport every week. I used to do this last year. 493 00:29:36,920 --> 00:29:39,920 Speaker 1: It was super super fun. Letter writing. You could make 494 00:29:40,000 --> 00:29:43,160 Speaker 1: like really beautiful letters for your family or like your 495 00:29:43,160 --> 00:29:46,880 Speaker 1: internet friends, or like your long distance college friends, and 496 00:29:46,920 --> 00:29:49,800 Speaker 1: send them back and forth. Hosting. You could host like 497 00:29:49,800 --> 00:29:52,760 Speaker 1: a little dinner party every Sunday, as like your hobby 498 00:29:53,000 --> 00:29:56,720 Speaker 1: is literally hosting, like your hobby is to create nice 499 00:29:56,760 --> 00:29:58,920 Speaker 1: events for people to come and like hang out together. 500 00:29:59,400 --> 00:30:01,920 Speaker 1: Make a little veggie patch or a garden that you 501 00:30:02,040 --> 00:30:06,040 Speaker 1: tend to or a bondside tree, go to a ceramics class. 502 00:30:06,120 --> 00:30:09,640 Speaker 1: I'm doing this currently. Actually I've done three now and 503 00:30:09,680 --> 00:30:12,200 Speaker 1: they're all like six weeks long, so you have to 504 00:30:12,280 --> 00:30:14,239 Speaker 1: keep going because you pay at the beginning and you've 505 00:30:14,320 --> 00:30:17,920 Speaker 1: committed knitting. This is one of my favorites. It sounds 506 00:30:17,960 --> 00:30:20,520 Speaker 1: so like grandmar Core, but when you get into it, 507 00:30:20,640 --> 00:30:23,160 Speaker 1: you can like sit and listen to a podcast and 508 00:30:23,280 --> 00:30:27,560 Speaker 1: just get so stuck into it. There's also people who 509 00:30:27,680 --> 00:30:31,240 Speaker 1: like upsyde call, which I love. That's something that me 510 00:30:31,240 --> 00:30:33,600 Speaker 1: and my boyfriend Tom do, like once a week we 511 00:30:33,680 --> 00:30:36,040 Speaker 1: might go for a little walk around our neighborhood. Maybe 512 00:30:36,040 --> 00:30:39,200 Speaker 1: this is just like an Australian thing, but people leave 513 00:30:39,680 --> 00:30:42,240 Speaker 1: stuff out on the street all the time for like 514 00:30:42,280 --> 00:30:44,840 Speaker 1: people to take with like little notes, so they'll have, like, 515 00:30:45,720 --> 00:30:47,440 Speaker 1: you know, everyone will have like a little box of 516 00:30:47,480 --> 00:30:50,400 Speaker 1: stuff that people put things in. And I don't know, 517 00:30:50,520 --> 00:30:54,200 Speaker 1: it's just some people call a garbage. I think it's treasure. 518 00:30:54,760 --> 00:30:58,400 Speaker 1: You know, you could start a podcast just like documenting 519 00:30:58,440 --> 00:31:00,800 Speaker 1: your life and learning how to do all the sound 520 00:31:00,960 --> 00:31:03,600 Speaker 1: editing and the uploading and the publishing and just not 521 00:31:03,680 --> 00:31:05,680 Speaker 1: even tell anyone. It's just gonna be like your own 522 00:31:05,720 --> 00:31:09,239 Speaker 1: personal audio journal. There is just so much out there. 