hobbies

March 26, 2006 10:18 PM

Hobbies are supposed to occupy your time, right? I feel guilty unless I am being productive. What hobbies are there that are fun and productive?

I don't feel like solving Soduko puzzles or crosswords is productive. What hobbies do you have that make you feel like you are fulfilled?

posted by dking to sports, hobbies, & recreation (38 comments total)

making music.
posted by dydecker at 10:19 PM on March 26, 2006

gardening.
posted by ChasFile at 10:20 PM on March 26, 2006

Reading. Find books on topics that interest you, and enjoy!
posted by markmillard at 10:21 PM on March 26, 2006

bookbinding

photography

painting
posted by bshort at 10:22 PM on March 26, 2006

Knitting or crocheting or sewing. Graphic design (even if it's stupid stuff for your or your friends' websites). Writing (if it's bad, you never have to show it to anyone). Baking and other cooking. Collecting and organizing music and fonts (or whatever you like). Practicing music. Picking up a part-time job. Learning any skill that might be useful.

In case it's not obvious, I suffer from the same deal. Thanks very much, Puritan work ethic.
posted by booksandlibretti at 10:26 PM on March 26, 2006

carpentry, making electonics, writing the "great american novel"?
posted by kendrak at 10:28 PM on March 26, 2006

As above, and don't put down the crossword-Sudoku impulse: it may be much more salutary than you know.
posted by rob511 at 10:30 PM on March 26, 2006

Being unproductive is a great productivity helper. Keep grease pencils in the shower for your great ideas. Have a notebook in your pocket for when your unproductive walk in the park leads you to the next Pet Rock. Surf because you feel so fucking spectacular for the rest of the day after you do. Enjoy life.
posted by kcm at 10:30 PM on March 26, 2006

Research on a topic - it can really take up your time, and you learn a lot too.
posted by divabat at 10:35 PM on March 26, 2006

I make music. I also build amplifiers for guitar. So that combines my love of music and electronics into one.

I work on my 72 Skylark. Restoring a cool old car is a great hobby that is also productive.
posted by 6550 at 10:38 PM on March 26, 2006

I suppose it depends on your definition of productive. Let me try to explain...

Some people would say you should try knitting. There's a certain satisfaction, after all, of producing something physical -- something you can touch, and feel, and show to people. Maybe even sell, or just give away. Something like making music might not appeal to them, because it's not something tangible.

Some people will say making music is productive. Music can have a profound effect on people, after all, and evoke many emotions, and send many messages. Something like knitting might not appeal to them, because who has ever been emotionally moved by an afghan?

I think you first need to determine what you mean by "productive." Share that with us, and you'll get better suggestions.
posted by CrayDrygu at 10:49 PM on March 26, 2006

I agree that we need to know how dking defines productive. It can be interpreted in many ways. One person's trivia is another's life's work.

...derail

who has ever been emotionally moved by an afghan
I have.
posted by acoutu at 11:09 PM on March 26, 2006

poker!
posted by twiggy at 11:22 PM on March 26, 2006

I find sports to be the most productive use of my spare time. I feel great afterwards and it contributes to my overall health.
posted by chrisch at 11:48 PM on March 26, 2006

For a long while, self-help books were my hobby. (Ew). I gardened, producing a lot of herbs and veges and the occasional rose. I draw (but that productive thing has held me back) and now I study - distance education - for a qualification that will let me draw and feel productive.

But why do you want a hobby? Too much time on your hands or for your mental health? And if your mental health needs work (ref: self help books above), perhaps you need a non-productive hobby that works on reducing your guilt-factor. Nice thread on meditation earlier this week.

What about something that ties into your work but isn't. A friend of mine belongs to an Administration Association that works on professional development for its members. Another friend took up public speaking as a hobby (with Toastmasters).

Community college courses often have useful components - how to tile your shower, rebuild your car engine, trace your family tree (i did that too).
posted by b33j at 12:12 AM on March 27, 2006

Ironically enough, I do believe I found 52 Projects : Random Acts of Everyday Creativity from another thread a long while ago.

It's pretty nice to flip through, if nothing else, for some creative ideas to spark other hobbies and such.

Maybe you could take a course or some time to learn a new language?
posted by disillusioned at 12:19 AM on March 27, 2006

no budget animated features.
posted by psychobum at 12:21 AM on March 27, 2006

try 43 things
posted by forallmankind at 12:45 AM on March 27, 2006

Consider volunteering for something - a huge range of potential options that can make use of your existing skills, teach you new ones and give you a chance to meet new people. All while being productive.
posted by rongorongo at 12:46 AM on March 27, 2006

I've done some woodcarving. It takes hours to create a single piece, and I find it to be almost meditative. Basic relief carving (say, celtic knotwork or similar striking designs) isn't so much difficult as requiring concentration over a long period of time.

A nice carved piece can go up on your wall, it tends to attract comments, and it makes a unique gift.
posted by tomble at 12:55 AM on March 27, 2006

People are the best hobby. Join groups that do interesting things. This can be a hobby in itself -- seeing how many groups you can join and be actively involved with at one time.

Go through a list of hobbies and check each one you'd like to actively pursue.

Try to make at least half of them group activities -- even if it's a solo activity (such as reading), make it something you do through a group that gets together (such as a book club). And try to make your selection half mental, half physical -- match a book club with an outdoors club.

Then try to divide them into things you would do (A) every day, (B) a few times a week, (C) once a week, (D) every month, and (E) semi-annually or annually.

Then pick one A, one or two Bs, one or two Cs, one or two Ds, and a handful of Es.

