Agreed!
Pros & cons.
Think of it this way. You’ll be better equipped to make insightful connections between seemingly unrelated things.
That’s the practical underpinning of innovation, invention, artistry, and even intelligence itself by some definitions.
Roll with it. Try to identify common threads across the different things you’re drawn to, you may uncover a hidden treasure of interest!
I am very much like this myself. Another con: many people think you are a "know-it-all," but not realizing that intense focus, mixed with passion and an excellent memory, you just actually know a lot of things about a wide variety of topics.
Wanna talk motorcycle engines? Yay! Wanna talk about Egyptian pyramids? Also yay! LOL
To quote Adventure Time's Demon Cat "you have an approximate knowledge of many things".
Sometime it's frustrating not to be an expert in anything, but like some said, it allows you to be able to talk about so many things with so many people!
As a librarian, for example, it's a real perk !
It doesn't actually matter to me if I'm getting jabbed about it, or if some is actually complimenting me, it really feels awkward.
Like, dude, I just read/do a lot, and my parents encouraged me to be inquisitive. I'll deep dive on things but I'll also only just casually read about subjects I don't know that much about because, well, I find it entertaining.
I lament somewhat that I'm not particularly specialized in my field, as that does place a few constraints on career. But life is way too interesting for me to just DO THE THING all the time, no matter how much I enjoy it.
Good lord, video games, exercise, all of these random things have been super amazing for a short period of time.
I even have a diagnosis referral from my dr and keep putting it off 😅
Tbh, my husband. The day I finally went in for psych treatment he threw everything away. He knew we had to stop. I was losing my mind. The crypto crash also helped in a fucked up way. No money no dab. I also got my ADHD diagnosis that day. When they did my drug test they found both methadone and benzos in my system. The only thing I was doing was dabbing so I guess it was being laced, idk
I was gonna Say like 'yeah weed can definitely at least exacerbate mental health issues' but I am pretty sure it was the methadone and buenos lmfao!!
Edit: Meant benzos not buenos hehe
I mean, if You can't tell a normal high from a benzos/methadone high, means You are a very irresponsible drug user and should stop using drugs alltogether. In My country it isnt Even legal yet so obviously no dispensary or control and yet I have never ever bought a laced weed batch and I have seen Many.
Not to mention benzos high is ridiculously different than Even the strongest weed there is. I have never done the methadone but if You can't tell the difference between the highs You should probably just never touch drugs at all...
I've learned not to throw any of the impulse hobby supplies away because I know I will come back in a year or two. The amount of resin, yarn, drawing supplies, wood working, wire wrapping, needle point stuff I have, I will always use it again eventually!
Lately it has been puzzles, and we have done 7 in the past 6 days. But I also thought needle felting sounded fun, so there is $400 worth of supplies when I get finished with the puzzle fixation.
It’s literally your brain developing; every single one of us does it. You’re bored of it, you’ve seen enough of the same patterns. You do not have ADHD or anything else diagnosable other than you are human.
You could have multipotentiality and/or gifted; perhaps neurodivergent in other ways too.
It has been thought over the years that I may had had autism or ADHD myself, but instead I proved to be gifted.
We thirst for knowledge, but once we have a good understanding and recognize the patterns etc, we get bored and want to learn something else. Rare exceptions for topics we are really passionate about, of course.
Were you ever tested for adhd/autism? It doesn't have to be one or the other - often it's both. Heard lots of stories about people being gifted AND having adhd.
Twice Exceptional they call it (in the US, iirc).
Could also be autism special interests but depends on if other symptoms are present. ADHD and autism also have a fairly high comorbidity rate, so could also be both (which is what I suspect I am).
Honestly, same, I hobby hop really frequently, which can get annoying when you start having a whole room full of unused tools and materials you won't touch for years until you cycle back to it
Absolutely. But there are certain things no matter how long I take a break from I can always pick up where I left off and continue full speed before I need a break for however long. And for me collecting comics is probably the biggest one. The same way with playing certain video games/playing them in general.
Who is manageable if you watch it in chunks and are willing to view it as a slightly different show every time the production team changes. This said, watching all of Classic or New Who alone is a Herculean effort.
I've watched it all, many parts several times: I've never watched the entire thing in order. That'd take a year if you're *really* dedicated.
Yes but it’s usually weeks and it’s usually hobbies. I will get so obsessed with a hobby and watch videos on it and look at stores to buy stuff for it and just think about it constantly and then I will spend hundreds of dollars on stuff for it and then do it for like, a week or 2 and then never touch it again.
Your curiosity is one of the greatest gifts you could ever hope to have. Trust it and follow it wherever it leads you. The worst that can happen is that you end up as a well-rounded individual who ages gracefully
What if I'm only interested in expensive things that I can buy and never use because I don't have the time since I'm working all day to be able to pay for all the things that I want.
Asking for a friend.