523 00:31:09,280 --> 00:31:12,440 Speaker 1: That's really what I want to remind you. There is 524 00:31:12,480 --> 00:31:15,000 Speaker 1: a lot that you can do. You might just need 525 00:31:15,040 --> 00:31:17,719 Speaker 1: to invest a little bit of time to get things 526 00:31:17,840 --> 00:31:21,040 Speaker 1: off the ground and to feel excited by it. And 527 00:31:21,080 --> 00:31:23,280 Speaker 1: that kind of brings me to my next barrier, which 528 00:31:23,320 --> 00:31:26,680 Speaker 1: is a lack of motivation. This is probably the hardest 529 00:31:26,720 --> 00:31:29,400 Speaker 1: one to overcome. If a lack of inspiration is the 530 00:31:29,400 --> 00:31:32,640 Speaker 1: most common, a lack of motivation is the hardest. I 531 00:31:32,680 --> 00:31:36,080 Speaker 1: think if you're in this position, you need to treat 532 00:31:36,160 --> 00:31:39,560 Speaker 1: the next month as like an exploration phase for you. 533 00:31:40,040 --> 00:31:43,320 Speaker 1: So like set a personal challenge, set a goal to 534 00:31:43,480 --> 00:31:46,920 Speaker 1: just try heaps of new things, even if you don't 535 00:31:46,920 --> 00:31:50,520 Speaker 1: have high expectations. Make it like a way to socialize, 536 00:31:50,560 --> 00:31:54,320 Speaker 1: Like instead of drinks, go and like get a jewelry 537 00:31:54,360 --> 00:31:56,680 Speaker 1: making set, or like go and get a puzzle, do 538 00:31:56,760 --> 00:31:59,720 Speaker 1: a board games now at a pub, go for a hike. 539 00:32:00,400 --> 00:32:04,960 Speaker 1: You don't have to commit to anything. All you're required 540 00:32:05,000 --> 00:32:07,280 Speaker 1: to do is to have a taste. Is to just 541 00:32:07,360 --> 00:32:10,520 Speaker 1: have a little palate cleanse, is to just fill your 542 00:32:10,600 --> 00:32:15,959 Speaker 1: days with activities rather than just lounging passive consumption. On 543 00:32:16,000 --> 00:32:19,840 Speaker 1: another note, returning to your old hobbies often does start 544 00:32:19,880 --> 00:32:22,680 Speaker 1: with just remembering why they brought you so much joy 545 00:32:22,800 --> 00:32:26,320 Speaker 1: in the first place. We can forget that it's very 546 00:32:26,360 --> 00:32:30,080 Speaker 1: easy to lose touch with the things you love when 547 00:32:30,120 --> 00:32:33,959 Speaker 1: life gets busy or when other priorities take over. But 548 00:32:34,160 --> 00:32:38,160 Speaker 1: hobbies are a form of self care. Think about how 549 00:32:38,320 --> 00:32:42,280 Speaker 1: great you always feel afterwards, even if you have to 550 00:32:42,360 --> 00:32:45,800 Speaker 1: kind of like mentally drag yourself to the starting line. 551 00:32:46,280 --> 00:32:50,760 Speaker 1: Be like, Okay, I'm gonna let myself watch TV in 552 00:32:50,920 --> 00:32:53,720 Speaker 1: twenty minutes. But before I do that, the same way 553 00:32:53,720 --> 00:32:56,720 Speaker 1: that I make time to exercise, I make time to 554 00:32:56,760 --> 00:32:59,760 Speaker 1: clean my house, I make time to talk to my friends, 555 00:33:00,360 --> 00:33:04,400 Speaker 1: I'm going to make time to do my hobbies as 556 00:33:04,440 --> 00:33:07,520 Speaker 1: a part of my hygiene routine, as a part of 557 00:33:07,560 --> 00:33:11,720 Speaker 1: my wellness routine. This would look at this perfect segue 558 00:33:11,800 --> 00:33:14,040 Speaker 1: into talking about a lack of time, because that is 559 00:33:14,560 --> 00:33:18,600 Speaker 1: another big conundrum, another big problem that we hear a lot. 560 00:33:19,600 --> 00:33:21,760 Speaker 1: I hate to say it, and I'm going to be 561 00:33:21,840 --> 00:33:24,480 Speaker 1: very gentle when I say it, but we can always 562 00:33:24,480 --> 00:33:27,320 Speaker 1: make time for what we care about. And just to 563 00:33:27,400 --> 00:33:30,120 Speaker 1: prove that, I want you to just think about your 564 00:33:30,160 --> 00:33:34,600 Speaker 1: screen time for a second. How many ten