do you actually have a hobby?

welcome to introspection ft. harsehaj! ⭐️ i’m harsehaj, a 19 y/o always up to something in social good x tech.

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onto today’s topic: do you actually have a hobby? ⚽️

if you had 2 hours completely free of any responsibilities, what would you do?

you’re probably able to list a couple things, but how many of those things do you do on a daily, weekly, monthly basis?

not as much as we want, right? the unfortunate reality is that we very rarely have 2 hours entirely devoid of to-do’s. this might be a bit of a weird take, but i don’t think hobbies are just for free time — it’s important to intentionally make time outside of eating and sleeping to replenish your brain and body with energy. ⚡️ 

scrolling on tiktok isn’t a hobby. perhaps crazy, but “hanging out with friends” isn’t a hobby either. maybe if you’re actually doing something with your friends, but that social component is a necessary bucket to fill in your life on its own.

what are you making time to do in your life, that you don’t have to?

that’s a hobby, and they’re vital. 🧘‍♀️ 

if you only checked off important to-do’s all day, every day, you would probably go insane. i firmly believe hobbies are a crucial way to establish identity and grow your sense of self. yes, you can enjoy your work or your courses, but there’s still an obligatory element to it. try doing something that has absolutely 0 connection to your career or academic aspirations. it’s probably scary because that feels like wasted time, but trust me, that activity will become such an important outlet. 🪫 you’re not running on a perpetual treadmill of maximizing productivity — switch exercises and train a different muscle group.

if there’s nothing that defines you in your day or week, nothing defines you at all.

i try my best to make time to rollerblade, hit the gym, check out new cafés, and read. :)

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