I'd say shift your interest to knowledge/wisdom rather than material possessions. Material things only make you happy when you first get them. Then it's just stuff. But the rich history of civilizations, space,science,engineering, and anything else you're interested in will keep your mind busy and happy far longer.
Yeah this is a fantastic take.
It feels good to be somewhat knowledgeable on numerous obscure topics.
Some of my hobbie were relatively short (mech keyboards, personal audio), but some will stick with me for life (swimming, running, espresso)
True. Sometimes I won’t even be that interested in something but I still want to learn it just to know that I know it lmao. Shit like parts of the body and stuff. But also actually hobbies like languages and shit that I’m into.
We are legions. I call us serial hobbyists. My MO is generally to be obsessed with new thing until I get to a point that I feel like I have mastered it, and then I can't stay interested anymore.
This is also how I am. There *are* a few hobbies that I persist with, (or have returned too), but not with the initial fervour, rather I feel I have mastered it to a degree I am content with and maintain a “lower“ level of engagement.
For me it has been cyclical. In the early 2000's I was fascinated with Pixar style 3D modeling and CGI animation. I spent HOURS and HOURS trying to get the perfect photorealistic renders.
Lost interest in that when my son was born in 2004 but fast forward 13 years and 3D printing is a thing and It suddenly morphs into a new hobby figuring out how to print out all those old 3D models.
Same thing with mountain biking. Into it in the early 90s, 15 year gap, back into it, plus bike mechanics.
Comics... Swimming... FPSs... All the same. If I liked them once, I'll like them again.
I could spend hours designing it for you. I may even draw it out. Won't actually do the hard work, but I have an uncle who put the H in ADHD and he'll have that shit done in 3 days. He's 60 but can still run circles around me.
Yep defo
I found out I’m adhd at 40 and before hand just thought I was a useless and weird .
I’m now at peace with it as whatever it is I’m doing I’m learning or experiencing new things for however long it takes … I’m currently wild swimming and bought wet suits,joined groups and insanely invested in researching the health benefits and now following Whim Hoff…. Before that it was skiing…before that covid vaccine research…. And as I’m typing I’m thinking DIY and I’m off to check Pinterest and will prob be up to my heck in paint by 10am Tom…….
As long as it’s positive & healthy time invested go with the flow x
I do… to the point my wife asks “is this another hobby you’ll be putting down in a few months?” I think a lot of it has to do with timing though (in my circumstances). I got into chain mail for a few years, but no one else seemed as excited about it when they got bags or jewelry, and I had a toddler and baby on the way, so it fell by the wayside. Now the family goes to festivals and stuff and we see all the chain mail, and I get a bit nostalgic. Same thing with black smithing, and a few other things. Now that I’m older and the kids are moving out, it might be time to start back up with some of it again
I do this as well. I generally step-in to a hobby for a year or two. I’ll get to about a 6-7 out of 10 on expertise level and realize that the next couple of levels are going to be extremely time consuming/ungodly expensive/prohibitive in some way and then back-off.
My current obsession is lawn and garden. I have spent the last 2 years preparing my lawn to become golf fairway/putting green
meticulous. I knew nothing about grass/plants/gardening/fertilization and the living processes that produce happy plants and grass. I am now putting down “lawn stripes” with my reel mower and hand-pulling weeds to make the lawn perfect.
Now that I am reflecting on some of my past hobbies (DSLR photography, mountain biking, custom open loop water-cooled PC, classic car restoration/maintenance, pool maintenance and cleaning, smoking/grilling/sous vide, golf) the ones I enjoy the most are the activities where the hobby can never be “done”.
The prime examples are grilling, pool maintenance, lawn, photography, golf.
The hobbies where I build something (massively complex PC, classic car, etc.) are the ones I lose interest in after the “thing” is built. I usually start from scratch and build something from the ground-up. I spend months researching before I buy a single screw or bolt, and by the time I am ready to start building, I have every piece and component selected. I still use the PC, and I still drive and work on the car, but I don’t stay-up to all hours researching those things anymore.
I like the earlier comment where someone mentioned being able to make connections between seemingly unrelated subjects. This is the “crack that keeps me coming back”.
I call myself a serial hobbyist. My wife and my many children just accept that I will forever be looking to learn about something new until my brain and/or body prevent me from looking into the next subject of interest.
I’ve struggled with this my whole life. People always tell me to go get a career doing something I love - but if I love it for less than 6 months at a time — then what??
Yes. It has happened throughout my whole life. Recently I read some stuff that make me suspect I have ADHD. This fits perfectly.
I'm also bipolar, soI thought it was that but it didn't really explain it.
I know what you are saying: obsessed with something! All my free time only doing/reading about that thing, buying everything I need for a professional even. It lasts from 3-4 months to 1.5years for me.
I have ADHD and I’ve done this several times. Jigsaw puzzles, bicycling, entomology, law, beer brewing, paper crafts,...Mostly harmless except for the resulting debt from law school. The only thing I’ve stuck with is cooking/baking.