twenty minute 565 00:33:34,640 --> 00:33:38,160 Speaker 1: increments do we have each day that instead we spend 566 00:33:38,760 --> 00:33:42,760 Speaker 1: scrolling or watching. You know, you could switch that up. 567 00:33:42,960 --> 00:33:45,520 Speaker 1: You could make time for something else, even if it's small, 568 00:33:46,080 --> 00:33:49,440 Speaker 1: even if it doesn't initially feel significant. Think about like 569 00:33:49,480 --> 00:33:51,600 Speaker 1: when you're on the train. I saw this woman the 570 00:33:51,680 --> 00:33:54,640 Speaker 1: other day knitting. She was only on for like four stops, 571 00:33:54,680 --> 00:33:57,600 Speaker 1: but she pulled out her knitting needles and she was 572 00:33:57,640 --> 00:33:59,680 Speaker 1: making I don't really know what she was making. Looked 573 00:33:59,680 --> 00:34:02,920 Speaker 1: really really amazing. Though. You could bring your book and 574 00:34:02,960 --> 00:34:06,720 Speaker 1: your goal for the next month is to instead of 575 00:34:06,840 --> 00:34:08,960 Speaker 1: go on your phone on your twenty minute commute on 576 00:34:09,000 --> 00:34:12,440 Speaker 1: the barsa on the train is to read. Try and 577 00:34:12,520 --> 00:34:16,920 Speaker 1: find small pockets of time. Just because it doesn't feel 578 00:34:16,960 --> 00:34:20,040 Speaker 1: like it's an extended hour or two hours doesn't mean 579 00:34:20,040 --> 00:34:23,640 Speaker 1: that it's not a significant investment, because the habit is 580 00:34:23,680 --> 00:34:26,799 Speaker 1: really being built. I also think try and reframe the 581 00:34:26,880 --> 00:34:29,719 Speaker 1: activity not as an obligation, but it's like something that 582 00:34:30,160 --> 00:34:32,520 Speaker 1: you have the privilege of doing, something you want to do. 583 00:34:33,000 --> 00:34:35,759 Speaker 1: It's a chance to unwind, it's a chance to explore. 584 00:34:35,920 --> 00:34:41,880 Speaker 1: It's a chance to have real fun, like real true enjoyment, 585 00:34:42,160 --> 00:34:45,920 Speaker 1: taking real, true enjoyment from something that you're doing and 586 00:34:46,320 --> 00:34:48,080 Speaker 1: you'll notice, like when you fall asleep at the end 587 00:34:48,120 --> 00:34:50,319 Speaker 1: of the day, you're like, wow, I just feel so 588 00:34:50,440 --> 00:34:53,600 Speaker 1: much more fulfilled because I didn't do what was easiest 589 00:34:53,680 --> 00:34:55,640 Speaker 1: I do. I did what I knew was going to 590 00:34:55,719 --> 00:35:00,480 Speaker 1: fill my cup the most, which was my hobbies. You 591 00:35:00,520 --> 00:35:03,840 Speaker 1: can notice that change. Give yourself just thirty minutes a 592 00:35:03,920 --> 00:35:07,640 Speaker 1: day to prioritize this, even if it's not on all days. 593 00:35:07,680 --> 00:35:10,320 Speaker 1: You're allowed to obviously have breaks. We can't all be 594 00:35:10,360 --> 00:35:13,600 Speaker 1: disciplined with new habits. But ask yourself, at the end 595 00:35:13,600 --> 00:35:15,960 Speaker 1: of the day, when you've tried these things, do I 596 00:35:16,120 --> 00:35:20,520 Speaker 1: feel better? Do I feel better? And the days that 597 00:35:20,600 --> 00:35:23,640 Speaker 1: I have the time but I choose not to do them, 598 00:35:23,880 --> 00:35:25,920 Speaker 1: am I going to feel worse? And is that something 599 00:35:25,960 --> 00:35:29,480 Speaker 1: that I've kind of allowed myself to feel Knowing that 600 00:35:29,520 --> 00:35:31,560 Speaker 