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We all know that one person whose extracurricular activities put us to shame. She holds down a regular job, whilst simultaneously managing to hit the gym three times a week, alongside her book club commitments, her dance class – oh, and she still has time to bake for (and win) the office charity bake off. If you don’t know that person, you probably are that person. And I hate to be smug, but, hi – I’m that person.
I have what can only be described as a shit-tonne of hobbies. Some I’ve had for life, and some have come and gone pretty swiftly (trapeze class, the less we talk about that the better), but I don’t do them to be smug – I do them because I love them and they improve my life. No, I’m serious.
What to do and why?
So at the moment I sing in a choir, I do three ballet barre classes a week and I bake. A lot. I do these things for the following reasons…
· I’m not bad at them – if you’re bad at your chosen thing it’s very easy to give up. Pick up something you’re pretty sure you can do the basics of
· They require my full attention – I use my hobbies as a distraction from the everyday issues of being an adult. If you still find yourself thinking about bills and work and Tinder during your class, then you’re not immersing yourself in it enough
· They mean I leave work on time – There’s a culture of proving how much work you’re doing and how good at your job you are by how late you stay in the office. This is clearly bullshit, but it gives me a good excuse not to get involved in it.
How to get started?
I was lucky to see my choir advertised in my local paper, and my ballet barre class started as a one-off ‘taster’ at my gym. Convenience is key. For me, it either needs to be on my way to or from work, or first thing on a Saturday morning or I am literally not going to do it. If you’re anything like me, especially in the winter, once you’re in you’re in – it’s much harder to rouse yourself to go back into the wind and rain again, even if it is for still life drawing, or macaron making…
You also want to make sure you’re aware of the costs before you commit and get excited – if you go along for your (usually) ‘free first session’ and you then realise that you’ll have to sell a kidney if you want to do it on a weekly basis, that’s going to be really disappointing.
How do you stick at it?
For me, I stick at ballet barre because my instructor is the fittest man alive.
That’s a lie.
Well. It isn’t, but it’s not the only reason I do it. I like to see results. So with physical things, it’s whether you can do more after a certain amount of time, or whether you see the desired change to your body. With singing, I like to have a concert to work towards, or a hard piece of harmony to work out. It’s all about having goals and markers that are achievable. It’ll help you keep going.
How do you keep it fun?
It’s a good way to make new friends – and friends that you don’t see all the time! Sometimes I don’t feel like singing on a Tuesday night, but then I remember if I don’t go I’ll have to wait a whole week more to find out how someone’s Tinder date/big night out/massive work presentation went.
I also like to give myself breaks – you know what they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder! Believe me, after singing O Come All Ye Faithful approx. 398 times throughout December, I’ll be glad to have a couple of weeks away from choir. Taking the odd week off when you REALLY don’t feel like it will make you miss it, and you’ll be ready and raring to go next time.
Most importantly though, if you really stop enjoying it and it starts being a chore instead of a fun distraction from everyday life, then stop doing it.
It’s not like work, or bills, or Tinder – you don’t have to do it, you do it because you want to! And you know what, what’s the harm in trying something? If I hadn’t have tried trapeze, or burlesque, or knitting, or German lessons I would have never known that I am literally terrible at them…
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.