Yeah happens to me all the time, I have adhd, and I have loads of hobbies that I genuinely get into, enough to earn the respect of veterans in the hobby, but then I stop and I never feel the same way about it again. I've come to think that's because I became so engaged with the hobby, that I would need to put in a lot of boring and famiar practice before I reach a level where it's new and exciting again.
I do this - I have a 3 month focus on a lot of things that are hard to do really well, and then lose focus as I lose momentum on them. Did this with guitar, drawing, cooking, wine, and a bunch more hobbies.
I have a longer, 3 year cycle on things that I figure out how to do well, and then lose interest. Did this with wood carving, photography, airbrushing, and a bunch of other hobbies
I blame a lot of it on my ADHD - which I didn't get diagnosed with till my mid fifties, and WOW does that shed light on a WHOLE bunch of my past.
Get yourself assessed for ADHD - medicating makes a huge difference, and figuring out coping strategies helps even more.
The hard part can be in defining "obsessive".
For example, a person that plays hockey in their youth can spend a significant part of their lives, playing, practicing, drilling, thinking and learning about hockey. They can work out to (sometimes) extreme degrees and end up with their entire lives revolving around hockey. That - in some people's eyes - is obsessive. Is it unhealthy? Or it is just what's necessary to achieve goals that they've set, like "Making it into the NHL"?
But - we were talking about hobbies, so yeah - if I got totally focused on 3d Printing (my latest hobby) and started ignoring other things in my life just so that I could do more 3d Printing, then that would be unhealthy - and that would, in my experience, lead to me losing motivation. Thus is the benefit of having ADHD - I don't go far enough down the rabbit hole to be unhealthy.
Anything taken to extremes is unhealthy. But "extremes" varies from person to person, and activity to activity
Addicts will sometimes replace their addiction with another “addiction”. For example, they give up alcohol and take up cycling, etc. Bipolar is characterized by manic or hypomanic episodes…these can look oddly obsessive/compulsive like at times. Finally. There is a book entitled, “Driven to Distraction” it’s a coping method. Just throwing out ideas. No offense intended.
I was SUPER into the Yugioh card game for years. Buying cards, going to tournaments, ran a blog and was starting a Yugi-tube channel. One day it just became too much. Life, family, suddenly I didn’t have time for it as much. Eventually I sold all my decks and equipment and stopped going to events.
I got back into it a little bit when Master Duel came out but I just couldn’t commit to learning all the new stuff. In the end, great memories with such a fun game.
This has happened a few times but the things usually only last a few days/ 2 weeks at most. My longest one was my mha obsession, and since i haven't been able to watch past season 3 I've kinda lost interest
When Elden Ring came out I obsessed. 99% of the media I consumed was Elden Ring related for a few weeks. I waited excitedly for lore videos to be made. I watched hours of gameplay. Never played it myself, too scary for me haha. And a week later I'm annoyed af clicking not interested on all the Elden Ring videos clogging up my YouTube recommendations. I have a room I rarely go in filled with craft supplies. I've bought a 3d printer, embroidery machine, spinning wheel, all barely used. I hang on to a lot of stuff bc I have the space and I know I'll get back to it eventually. Just knit again the other day for the first time in like a year!
Yes it's normal. As you grow as a person your interests change. At 40, I am a completely different person than I was 20 years ago, of course I don't have the same hobbies and interests!
I’m like that with YouTube channels. I’ll stumble across a video, like it enough to watch all the YouTube channel’s videos, then a few months later I’m over it.
Yes except mine lasts for a day or two. I bought an embroidery kit, used it one day and lost interest the next. Didn’t pick it up until a month or so ago and then put it down again. Haven’t touched it since.
My husband did for years...hobby after hobby. I think it was a phase, albeit a long one, but he doesn't do it anymore. Seems normal to me, though, you are at a time in life where you're missing something but don't know what, so you try a bunch of things to see if one scratches the itch. Strikes me as a better thing than not knowing what you're missing and opting to mope around and do nothing!
Loved video games as a kid and pretty much up until the end of highschool.
One day I was sitting there playing xbox in my room team linked with my friends, decided I didn't like it anymore and sold it.
Now my favorite game is train valley.
Yes. All the time. I become hyper obsessed about my new thing/hobby and must buy all the best tools/things to help me get started. Then one day I'll become bored of it and move onto something else, like you said.
Yep this is my life. Get super fixated on something and literally binge watch all the videos on it, read about it, buy all the gear, reach a certain point, then lose interest.
Generally though I'll maintain most or at least some of that knowledge and it'll come back handy later, or I'll go round that circle and come back to it.
Photography was a good example. Could easily spend every penny I had on lenses and equipment, then went a year or more not even touching my DSLR. (probably moved onto 3d printing). Then suddenly get the opportunity to visit the Arctic circle to see the Northern Lights and it became relevant again.
I've gone through snooker, cars, photography, amateur radio, flying lessons, travelling, languages, nuclear engineering, 3d printing, programming, gaming, electronics, DIY, lock picking and rubiks cubes to name a few.