1: I could have done something that was going to make 601 00:35:31,600 --> 00:35:34,880 Speaker 1: me feel more energized and inspired and happier, choosing not 602 00:35:35,000 --> 00:35:37,360 Speaker 1: to do that, that was a choice I made, And 603 00:35:37,400 --> 00:35:40,399 Speaker 1: I could make a different choice next time. I could 604 00:35:40,440 --> 00:35:44,040 Speaker 1: do something that actually fills my cup, makes me interested, 605 00:35:44,200 --> 00:35:49,080 Speaker 1: makes me interesting, like makes me happy, fulfilled, someone who 606 00:35:49,120 --> 00:35:52,320 Speaker 1: has nuance, someone who has dimension to them, who isn't 607 00:35:52,360 --> 00:35:55,640 Speaker 1: just work and responsibility. So I do know it's really 608 00:35:55,640 --> 00:35:59,280 Speaker 1: really hard. I'm saying this to someone who's definitely struggled 609 00:35:59,320 --> 00:36:01,640 Speaker 1: with this. As I've got and older, there's just less 610 00:36:02,040 --> 00:36:05,160 Speaker 1: pieces of the pie to give out, and it's always 611 00:36:05,360 --> 00:36:08,920 Speaker 1: like a it's always like a balancing act of like 612 00:36:09,080 --> 00:36:11,840 Speaker 1: what part of my life, what bucket is going to 613 00:36:11,840 --> 00:36:13,919 Speaker 1: get more from me? But I do think that this 614 00:36:13,960 --> 00:36:16,600 Speaker 1: is the bucket we should be pouring more into than 615 00:36:16,640 --> 00:36:20,480 Speaker 1: we actually are. Hobbies are spectacular, they're amazing, They're so 616 00:36:20,600 --> 00:36:23,080 Speaker 1: valuable for your twenties. So I just hope this has 617 00:36:23,120 --> 00:36:25,120 Speaker 1: inspired you to get back into something that you used 618 00:36:25,160 --> 00:36:27,080 Speaker 1: to bring you a lot of joy and a lot 619 00:36:27,080 --> 00:36:29,120 Speaker 1: of freedom, and that you just really love doing, whether 620 00:36:29,160 --> 00:36:33,000 Speaker 1: it's music, sport, art, whatever it is, find a way 621 00:36:33,000 --> 00:36:36,200 Speaker 1: back to it, see how your life improves. Hopefully you 622 00:36:36,280 --> 00:36:39,840 Speaker 1: enjoyed this episode. If you did, please feel free to 623 00:36:39,920 --> 00:36:43,520 Speaker 1: leave a five star review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, wherever 624 00:36:43,600 --> 00:36:45,600 Speaker 1: you are listening right now. I say it every time, 625 00:36:45,640 --> 00:36:48,440 Speaker 1: but it does help the show grow, meet new people, 626 00:36:48,600 --> 00:36:51,520 Speaker 1: reach new people. Sorry, and I do read every single 627 00:36:51,520 --> 00:36:54,120 Speaker 1: one of your reviews. They often end up in my 628 00:36:54,160 --> 00:36:56,960 Speaker 1: little smile Phile. They're often the thing that I feel 629 00:36:57,040 --> 00:36:58,600 Speaker 1: very grateful for at the end of the day. So 630 00:36:59,160 --> 00:37:02,000 Speaker 1: thank you for the support if you have done so already. 631 00:37:02,520 --> 00:37:05,520 Speaker 1: If you have an episode, suggestion, questions, follow ups to 632 00:37:05,600 --> 00:37:09,520 Speaker 1: this episode, you can DM me at that Psychology podcast. 633 00:37:09,640 --> 00:37:12,000 Speaker 1: We would love to hear from you as always, and 634 00:37:12,239 --> 00:37:15,520 Speaker 1: until next week, stay safe, be kind, to be gentle 635 00:37:15,520 --> 00:37:17,839 Speaker 1: with yourself, and we will talk very very soon.