Like – Just for an example – I want to play every video game, so I end up not playing none and instead just fucking around online with stuff that doesn’t require initiative. The only override I’ve found is involving other people, I always make time for an RPG session with my friends or for hanging out and such. But I have trouble starting stuff for myself.
What do?
Oh I just collect the things needed for the hobby. I don’t actually do the hobby.
I put them all away except one per month. I rotate that each month (board game / book / CD).
On the computer I have a folder with a shortcut to one game, movie, TV show, audiobook, album and ebook. I delete the shortcuts when I’m done and make new ones next month. The folder lives on my taskbar/dock.
Hey, this is pretty good thinking, kind of an artificial limit that at least provides just enough friction so you don’t go off looking everything.
This could be useful for just about anything
I hope it helps as much as it is helping me. I just wish I thought of it a few decades ago.
I just have many hobbies that I cycle through continually.
I use a planning tool where I add everything I need to do so I don’t forget and/or procrastinate. I add my hobbies as regular chores in my daily todo list. Somehow, it’s easier for me to think “I have to play video games today” rather than “I want to play video games today”.
What games do you like?
Sim racing and story-rich games mostly. Not the kind of games you can start and stop on a whim 😅
I’m kind of the opposite, I’m surrounded by things to do, but the only time I think about doing them is when I can’t.
highly specific example. but the general advice is to figure a way that works for you.
I started reading with a pen, and write notes and comments on the book margins. it feels much more active and engaging that passive reading. more like a conversation with the author than a lecture. i write whatever, a joke, a comment a smiley face, no rules. really helps me focus on the book and think about it deeper.
Overwhelming choices and paralysis by analysis do that. You say you want to play EVERY game. That’s a huge amount of games. There are so many choices it’s overwhelming. Maybe try to at least narrow down to a genre? What usually works for me is that I’ll just pick something at random and start playing. After that I’m good.
For the too many video games, I make a wheel with the options and spin it. If I’m disappointed by the result, remove that one, spin again. Otherwise play option.
This only works sometimes!
I give myself too many options and normally just play something because my girlfriend is over.
I have more fun installing and modding consoles than I do playing them. So many random tasks to do.
Create artificial restrictions.
One year I decided I would only read ‘classics’ (pre-1950), one year I only read sci-fi, one year I only read Shakespeare’s plays, in chronological order as written.
In all of those years I read more than I did normally, with the added bonus that it pushed me to read things I might not have otherwise picked up.
For video games, something I’ve enjoyed in the past is a gaming alphabet: for a year, you keep a list of all 26 letters A-Z. Every time you start a game, it should be something you: A.) haven’t played before, and B.) the title should start with a letter you haven’t used yet.
It encourages you to scroll through your backlog and pick something different because it’s a letter you need. Plus, over the year you’ll build a list of all the games you played (you can add short reviews too!) which can be a fun look back later on.
What were your favorite reads?
I’d be here for hours trying to list them all, so I’ll just do one for each category:
- Classics: Howard’s End by E. M. Forster
- Shakespeare: Henry IV, part 1
- Sci-fi: Childhood’s End by Arthur C. Clarke
Really there were dozens that stuck out, and two of my biggest takeaways were that great writing is timeless, and classic literature is far more approachable and relatable than you might think.
I’m lucky, most of my interests are adjacent to each other and to what I do for a living. Its very easy for me to just pick something up to fuck with for a few minutes and then put down or sometimes let it develop into the new hyperfixation of the week. Really the lesson I learned is to keep those projects in front of me either figuratively or literally as much as I can and let my lizard brain munch on it for a while
One year I made a list of what I want to complete that year. Let’s just say that I was a bit ambitious but I was very proud of the games I finished.
This year I am trying to go as long as possible without buying any new games. But I should probably look at making a new list.
I find it hard to jump between things too frequently. It’s all or nothing, more often. For video games I tried elite dangerous in VR and now that’s all I ever want to play. I needed a break from VR so I read books for most of a day, which restarted my drive to read a lot.
I guess it’s been, ‘make it somehow something that I have to tone down, instead of pushing myself to do more.’
Sounds a lot like me. Now I have 8+ consoles and multiple pcs…but I spend more time repairing and modifying stuff than playing games ha!
I disciplined myself to beat myself (metaphorically speaking) over being wasting time. The resulting stress makes me agitated, and the agitation can only be qwelled once I solve the source of the stress.