It can be fantastic in terms of gaining knowledge and experience but awful in terms of productivity and finances. When I was obsessed with getting my pilots license that was probably the biggest drain at £180 per hour for lessons, living on a shoestring budget. So of course I tried to build my own flight simulator with life size cockpit "to save money". That and amateur radio where I tried to turn literally everything into an antenna, including the curtain pole to the dissatisfaction of my ex.
Or ill end up watching documentaries about nuclear power instead of doing my work.
Tldr: it's great but don't let it bankrupt you.
Times change, interests grow. Experiencing new things is healthy.
There are so many games, book series, tv shows that I've played through many times but the past few years, I've acknowledged that the last time through will probably be the last time I read / watch / play them.
I feel the instant gratification of the internet / youtube etc helps satiate the nostalgia factor what would have normally instigated a complete re-watch/replay/reread.
I'm ok with that. Its more time to experience new things.
Yeeees, me. Piano, drawing, running, guitar, makeup videos, obsessive tidying, searching for and collecting tv show or a music artists memorabilia only to be stored away in a months time etc. I do this ALL the time
I used to. With the kids, I haven’t had time for that kind of thing for a few years. The oldest should get her license in March so hopefully that will take some pressure off. Maybe I can start doing that again. I think it’s a sign of deep curiosity combined with time and resources to indulge that curiosity. Enjoy it!
Yes! Literally every interest I’ve ever had is super intense for a month or two then I get bored. I’m starting to get better at maintaining a hobby as I get older (currently 24) but it’s still an upward battle for sure
Yes, with both hobbies and interests.
Right now, I’m going a year and a half strong of being obsessed with two characters from a tv show. But as of last week I’m suddenly bored and have no interest in them.
(M66). Yep. Used to keep detailed hand- made lists on things (on one page)needed to do short-term and long-term. Also, I designed a one-sheet checking account report that covers 3-months which I could fold and keep in my wallet.
I did these faithfully until I was idk, 55 years old then I just stopped.
I just asked myself, is this worth it? Do I really need to do this? Could this be something that I’m unconsciously doing as a procrastinating? How come no one else does or needs to do this sort of thing?
"Chet Morton", the fat friend from the Hardy Boys books is like this, he has a new interest or hobby in every book and throws himself headfirst into it.
oh yeah, I'm a serial hobbyist.
every few years, i decide to get really into a new thing. i spend tons of time researching it, learn as much as possible about it, then slowly become bored with it till the next thing comes along.
I don't have this personally but I know someone who does! They decided to become a teacher for people just out of school (or people who never went to college/uni etc.) who might need extra help in doing their jobs. It means they get to learn about loads and loads of things. However, you don't get to choose what they learn about, they just get assigned to whatever they get assigned to if that makes sense. (Sorry if I did something wrong/weird, I'm new to posting on Reddit!) The job is called Learning Designer if you were wondering!
Yes I did it was my father hitting the bottle every day. He left a small amount in one, I was overwhelmed with curiosity I drank it. This put me off alcohol for life. He knew it was there, he knew he left that small amount in the bottle when he sobered up the next day. It was a mystery to him then, and still is a mystery to him 2 decades on.
Not me, but I have a friend that does this. They'll get super into some niche hobby and then spend all their money on it for a few months, get bored of it, and sell everything.
The flip side is, as you get older (if you have a good memory) you’ll become very wise in many different domains!
Haha yeah that's actually true lol but then I never really end up becoming an expert in anything
Agreed! Pros & cons. Think of it this way. You’ll be better equipped to make insightful connections between seemingly unrelated things. That’s the practical underpinning of innovation, invention, artistry, and even intelligence itself by some definitions. Roll with it. Try to identify common threads across the different things you’re drawn to, you may uncover a hidden treasure of interest!
That's true ! I guess the "jack of all trades" suits me better then
I am very much like this myself. Another con: many people think you are a "know-it-all," but not realizing that intense focus, mixed with passion and an excellent memory, you just actually know a lot of things about a wide variety of topics. Wanna talk motorcycle engines? Yay! Wanna talk about Egyptian pyramids? Also yay! LOL
To quote Adventure Time's Demon Cat "you have an approximate knowledge of many things". Sometime it's frustrating not to be an expert in anything, but like some said, it allows you to be able to talk about so many things with so many people! As a librarian, for example, it's a real perk !
Except I have shit memory so it doesn't work like that for me anyway lol
It doesn't actually matter to me if I'm getting jabbed about it, or if some is actually complimenting me, it really feels awkward. Like, dude, I just read/do a lot, and my parents encouraged me to be inquisitive. I'll deep dive on things but I'll also only just casually read about subjects I don't know that much about because, well, I find it entertaining. I lament somewhat that I'm not particularly specialized in my field, as that does place a few constraints on career. But life is way too interesting for me to just DO THE THING all the time, no matter how much I enjoy it.
I can tell you the life stories of all of the Monkees, but don't ask me my great grandparents' names.
