Hobby: Noun. An activity done regularly in one's leisure time for pleasure.
Hi! My name is Stefanie. Welcome to my latest blogging world and venture. lol
Every so often I see this concept on social media that one should have five hobbies, also sometimes referred to as "The 5 Hobbies Rule," in order to have a fulfilled life. They are:
- One to make you money.
- One to keep you in shape.
- One to stay creative.
- One to build knowledge.
- One to grow your mindset.
I did more research on the importance of hobby categories and discovered "The 4 C's of Hobbies":
- Create: Make something.
- Consume: Appreciate art and media.
- Cavort: Move your body.
- Commune: Connect with people.
There are other categories, such as Collecting, Culinary, Nature, etc., but most lists I have found tend to have a general consensus of what types of hobbies a person should have for a balanced life. Some hobbies could fall into multiple categories as well.
I'm intrigued and have been taking notes of other findings as well, while also reading articles on this subject, mainly because Google knows that this is an interest for me now and has decided to often suggest them to me. lol
Whenever people ask me what I do for fun, I tend to say things like "Going to the movies, reading, writing, seeing theater, etc." Most of these fall under the Consume category of the 4 C's of Hobbies.
Now, these are all fine and good hobbies, and I love doing these things, but these activities all tend to be me just...looking at stuff. LOL None of these are me actively doing anything, you know what I mean?
Lately I had been getting bored with my life. I found myself just going to work, endlessly scrolling and "liking" posts on my phone, and feeling depressed. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, OkCupid (Ha!), Repeat. And watching TV. And for what? That's not good and it has me feeling unhealthy in more ways than one.
So in an attempt to live my life with more substance, ever since the new year, I decided to explore the Five Hobbies Rule and see how I can incorporate it into my own life. I like that it is a nice measuring tool to help make one's life more complete. I want my schedule to be so filled that I don't go on my phone or social media as much. I want my focus to be elsewhere and to become healthier and happier. On Twitter/X I also am seeing something lately about taking on various side quests to escape boredom. I figured that it might be fun to document and share this journey a bit when I can, so I decided to create this blog for it. 🙂
Let's quickly go through a rundown to see how I am fulfilling each category so far and in which areas I need to work on more.
One to make you money. Well, this one is easy. Writing. I have a side hustle career of freelance writing, specifically freelance journalism, since 2010. Writing has been my "thing" since I was a child. But this category is also kind of odd for me too because although I agree with the idea that if you enjoy what you do, you never work a day in your life, I also feel like if you get paid for doing something, it isn't a hobby anymore. Although I love making people happy with my work, sometimes I don't consider writing as enjoyable when I associate it with work and school, as opposed to creative writing and writing for myself. Plus, there is a level of perfectionism that I deal with regarding writing that I am often afraid of letting go of it and finally sharing and/or publishing it, another element that causes me to avoid it at times. I also have this mentality for some reason that if I am doing something and not getting paid for it, it's a waste of my time because I can't afford to do stuff for free. I want to break away from this mindset a bit more, but I'm also wondering if I should find a new hobby to make me money besides my writing.
One to keep you in shape. This is the area that needs the most attention lol. I definitely need to get healthier in this department. I was never an athlete as a child and not into fitness much as an adult. I love walking though and that is very good for weight loss and clearing your head to appreciate the fresh air. I've also enjoyed using a treadmill and from time to time I also do some weightlifting, but I need to find something different that is more exciting and consistent. I want to have fun with this one more, maybe even find something a bit competitive to give me that extra pull, and not find it a drudgery to have to move my body. Lately I've been lethargic and in pain so I'm hoping that this area will be improved immensely.
One to stay creative. My writing could fall into this category as well, but recently I have gotten into textiles, particularly weaving. I've been thinking that maybe I should try to sell the items I create, but I feel like if I make this hobby the "One to make you money," it won't be fun anymore. Right now I am relaxed when I do it and part of the reason for that is because there are no expectations. It's just me doing what I want and making my own decisions about what designs I make, what yarn I use, etc. Even when I mess up I don't stress over it, which is a big step for me in general. It has been fun teaching myself. Interestingly, as a result, I have found myself getting into arts and crafts more, which is something I never really had enjoyment or patience for. Although, it does depend on the project. lol
One to build knowledge. I like to read, but I am ashamed to say, especially as someone with an English degree, that I don't read nearly as much as I should. My attention span and willingness to dedicate time to it could be better and I sometimes associate reading with school, so therefore I remember when it was an obligation rather than something I chose to do for myself. For years I've also studied leaves, which I recently found out is called leaf morphology (as opposed to the more general botany, study of plants, and dendrology, study of trees, both of which I partake in as well due to the associations with each other). Leaves are one of my favorite things in the entire world and I like that I have this interest. I feel like this is a niche realm of knowledge that I have in addition to books, theater, and film. I have plenty of books about it and also keep a collection of leaves while also try to identify them when I can. (The leaves found in the background of this blog aren't mine nor did I photograph them. It is simply a background photo that came with this blog's theme that I chose. lol)
One to grow your mindset. I feel like this one is similar to the last one, so I'm not sure what the difference is. I've read that journaling is one, so that counts for me. Reading could fall under this one as well, but I am enhancing this further. I am working on reading The New American Catholic Holy Bible more than I have been. My mom and I attended Bible Study classes since September and I have been doing daily Christian reflections with In Touch Ministries.
Blogging in itself is also a hobby of mine. For my essays and other musings, visit my main blog Taking It One Stef At A Time. For my creative writing, visit Stef By Step. I am looking to update them more consistently as well.
The difference with My 5 Hobbies Theory Journey! though (besides the fact that it doesn't have a pun of my name in the title lol) is that I don't plan on posting anything too lengthy on here. For example, if I read a book or see a movie that I want to mention on here, I'm not going to write analytical interpretations for them like I would do on Taking it One Stef at a Time.
I created this blog in 2026 at 35 years old. I have a list of things I want to try and see what I like, so I think this year is a great year to get started! I also keep seeing something on social media that says don't think of yourself as starting too late in yours 30s but rather being an older person waking up in their 30s and getting to start over again. 30s is just the beginning. I want to take advantage of my youth and where I am NOW.
I'm all gun ho about this, but I'm also being advised to not overdo it because then I might lose steam. I need to manage my time and sleep better to be able to achieve everything and there is also the factor of money that I need to consider. Many hobbies require payment for participation and equipment.
So I'll see where this journey takes me and just post what and when I want to. I don't want to overwork myself too much either trying to update this blog and I may want to keep some stuff to myself as well. I want this blog to be simple and just for fun.
Happy Hobbying! :)
XOXO Stefanie
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