The internet is full of articles and posts telling you what passive income is and why you need it. Everyone is talking about how you can turn your hobby into making money. Also, how you need to have 5 or 7 different kinds of hobbies- one to make you money, one to keep you in shape, to keep you creative blah, blah. Initially, it demotivated me. When I looked into the logic behind it, I agreed with it. But then came a big ass question: How to start when you don’t have a hobby?

I grew up as a kid with almost no hobby as such. My mother was a tuition teacher. I went to school, came back. After having lunch, my mother’s tuition batch would start and I would sit with them and study. Spent the evenings watching TV, doing this and that. I was never into sports, still don’t have a clue. I never spent my time sketching or painting. I would occasionally read books. One of my favorite things was to go to almost all kinds of competitions on public speaking- be it debates, extempore, science quizzes, science fair, mental maths competition.

As I joined college, I stopped participating in such events. Being a part of Amity University, I still had a lot of opportunities. But this world was filled with kids who wouldn’t do anything themselves, but judged and made fun of those who did. Sadly, I fell into the trap of fear. And honestly, I would be lying if I say I never made fun of anyone. I would still read books though. As I started working, that stopped too.

For me the idea of life was- You go to school and college, you study, you get a job and finally get independent.

The truth is, even if we had some hobbies as a child, on our way to adulthood most of us neglected them. We got stuck in a never ending rat race.

Why do we need a hobby after all?

Turns out the real world demands much more. Apparently, laying all your eggs in one basket is not a good idea. Also, I completely agree, working the same job for years results in making your life boring and mundane. And being human, our mind starts to wander. Having a hobby or a passion project often helps us to maintain our sanity. Even if you love your job, it gives you an escape from the predictable time table and helps you get creative. Having a hobby enriches our life and gives us a perspective.

According to Rebecca Weiler, Hobbies can actually impact your performance at work positively. If you are happy outside your work, the happiness spills and increases your efficiency at work

But how do you start when you don’t have a hobby?

Let’s clear this first. 

What is the appropriate age to explore a new hobby?

None. There is no appropriate age to pick up a hobby. No matter what your age is, you can pick up anything of your interest and try to learn more about it. 

I never really drew or sketched in school. But I tried a couple of times later, and I was surprised by how well I could do it.

How to pick up a hobby?

Ask yourself what are the things that excite you. The things that you see other people doing. Whether in real life or on social media. Whenever you see something and you wish you could do it, begin from there and try doing that. 

The truth is you can find your inspiration from anywhere. Got involved with a narcissist? Get a book on narcissism and learn more about it. Like stating your opinion on social media? Write a journal. Or better- get yourself a blog!

Use the internet for some good now.

Once you decide to try something, you know the power of the internet. No matter what you decide to learn about, there is no subject that the internet cannot teach you about. And the good part is that we can get most of the information for free. You can start by investing time in reading and learning about your topic of interest. If you don’t find it interesting enough, you can switch it up! Once you have found your interest you may even move on to paid online and offline courses.

But I don’t have time for a hobby

It seems pretty easy when the motivational speakers say that everyone has 24 hours a day. If they can, you can. In reality, everyone has their own list of tasks, their own set of responsibilities. Someone’s job may be more time consuming than others. One might be responsible for plenty of household chores and may not find time juggling between work and home. But isn’t that really the point of having a hobby? To find that one activity that produces you joy.

Coming back to the harsh truth- we only have 24 hours a day. In order to take something beautiful out of it, we might need to take a look at how we manage our time. Write down how you spend your day in half an hour block. This will help you figure out where you’re spending how much of your time and what are the areas that you can cut down or 

All time management begins with planning.

My advice: start small. More than a daily task, set yourselves some weekly goals. A week is actually the cycle of life that we live. This way you’ll be able to find out the right amount of time to engage in your hobby without being under constant pressure.

Try looking for a hobby that helps you develop your skills

The pandemic has taught us the hard way that we need to upskill and reskill constantly. With so much uncertainty in jobs, we constantly need to enhance our skills that we already have and also learn and develop new ones. If you are willing to start a passion project or a source of passive income just merely for the thought of earning extra, the chances of you succeeding gets really less.

Till the time you’re not doing what you really love and something that interests you it’s a hard ship to sail. If it is a new skill that you’re trying to get your hands on, treat it like a fun activity, a hobby. With time and practice, you will get better and also you will know if you can keep this going for a longer run.

Don’t be so harsh on yourself

Your hobby is supposed to make you feel better. Schedule your free time but do not over-schedule it. If you’re going to be so hard on yourself for a leisure activity, it won’t be leisure anymore. Try to find the perfect balance.

It is okay if you feel demotivated. Read this article on dealing with demotivation and start being productive to help you through it!

Comment down below your hobby and share it with the world