Hobbies

This is a subject that I discuss with my wise friend quite often. It is the subject of hobbies.

What is a hobby?
In trying to come up with a definition, I can tell you what a hobby is not. Watching television is not a hobby. Neither is noodling around on MySpace or what have you. These are activites that consume time and money. But they do not qualify as hobbies to me.

A hobby is work that you engage in for which you are not paid and is done purely for personal satisfaction. For instance, cleaning house would not qualify as a hobby. Neither is working out at the gym though bodybuilding can be a hobby.

Essentially, a hobby is an unpaid job. It takes the type of dedication that you would commit to your job except you pay to do it instead of getting paid to do it. Essentially, a hobby is the job you would really like to have but never got. Usually, these involve sports like golf or fishing or in my case, writing.

Hobbies are kind of sad when you think about it. But we can't all be Tiger Woods or Stephen King. On the other hand, there was a time when both Tiger and King were hobbyists.

How many hobbies should you have?
I can't really answer this one. Some hobbies are seasonal like hunting. I find people who hunt also like to fish and play golf. But there is only so much time especially leisure time. I would say that your hobbies should not consume more than 20% of your waking hours. This amounts to 22.4 hours per week if you sleep the recommended eight hours per night. This follows the 80/20 rule. Work should not exceed 89.6 hours per week.

The reason I put this together this way is because hobbies are essentially speculative in nature and cost money and time that could be spent on your real job. Most people don't come close to working 89.6 hours or goofing off for 22.4 hours. Time is spent doing chores, running errands, or just sitting in commuter traffic. But it helps to know what the upper limits are.

When it comes to time, you fall into the concentration/diversification problem. Or what I call the CDP. When you concentrate your efforts, you get greater impact sort of like shooting out a high powered bullet. The problem is that you want a very accurate aim or else all the power of that bullet will be for naught. On the other hand, a shotgun is less powerful but carries a greater likelihood of hitting your target. If you pursue ceramics as a hobby, you might become good enough at it to start your own business with it. But you might live in a place that doesn't give a damn for ceramics. So, you will remain a hobbyist. On the other hand, pursuing various hobbies like surfing, fishing, hunting, stamp collecting, etc. carry a greater likelihood of capturing opportunities to pursue them in a full time capacity when combined together. But you won't be very good at them which makes them less satisfying.

When should you abandon a hobby?
I think you should abandon a hobby when it is no longer fun or you simply have no skill at it. This is often not a rational premeditated decision. People usually abandon hobbies over time as they do things they really enjoy doing. This is where you get all those rusty golf clubs and dusty musical instruments and molding boats or what have you. It is not intentional, but in time, you realize you are not doing that shit anymore. I have a relative who has a cabinet full of guns, but I doubt he has been hunting in years. But his metal detector and his Harley get a fair amount of use.

What are the best hobbies?
The best hobbies are the ones you can do on a very regular basis. For instance, surfing would be a poor hobby for me because I don't live close to the beach. But writing is a perfect hobby for me because I can do it just about anytime anywhere. Cooking is also something else I am interested in because it is something I do every day even if it is warming up leftovers in the microwave. I find the best hobbies grow out of things you already do.

Listening to music, watching TV, or reading books does not qualify. If you take up a musical instrument, then that is a hobby, but listening to all kinds of music is not a hobby. It requires some degree of work to qualify.

Are you better off without hobbies?
This is where the debate comes in. Personally, I think if you have money invested in shit you don't do then you need to sell it and get your money back. This might mean pawning that Les Paul or listing that boat on Craigslist. Additionally, if you are pursuing something you simply have no talent at, you are wasting your time. For instance, I like drumming on things a lot. Maybe I should get a drumkit and try and be the next John Bonham. But my friends keep me grounded on these ambitions by pointing out that I really suck at it. Finally, if you play golf, just stop already. I already know you suck at it. It is sad shit seeing grown men shooting 95 or worse betting on holes and then getting wasted at the clubhouse. Men golf to escape wives and girlfriends, and it is easier on the knees than basketball.

I think as long as people have leisure time they will pursue hobbies. Is it worth it? I think it is if it results in making you a better person. Being a bad triathlete is way better than being a perfect couch potato. But I see little difference in a couch potato and a fisherman. You just need more insect repellant for one instead of the other.

These are just random thoughts at this time, and I might revisit this subject in a future post.

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