Welcome to ADHD hobby hopping
Nothing like a good old fashioned hyper fixation. Still better than being addicted to dabs I suppose.
Good lord, video games, exercise, all of these random things have been super amazing for a short period of time. I even have a diagnosis referral from my dr and keep putting it off 😅
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Tbh, my husband. The day I finally went in for psych treatment he threw everything away. He knew we had to stop. I was losing my mind. The crypto crash also helped in a fucked up way. No money no dab. I also got my ADHD diagnosis that day. When they did my drug test they found both methadone and benzos in my system. The only thing I was doing was dabbing so I guess it was being laced, idk
I was gonna Say like 'yeah weed can definitely at least exacerbate mental health issues' but I am pretty sure it was the methadone and buenos lmfao!! Edit: Meant benzos not buenos hehe
They couldn't have been there every time though. Which may have made it worse. Sometimes it would be dispensary sometimes not
I mean, if You can't tell a normal high from a benzos/methadone high, means You are a very irresponsible drug user and should stop using drugs alltogether. In My country it isnt Even legal yet so obviously no dispensary or control and yet I have never ever bought a laced weed batch and I have seen Many. Not to mention benzos high is ridiculously different than Even the strongest weed there is. I have never done the methadone but if You can't tell the difference between the highs You should probably just never touch drugs at all...
If you had actually read my comment you'd know that I've stopped. Are you high right now?
But sometimes I cycle back a few years later, and already have all the equipment!
Isn't it the best? When I decided I wanted to make clothes again I already had a whole box of fabric and a sewing machine!
I've learned not to throw any of the impulse hobby supplies away because I know I will come back in a year or two. The amount of resin, yarn, drawing supplies, wood working, wire wrapping, needle point stuff I have, I will always use it again eventually! Lately it has been puzzles, and we have done 7 in the past 6 days. But I also thought needle felting sounded fun, so there is $400 worth of supplies when I get finished with the puzzle fixation.
Is this really ADHD ?
Oh not necessarily, it's just a really common trait in ADHD people, but could be anything really
Not necessarily, I don’t have ADHD and I do the same thing.
Ohh what do you think it is then ? 🤔
It’s literally your brain developing; every single one of us does it. You’re bored of it, you’ve seen enough of the same patterns. You do not have ADHD or anything else diagnosable other than you are human.
Well, we don't know that they *don't* have ADHD from a single post, either.
You could have multipotentiality and/or gifted; perhaps neurodivergent in other ways too. It has been thought over the years that I may had had autism or ADHD myself, but instead I proved to be gifted. We thirst for knowledge, but once we have a good understanding and recognize the patterns etc, we get bored and want to learn something else. Rare exceptions for topics we are really passionate about, of course.
Were you ever tested for adhd/autism? It doesn't have to be one or the other - often it's both. Heard lots of stories about people being gifted AND having adhd. Twice Exceptional they call it (in the US, iirc).
Could also be autism special interests but depends on if other symptoms are present. ADHD and autism also have a fairly high comorbidity rate, so could also be both (which is what I suspect I am).
Except for me it's days or weeks at a time. Quite rarely do I fixate and obsess over something for more than a month or two
Honestly, same, I hobby hop really frequently, which can get annoying when you start having a whole room full of unused tools and materials you won't touch for years until you cycle back to it
Or autism special interests!
This is what I was gonna say😂
Absolutely. But there are certain things no matter how long I take a break from I can always pick up where I left off and continue full speed before I need a break for however long. And for me collecting comics is probably the biggest one. The same way with playing certain video games/playing them in general.
Red Dwarf. There's a reason I steer clear of Dr Who and Supernatural. I'd never dig my way out of those rabbit holes.
Who is manageable if you watch it in chunks and are willing to view it as a slightly different show every time the production team changes. This said, watching all of Classic or New Who alone is a Herculean effort. I've watched it all, many parts several times: I've never watched the entire thing in order. That'd take a year if you're *really* dedicated.
Yes but it’s usually weeks and it’s usually hobbies. I will get so obsessed with a hobby and watch videos on it and look at stores to buy stuff for it and just think about it constantly and then I will spend hundreds of dollars on stuff for it and then do it for like, a week or 2 and then never touch it again.
Hello, me...
Your curiosity is one of the greatest gifts you could ever hope to have. Trust it and follow it wherever it leads you. The worst that can happen is that you end up as a well-rounded individual who ages gracefully
Thanks for saying that ! It makes me look at it in a more positive light
Costs a fortune though. Switching hobbies like the wind over here 👋
What if I'm only interested in expensive things that I can buy and never use because I don't have the time since I'm working all day to be able to pay for all the things that I want. Asking for a friend.
I'd say shift your interest to knowledge/wisdom rather than material possessions. Material things only make you happy when you first get them. Then it's just stuff. But the rich history of civilizations, space,science,engineering, and anything else you're interested in will keep your mind busy and happy far longer.
That means that your actual hobby is learning things.
