I’m someone who juggles a lot of hobbies. And when they start building up, it gets even harder to maintain and engage with them. Last summer, I thought the extra free time would give me the chance to dabble in a little bit of everything, only to end up in the same place come summer’s end: I had all this time, yet I wasn’t able to touch nearly as much as I wanted. So, I had no other choice but to self-reflect: How am I supposed to do all these things I enjoy?
Prioritize the Big Ones
I’ve been learning web development in my free time, and it’s been making me want to work on increasingly more difficult projects, especially since it’d be great for my resume. At the same time, I want to get better at illustration since I’ve been dabbling with the idea of making my own comic book to publish online. And while that’s happening, DC Comics has a new universe full of interesting stories I want to read, and a huge backlog to catch up on. But the thing is, comic books can wait. I’m the only one who can make the story I want to, and books will always be there to read. Improving my web development skills will have a positive effect faster as I get those things done and put them on my resume. Especially once internship applications start opening up.
Choosing a hobby that has a deadline, or one that will allow you to do better in your other hobbies, should be the one you focus on. It’s understandable to want to do everything now at the same time, because I for sure want to develop a blog website from scratch, while writing and drawing a comic, while catching up on the newest Batman book. But if I get better at web development sooner, that’ll help me with self-publishing my comic or even making my own portfolio.
Take Your Hobbies on the Road
Most, if not all, my hobbies can be done in the comfort of my own room. And that’s also typically where I do them. I never really think about doing any of my hobbies outside of the space I associate them with. The amount of downtime I have between classes, when I don’t feel like heading back to my room, is long enough to lounge around outside, look at my phone, or even eat something out of boredom. I’d much rather use that time to do something I actually like. Taking your hobby with you is one of the easiest ways to keep chipping away at it if you can (unless your hobbies are location-restricted like singing, woodworking, or sports). Having your interests right in your back pocket is a perfect way to take a breather while keeping productive.
Plan Your Weekends Like a Weekday
The benefit of the weekend is that all the things that would keep you tied up usually no longer restrict you from doing what you want. Obviously, sometimes obligations from the weekday leak over to the weekend, so you can’t always dedicate 100% of the weekend to the things you want. But if you have the time, schedule all your hobbies with the same care you would use to block out time for classes, studying, sleeping, etc. When you take a more organized approach to your hobbies, you’ll find you’re able to accomplish a lot in just a day. I mean, think about how much you do on a regular day. You attend class for around 50 minutes and learn new information multiple times a day, then maybe take some time to study and do homework. All of which is undeniable progress towards understanding whatever your studies are.
I found that when I took this approach to weekends, I walked away not only feeling amazing since I was able to achieve so much, but since I was productive all weekend, I didn’t feel the same whiplash from doing nothing on Sunday to working come Monday.
My hobby of picking up new hobbies is probably never going to slow down. But I’m learning to manage all the new interests I pick up and that helps them to remain refreshing things that keep life fun.
