How to Find a New Hobby
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America has a love affair with hobbies, my colleague Julie Beck wrote in 2022. Part of this is an obsession with what scholars have called “productive” or “serious” leisure, which puts efficiency and progress ahead of less clearly defined accomplishments such as rest and time with loved ones. But for many hobbyists, spending time on a craft or a quirky collector’s quest really is the best way to unwind. Today’s newsletter explores how to find a new hobby, and how to deal with the likelihood that you’ll be bad at it at first.
On Hobbies
How Hobbies Infiltrated American Life
By Julie Beck
America has a love affair with “productive leisure.”
Six Underrated Hobbies to Try Out
By Stephanie Bai
Picking up a new pastime is no small feat.
What It’s Like to Get Worse at Something
By Olga Khazan
I had been skiing since childhood. Why was I suddenly bad at it?
Still Curious?
- How leisure time became work: The rise of the attention economy has accelerated our habit of engaging with our hobbies in a data-driven way, Shirley Li wrote in 2021.
- “Ugh, I’m so busy”: A status symbol for our time: Once, long ago, being richer meant working less, Joe Pinsker wrote in 2017.
Other Diversions