Yeah this is a fantastic take. It feels good to be somewhat knowledgeable on numerous obscure topics. Some of my hobbie were relatively short (mech keyboards, personal audio), but some will stick with me for life (swimming, running, espresso)
True. Sometimes I won’t even be that interested in something but I still want to learn it just to know that I know it lmao. Shit like parts of the body and stuff. But also actually hobbies like languages and shit that I’m into.
Mind. Blown.
We are legions. I call us serial hobbyists. My MO is generally to be obsessed with new thing until I get to a point that I feel like I have mastered it, and then I can't stay interested anymore.
This is also how I am. There *are* a few hobbies that I persist with, (or have returned too), but not with the initial fervour, rather I feel I have mastered it to a degree I am content with and maintain a “lower“ level of engagement.
Yup. You might want to look into hyperfixation and special interests, they could be helpful :)
For me it has been cyclical. In the early 2000's I was fascinated with Pixar style 3D modeling and CGI animation. I spent HOURS and HOURS trying to get the perfect photorealistic renders. Lost interest in that when my son was born in 2004 but fast forward 13 years and 3D printing is a thing and It suddenly morphs into a new hobby figuring out how to print out all those old 3D models. Same thing with mountain biking. Into it in the early 90s, 15 year gap, back into it, plus bike mechanics. Comics... Swimming... FPSs... All the same. If I liked them once, I'll like them again.
I go from fixation to fixation. Even with food. Like, I'll love something and constantly crave it, but then one day it's very unappealing.
The entire adhd population
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Can I move into your apocalypse compound?
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I could spend hours designing it for you. I may even draw it out. Won't actually do the hard work, but I have an uncle who put the H in ADHD and he'll have that shit done in 3 days. He's 60 but can still run circles around me.
Yes, all the time! “a jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.”
I'm like this and I've become the saying jack of all trades master of none
Yep defo I found out I’m adhd at 40 and before hand just thought I was a useless and weird . I’m now at peace with it as whatever it is I’m doing I’m learning or experiencing new things for however long it takes … I’m currently wild swimming and bought wet suits,joined groups and insanely invested in researching the health benefits and now following Whim Hoff…. Before that it was skiing…before that covid vaccine research…. And as I’m typing I’m thinking DIY and I’m off to check Pinterest and will prob be up to my heck in paint by 10am Tom……. As long as it’s positive & healthy time invested go with the flow x
Love that... "Left my passion of researching covid vaccines to go skiing and swim in the wild." It do be like that though.
It’s not often boring ehi?
Not me, but i can tell you my ex did.
Sounds like ADHD. This is very common.
I do… to the point my wife asks “is this another hobby you’ll be putting down in a few months?” I think a lot of it has to do with timing though (in my circumstances). I got into chain mail for a few years, but no one else seemed as excited about it when they got bags or jewelry, and I had a toddler and baby on the way, so it fell by the wayside. Now the family goes to festivals and stuff and we see all the chain mail, and I get a bit nostalgic. Same thing with black smithing, and a few other things. Now that I’m older and the kids are moving out, it might be time to start back up with some of it again
I do this as well. I generally step-in to a hobby for a year or two. I’ll get to about a 6-7 out of 10 on expertise level and realize that the next couple of levels are going to be extremely time consuming/ungodly expensive/prohibitive in some way and then back-off. My current obsession is lawn and garden. I have spent the last 2 years preparing my lawn to become golf fairway/putting green meticulous. I knew nothing about grass/plants/gardening/fertilization and the living processes that produce happy plants and grass. I am now putting down “lawn stripes” with my reel mower and hand-pulling weeds to make the lawn perfect. Now that I am reflecting on some of my past hobbies (DSLR photography, mountain biking, custom open loop water-cooled PC, classic car restoration/maintenance, pool maintenance and cleaning, smoking/grilling/sous vide, golf) the ones I enjoy the most are the activities where the hobby can never be “done”. The prime examples are grilling, pool maintenance, lawn, photography, golf. The hobbies where I build something (massively complex PC, classic car, etc.) are the ones I lose interest in after the “thing” is built. I usually start from scratch and build something from the ground-up. I spend months researching before I buy a single screw or bolt, and by the time I am ready to start building, I have every piece and component selected. I still use the PC, and I still drive and work on the car, but I don’t stay-up to all hours researching those things anymore. I like the earlier comment where someone mentioned being able to make connections between seemingly unrelated subjects. This is the “crack that keeps me coming back”. I call myself a serial hobbyist. My wife and my many children just accept that I will forever be looking to learn about something new until my brain and/or body prevent me from looking into the next subject of interest.
Laughs in ADHD
I’ve struggled with this my whole life. People always tell me to go get a career doing something I love - but if I love it for less than 6 months at a time — then what??
Trying to identify common threads is a great idea!!