By the end of the year, you could be growing a garden, learning tai chi, helping old people, making long-distance bicycle rides, climbing mountains or exploring caves, reading all the best mystery (or romance or science fiction or whatever) novels with a specialized book club, taking a (human or programming) language class, arranging flowers, bodybuilding, watching foreign films, ballroom dancing, planning the town's holiday festival, going to the horse track, feeding birds, and so on.

And, if you do it through clubs and classes, you'll be meeting dozens and dozens of people who share at least one of your interests. Don't just learn guitar; join or form a band. Don't just ride a bike; join a cycling club.

What not to do: keep animals as a hobby. If you're dying to have a pet, fine, but don't get animals if you think you might just lose interest after a few months.

Tell us where you are and we'll find area-specific groups for you.
posted by pracowity at 1:53 AM on March 27, 2006 [2 favorites]

geocaching
nothing like getting out and exploring your world and finding hidden "treasure" all around that you never knew about before!
posted by busboy789 at 3:17 AM on March 27, 2006

Volunteering, engaging in politics and direct action, playing in a band, writing web applications.
posted by pollystark at 3:29 AM on March 27, 2006

- Texas Hold Em'
- Make Websites (good ones)
- Sports (fun and healthy, anyway, dunno about productive)
posted by Haarball at 4:10 AM on March 27, 2006

Drawing and putting together/customizing bicycles.
posted by atom128 at 4:26 AM on March 27, 2006

Habitat for Humanity. Donate Blood. Visit a nursing home/ hospital to just sit and talk with people. If you have any religious affiliation they would be happy to have your time. Bake/ make elaborate meals. Paint a room in your home.

I know some of these are not long term in the way we generally think of hobbies, but meditative while helpful/"productive" at the same time.

For me it's not a matter of coming up with the ideas, it's the self discipline to do them.
posted by bilabial at 5:10 AM on March 27, 2006

Foreign Languages. Makes some good extra synapses, and are valuable if you travel, work in a multinational company, or really hates when jokes are lost in translation.
posted by qvantamon at 6:13 AM on March 27, 2006

Develop skills that will help you help others.

For instance, it's dead simple to get a Red Cross Adult CPR/AED, Child and Infant CPR, and First Aid instructor certification. Two short days in an office, then you can be out teaching your friends, families, and co-workers how to help save lives.

Or take a Wilderness First Responder class. In 80 classroom hours you'll learn to deal with everything from spinal injuries to decompression illness. The fun thing about WFR - most first aid classes teach people to not move a person at any cost. You're there to keep them stable and prevent further injury until trained professionals arrive. With WFR, you are that trained professional.
posted by SemiSophos at 6:26 AM on March 27, 2006

because who has ever been emotionally moved by an afghan

Try not to be racist please. Thanks ;)
posted by malp at 6:36 AM on March 27, 2006

My friend and I went and took welding at our local community college as a hobby/diversion. It cost $300, and was a total blast. And now I know how to weld!

Our local community college has classes on a very wide range of hands-on topics, like auto mechanics, carpentry, blacksmithing, jewelry making, drawing, painting, plumbing, homebuilding....and on and on.

And don't forget the non-hands on topics that could tickle your fancy, like languages (could lead to travel), history (learn more about a favorite period), accounting (become financially self-sufficient), computers (explore a new career or programming language). Any of these fields could keep you very busy for a couple years.

A key thing to remember about going to community college as a grown up who is genuinely interested in the topic at hand is that instructors and other smart people will be naturally attracted to you. You will meet lots of cool and interesting new people.

It could also be that this will help you learn skills critical to following rongorongo's excellent advice, doing volunteer work.

Go check out your local community college's course catalog. I don't know how old you are, but wouldn't it be a cool goal to take every single interesting class in that catalog before you die? It's doable. The phrase "jack of all trades" would have to be re-evaluated in light of you!
posted by popechunk at 6:37 AM on March 27, 2006

making music.

Not sure what definition of "making music" folks are using, but for added concreteness of productivity, I'd refine the recommendation to "recording music." It's cheap and easy to get into, it's difficult but fun, it's rewarding, it's something you can easily share with people near and far, and there's always something new to learn.
posted by ludwig_van at 6:38 AM on March 27, 2006

And also, it's something that isn't limited by the fact that you're doing it alone - you can still sound like 10 people if you want.
posted by ludwig_van at 6:39 AM on March 27, 2006

Home brewing.
posted by Lazlo Hollyfeld at 6:41 AM on March 27, 2006

Like popechunk said, make things. There are a lot of resources out there: 1 2 3 4.
I tend to make stuff I need, or the occaisonal gift. Some people sell their projects on ebay.

Ebaying is another hobby altogether. I prowl thrift stores and garage sales for stuff to sell. I make a little money. I'd make more at a minimum wage job, honestly. But I like the challenge and it does satisfy my shopping bug.
posted by hydrophonic at 8:47 AM on March 27, 2006

I do some computer programming as a hobby. I'm hoping that the stuff I write will, one day, be useful to someone else. (Actually, this has apparently already happened :-). This can be a time-consuming hobby though!
posted by aroberge at 10:44 AM on March 27, 2006

Candle making is fun and productive. Makes the house smell great too!
posted by raider at 12:09 PM on March 27, 2006

I like handspinning (with a drop spindle, not a spinning wheel). It has lots of history, is inexpensive, portable, easy to learn but hard to master, and one can do many things with the results.

A friend has been doing amazing things with felting. He makes 3D scenes and dollish figures that are really fun.

Carving soapstone is another thing I enjoy, although my summer (it is best done outside) hobby time is now mostly taken with home repair.
posted by QIbHom at 5:26 PM on March 28, 2006

List of hobbies on Wikipedia
posted by Sharcho at 2:37 AM on April 16, 2006