“It’s the only thing that satisfies my compulsion” is a good reason to do something IMO. Certainly not useless for you (even if it would be for most people), assuming it actually is the best thing you could be doing with your time that satisfies your compulsion. I definitely relate though, I find it very difficult to prevent myself from writing.
what are the actual criteria you’re using to evaluate them right now?
What I’m trying to get at is “how much does this hobby make my life better outside of me finding it fun”. I think the two that come most to my mind are whether the hobby causes you to make friends and whether it keeps you in good shape, but those are pretty surface-level and obvious. There are lots of other ways a hobby can be helpful (e.g. it can advance your career, it can fulfill a desire in you to help others, it can make you money). But those all seem like saying “good books are ones with a relatable main character and narrative tension”, they will help filter out many bad (and a few good ones) but they’re to simplistic and general to be much help in finding a truly great one. Many great books are great because they did something unique no one else did, and probably many great ways to spend your time are great because they have some unique massive advantage that’s difficult to find anywhere else.
“It’s the only thing that satisfies my compulsion” is a good reason to do something IMO. Certainly not useless for you (even if it would be for most people), assuming it actually is the best thing you could be doing with your time that satisfies your compulsion.
In my case my aforementioned examples are not the best thing for me, or even close.
and probably many great ways to spend your time are great because they have some unique massive advantage that’s difficult to find anywhere else.
I’m have to admit confusion on my part. What I’m reluctant to do is start suggesting a word salad of possible hobbies with a low possibility of actually being beneficial because I don’t know how you’re evaluating what is useful to you right now, at this particular point in time for you.
Nevertheless, off the top of my head exotic hobbies that extend beyond merely (but not excluding) being social or physically healthy include redubbing scenes from silent films with modern sound effects, tailoring, balloon sculpture, fire twirling, running Vinyl record listening parties, developing film photographs in Caffenol, growing cacti, building a kit-racing-car, recreating Dutch Golden Age paintings a la Tim’s Vermeer.
“It’s the only thing that satisfies my compulsion” is a good reason to do something IMO. Certainly not useless for you (even if it would be for most people), assuming it actually is the best thing you could be doing with your time that satisfies your compulsion. I definitely relate though, I find it very difficult to prevent myself from writing.
What I’m trying to get at is “how much does this hobby make my life better outside of me finding it fun”. I think the two that come most to my mind are whether the hobby causes you to make friends and whether it keeps you in good shape, but those are pretty surface-level and obvious. There are lots of other ways a hobby can be helpful (e.g. it can advance your career, it can fulfill a desire in you to help others, it can make you money). But those all seem like saying “good books are ones with a relatable main character and narrative tension”, they will help filter out many bad (and a few good ones) but they’re to simplistic and general to be much help in finding a truly great one. Many great books are great because they did something unique no one else did, and probably many great ways to spend your time are great because they have some unique massive advantage that’s difficult to find anywhere else.
In my case my aforementioned examples are not the best thing for me, or even close.
I’m have to admit confusion on my part. What I’m reluctant to do is start suggesting a word salad of possible hobbies with a low possibility of actually being beneficial because I don’t know how you’re evaluating what is useful to you right now, at this particular point in time for you.
Nevertheless, off the top of my head exotic hobbies that extend beyond merely (but not excluding) being social or physically healthy include redubbing scenes from silent films with modern sound effects, tailoring, balloon sculpture, fire twirling, running Vinyl record listening parties, developing film photographs in Caffenol, growing cacti, building a kit-racing-car, recreating Dutch Golden Age paintings a la Tim’s Vermeer.