Yes. It has happened throughout my whole life. Recently I read some stuff that make me suspect I have ADHD. This fits perfectly. I'm also bipolar, soI thought it was that but it didn't really explain it. I know what you are saying: obsessed with something! All my free time only doing/reading about that thing, buying everything I need for a professional even. It lasts from 3-4 months to 1.5years for me.
35 yo here. Yup
All my life.
Yes I have adhd and you probably do too
Symptom of not just ADHD but Bipolar as well
Yup. I always thought that was pretty normal actually.
sounds like adhd >\_>
Is this your way of coming out of the closet, OP?
yup! i call it adhd lmao
ADHD
I have ADHD and I’ve done this several times. Jigsaw puzzles, bicycling, entomology, law, beer brewing, paper crafts,...Mostly harmless except for the resulting debt from law school. The only thing I’ve stuck with is cooking/baking.
Yeah happens to me all the time, I have adhd, and I have loads of hobbies that I genuinely get into, enough to earn the respect of veterans in the hobby, but then I stop and I never feel the same way about it again. I've come to think that's because I became so engaged with the hobby, that I would need to put in a lot of boring and famiar practice before I reach a level where it's new and exciting again.
I do this - I have a 3 month focus on a lot of things that are hard to do really well, and then lose focus as I lose momentum on them. Did this with guitar, drawing, cooking, wine, and a bunch more hobbies. I have a longer, 3 year cycle on things that I figure out how to do well, and then lose interest. Did this with wood carving, photography, airbrushing, and a bunch of other hobbies I blame a lot of it on my ADHD - which I didn't get diagnosed with till my mid fifties, and WOW does that shed light on a WHOLE bunch of my past. Get yourself assessed for ADHD - medicating makes a huge difference, and figuring out coping strategies helps even more.
I don’t see the harm unless things get taken to an obsessive level. Any time a hobby becomes an obsession, it’s not healthy.
The hard part can be in defining "obsessive". For example, a person that plays hockey in their youth can spend a significant part of their lives, playing, practicing, drilling, thinking and learning about hockey. They can work out to (sometimes) extreme degrees and end up with their entire lives revolving around hockey. That - in some people's eyes - is obsessive. Is it unhealthy? Or it is just what's necessary to achieve goals that they've set, like "Making it into the NHL"? But - we were talking about hobbies, so yeah - if I got totally focused on 3d Printing (my latest hobby) and started ignoring other things in my life just so that I could do more 3d Printing, then that would be unhealthy - and that would, in my experience, lead to me losing motivation. Thus is the benefit of having ADHD - I don't go far enough down the rabbit hole to be unhealthy. Anything taken to extremes is unhealthy. But "extremes" varies from person to person, and activity to activity
Yep. It has a name too. "Hyperfixation." Pretty cool thing.
Bipolar and addicts
Interesting. I’ve never been diagnosed as bipolar and don’t have any addictions. What makes you come to the conclusion of bipolar & addict?
Addicts will sometimes replace their addiction with another “addiction”. For example, they give up alcohol and take up cycling, etc. Bipolar is characterized by manic or hypomanic episodes…these can look oddly obsessive/compulsive like at times. Finally. There is a book entitled, “Driven to Distraction” it’s a coping method. Just throwing out ideas. No offense intended.
No offense taken. I’m genuinely interested and will check out the book.
Yess, it has happened to me many a times
Not all the time. With me, it usually only happens with people. But that's partly in thanks to my non-supportive unhappy childhood.
Yes. Me. No more interested in life. Thanks
Wow I don’t remember writing this post
I was SUPER into the Yugioh card game for years. Buying cards, going to tournaments, ran a blog and was starting a Yugi-tube channel. One day it just became too much. Life, family, suddenly I didn’t have time for it as much. Eventually I sold all my decks and equipment and stopped going to events. I got back into it a little bit when Master Duel came out but I just couldn’t commit to learning all the new stuff. In the end, great memories with such a fun game.
Yup. I call it Autism.
Life
This has happened a few times but the things usually only last a few days/ 2 weeks at most. My longest one was my mha obsession, and since i haven't been able to watch past season 3 I've kinda lost interest
When Elden Ring came out I obsessed. 99% of the media I consumed was Elden Ring related for a few weeks. I waited excitedly for lore videos to be made. I watched hours of gameplay. Never played it myself, too scary for me haha. And a week later I'm annoyed af clicking not interested on all the Elden Ring videos clogging up my YouTube recommendations. I have a room I rarely go in filled with craft supplies. I've bought a 3d printer, embroidery machine, spinning wheel, all barely used. I hang on to a lot of stuff bc I have the space and I know I'll get back to it eventually. Just knit again the other day for the first time in like a year!
It's called Minecraft
Yours lasts for months? Even years? I can't even get past a month
Yeah, Walking Dead before it became regular life. And Game of Thrones before they botched it 🙃
Yes it's normal. As you grow as a person your interests change. At 40, I am a completely different person than I was 20 years ago, of course I don't have the same hobbies and interests!
I’m like that with YouTube channels. I’ll stumble across a video, like it enough to watch all the YouTube channel’s videos, then a few months later I’m over it.
