If you’re struggling to find a hobby then you may start to feel frustrated which can lead to further procrastination in deciding what you want to do. Making the most of your spare time is really important to improve your mood, fitness, and overall function within society as it can give you the opportunity to make connections with people.
Sometimes it’s better to go back to basics and try to get better at an existing hobby or something you may have done in the past. You don’t always need to overcomplicate the process of finding a hobby, and in reality, even the most basic of things such as reading a book or going for a run can be classed as a hobby.
With that said, you may want some inspiration and we have some useful pointers today including some resources on helping you find a hobby such as our ultimate hobby list. We’ll also look at navigating some difficult situations when it comes to picking a hobby that you may encounter in your day-to-day living.
1. Seek Inspiration
Since you’re here, you’ve already kind of done that so you can give yourself a pat on the back. Seeking inspiration is a good first step in getting those creative juices flowing to help you think of a hobby that you may want to do.
We have tons of great resources and posts talking about all kinds of different hobbies depending on the type of person you are. The first port of call we recommend is to check out our top lists of hobbies as this will include a collection of our most in-depth posts in an easy-to-follow format.
If you’re looking for something more specific then take a look at our list below that includes our most popular posts:
- Problem-Solving Hobbies
- Hobbies That Require Discipline and Precision
- Hobbies Not Involving Screens
- Building Hobbies
- Technology Hobbies
You shouldn’t feel guilty about looking for inspiration either; it’s not false or a lie as some people might tell you, it’s another avenue of educating yourself about the wonders of our world and what you can do in it.
In fact, many hobbies are often the result of inspiration — for example, famous featherweight Floyd Mayweather Jr. was inspired to start boxing by his father who was also a successful professional boxer.
2. Use your gifts
If you’re particularly gifted at something then that’ll be half the battle already won when trying to decide what you should do. We’re not saying you should pigeonhole yourself, or be pigeonholed by anyone else for that matter, however, if you excel in a specific area and enjoy it then you should really explore it as a hobby.
For example, if you’re particularly sporty then you may want to try something like Tennis or a team sport like Football. However, if you’re more of an intellectual then you may prefer something more taxing for the mind such as chemistry-based hobbies or hobbies that involve numbers.
It’s important to play to our strengths, and they are often the obvious choice, however, you should also push past your barriers as this will help harden the mind.
And remember, if you’re particularly gifted at something then don’t forget to share your gifts with the world to help inspire those around you as they may also find themselves in a similar position of trying to find a hobby.
3. Educate Yourself
Sometimes the only thing stopping you from picking up a hobby or starting something new is the fear of what may be out there rather than what is actually waiting for you. Fear of the unknown is a powerful influencer and is often the result of letting your emotional mind take over rather than using logic to look at the problem properly.
This is where education can come in handy such as reading books, studying, watching videos, and even practicing something for yourself. Depending on what you’re wanting to do there may also be the option of expert guidance that can guide you on the subject to help allay your fears.
All of this information can help your mind visualize what you’ll be tasked with which can allow for more comfort when you get started during those first initial days or weeks.
Never underestimate the benefit of talking to peers or even family members who may have more life experience than you — this can really help you get to grips with a specific passion or pastime that you may be interested in.
4. Become a kid again
Some of the best hobbies you’ve had were probably from when you were a kid or even a teenager.
Most people once they hit a certain age will avoid certain activities because they’re viewed as immature by a large part of the population — Rest assured, this is an ignorant judgment and you shouldn’t let people hold you back from things you might still enjoy.
You may have even collected figurines, watched wrestling, and even found comfort in playing Warhammer with your friends or like-minded geeks. If so, this is often the best place to start looking for a hobby as we usually gravitate to activities by instinct as a kid meaning they’re often more in tune with who we are as people.
5. Try something you don’t like (or don’t think you’ll like)
It’s funny what a little pain or displeasure can reveal to ourselves in terms of how committed we can be, and how we can push past perceived barriers that the mind throws up for us. It can also reveal that we do actually enjoy certain aspects of some hobbies that we thought we would never like or couldn’t get used to.
The best way to put this in perspective is if you’ve ever been to the gym to do any kind of physical training or had to run especially far, you’ll notice that sometimes you can push past those limits where your body is begging you to stop. Once you get past those barriers it becomes far easier the next time and you may even start to enjoy this kind of torture.
It’s the same with hobbies or any other beneficial/productive activity that you know you should be doing. Retired Navy SEAL and famous ultra-marathon runner David Goggins calls this the “calloused mind” — doing those things that you find difficult and even seeking these situations out to harden your resolve can be extremely beneficial in the long-term, possibly leading to metaphorical riches in whatever it is you want to do in life.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it normal not to have hobbies?
No — By definition, a hobby is something that you enjoy doing in your spare time; even watching television could be classed as a hobby if you enjoy it. It’s highly irregular not to enjoy anything at all in your life.
What most people probably mean to ascertain with this question is if it’s normal not to have hobbies that require a significant mental, physical, or financial investment — In this case yes, it’s totally normal.
How do you not lose interest in a hobby?
This question has multiple answers depending on the circumstance. For example, if you’re suddenly not interested in many things and finding it hard to feel pleasure then it may be worth speaking to a professional health expert.
It could also just be a case that you have multiple interests and you’re finding it hard to hold your attention on all of them at once. In this case, we suggest taking a look at some of our advice regarding focusing on one hobby at a time.
Lastly, it could be that you’ve exhausted your potential in a specific area or hobby and that you need to spread your wings to other parts of life. In this case, scroll back up to point number one and get looking for another hobby.
Conclusion
If you’ve read our article in full then you shouldn’t find it too hard to either inspire yourself or get motivated to do some soul-searching to find a hobby. It may have even given you the nudge you needed to pick something right away in which case we’ll let you get on with it.
Our website includes many useful resources for hobby enthusiasts or people who just want general advice regarding hobbies so don’t forget to bookmark our page. You can also share our article on social media if you think it might benefit any of your friends or family.
