The Math behind picking up a Hobby
The world is a gold mine which has still not been unearthed. Over 90% of the world population is still engrossed in the things they do best and end up losing sight of the 360-degree vision that we all aspire to have. One such aspect which often gets lost out as people grow from chirpy students to hardworking adults is our personal hobby. It is often said that hobbies are picked up when you are a kid and adulthood does not give you time to pursue your hobbies or even pick new ones. The begging question being:
“Where is the time?”
As per studies and personal experience, it is easier to pick up hobbies once you are an adult as compared to being a kid. All one needs to understand is the math behind your 24 hours and one will realize that picking up a hobby is an easy feat. In addition, the conquest of human is to master anything they pick up and reach the echelon of greatness. Hobbies are not meant for greatness. They are there in out world to provide us a fresh perspective and a break from the usual routine. Some hobbies can transform into greatness, but humans need to understand that hobbies are for fun and personal development. The moment we understand that hobbies have a different meaning altogether, the mental pressure of pursuing it will vanish. There is no need for a transactional value or return on investment to be associated with the same.
Let’s understand how there is more time than ever to pursue a hobby.
Monday — Friday (24 hours)
Sleep: 8 hours
Usual daily Routine: 12 hours
Family time + Food: 3 hours
Remaining time: 1 hour
The above simple mathematics indicates that humans at least have 1 hour daily of spare time to do whatever they want. At present, humans end up indulging in browsing social media, worrying about the next day. All humans need to do is pick up this 1 hour and spend in any of the non-routine things they want to do. These hobbies could include working out in the gym, reading a book, learning a new language or musical instrument.
Now, assuming you spend 30 minutes for 3 days in a week to pursue a hobby (Yes, weekend is to rest and have a down time), you would end up spending 4.5 hours pursuing a hobby in a month. This is translating into 54 hours of dedicated hobby time in the year. Well, that does not seem very high. The reality is that even the most rigorous courses in academia require at most 60 hours to develop a deep understanding. Having as much time as a rigorous academic course indicates that picking up a hobby is not difficult and should be an easy task. This is not easy as it seems to be.
To pursue anything, one needs discipline even if it is for fun.
Love for Hobby = Discipline X 54 hours
Discipline multiplied with this time duration is the secret mathematics behind picking up and pursuing a hobby. So, how does one end up developing love for a hobby.
1. Push yourself on off days: There will be days when you have had a bad day or just don’t feel like pursuing your hobby. You may want to just take rest or do something unproductive. Those are the days that will define your love for the hobby. Push yourself harder on the days when your body and mind are blocking you from spending those 30–40 minutes.
2. Block your calendars: Sometimes bringing discipline requires technology to follow up on you. Blocking calendars in your phone can help serve as a strong reminder to spend the time pursuing your hobby.
3. Treat Hobby as fun and not a task: Whenever you pick a hobby, don’t think of being a champion in that. Treat each hobby as fun and not as a task. The moment your perception of a hobby changes, your approach to pursuing it will change. People perform the best when they are not constantly under pressure to prove to someone. With nothing to prove and lose, pursuing your hobby can result in a separate perspective to the world as well.
The magic formula for loving and pursuing a hobby is:
Having Fun at Hobby = Discipline X 30 minutes in a day
Following these formulas will lead to a successful result with your hobby while enjoying as well.