Yes except mine lasts for a day or two. I bought an embroidery kit, used it one day and lost interest the next. Didn’t pick it up until a month or so ago and then put it down again. Haven’t touched it since.
Absolutely. It’s starting to get upsetting though.
My husband did for years...hobby after hobby. I think it was a phase, albeit a long one, but he doesn't do it anymore. Seems normal to me, though, you are at a time in life where you're missing something but don't know what, so you try a bunch of things to see if one scratches the itch. Strikes me as a better thing than not knowing what you're missing and opting to mope around and do nothing!
Yes, I was loving having oatmeal almost every morning for, like, 6 months. And now the quaker oats pack is just sitting in the pantry, untouched :(
I never completely drop interest in anything.. but my latest hobbies have been pens, pocket knives, and Gundam model kits
Yeah, but for me it lasts like a month each, and I'll just cycle through my steam library
🤚🏽🤚🏽🤚🏽🤚🏽 me 😂
Loved video games as a kid and pretty much up until the end of highschool. One day I was sitting there playing xbox in my room team linked with my friends, decided I didn't like it anymore and sold it. Now my favorite game is train valley.
Yes lmao
Yes. All the time. I become hyper obsessed about my new thing/hobby and must buy all the best tools/things to help me get started. Then one day I'll become bored of it and move onto something else, like you said.
Yep this is my life. Get super fixated on something and literally binge watch all the videos on it, read about it, buy all the gear, reach a certain point, then lose interest. Generally though I'll maintain most or at least some of that knowledge and it'll come back handy later, or I'll go round that circle and come back to it. Photography was a good example. Could easily spend every penny I had on lenses and equipment, then went a year or more not even touching my DSLR. (probably moved onto 3d printing). Then suddenly get the opportunity to visit the Arctic circle to see the Northern Lights and it became relevant again. I've gone through snooker, cars, photography, amateur radio, flying lessons, travelling, languages, nuclear engineering, 3d printing, programming, gaming, electronics, DIY, lock picking and rubiks cubes to name a few. It can be fantastic in terms of gaining knowledge and experience but awful in terms of productivity and finances. When I was obsessed with getting my pilots license that was probably the biggest drain at £180 per hour for lessons, living on a shoestring budget. So of course I tried to build my own flight simulator with life size cockpit "to save money". That and amateur radio where I tried to turn literally everything into an antenna, including the curtain pole to the dissatisfaction of my ex. Or ill end up watching documentaries about nuclear power instead of doing my work. Tldr: it's great but don't let it bankrupt you.
Times change, interests grow. Experiencing new things is healthy. There are so many games, book series, tv shows that I've played through many times but the past few years, I've acknowledged that the last time through will probably be the last time I read / watch / play them. I feel the instant gratification of the internet / youtube etc helps satiate the nostalgia factor what would have normally instigated a complete re-watch/replay/reread. I'm ok with that. Its more time to experience new things.
Yeeees, me. Piano, drawing, running, guitar, makeup videos, obsessive tidying, searching for and collecting tv show or a music artists memorabilia only to be stored away in a months time etc. I do this ALL the time
Welcome to Inattentive ADHD my friend!
I used to. With the kids, I haven’t had time for that kind of thing for a few years. The oldest should get her license in March so hopefully that will take some pressure off. Maybe I can start doing that again. I think it’s a sign of deep curiosity combined with time and resources to indulge that curiosity. Enjoy it!
yes, but I think I might have undiagnosed ADD, so I think that has something to do with it.
Yes! Literally every interest I’ve ever had is super intense for a month or two then I get bored. I’m starting to get better at maintaining a hobby as I get older (currently 24) but it’s still an upward battle for sure
Yes, with both hobbies and interests. Right now, I’m going a year and a half strong of being obsessed with two characters from a tv show. But as of last week I’m suddenly bored and have no interest in them.
(M66). Yep. Used to keep detailed hand- made lists on things (on one page)needed to do short-term and long-term. Also, I designed a one-sheet checking account report that covers 3-months which I could fold and keep in my wallet. I did these faithfully until I was idk, 55 years old then I just stopped. I just asked myself, is this worth it? Do I really need to do this? Could this be something that I’m unconsciously doing as a procrastinating? How come no one else does or needs to do this sort of thing?
"Chet Morton", the fat friend from the Hardy Boys books is like this, he has a new interest or hobby in every book and throws himself headfirst into it.
Sounds like a hyperfixation thanks to adhd.
Story of my life. ADHD can be a super power.
oh yeah, I'm a serial hobbyist. every few years, i decide to get really into a new thing. i spend tons of time researching it, learn as much as possible about it, then slowly become bored with it till the next thing comes along.
I don't have this personally but I know someone who does! They decided to become a teacher for people just out of school (or people who never went to college/uni etc.) who might need extra help in doing their jobs. It means they get to learn about loads and loads of things. However, you don't get to choose what they learn about, they just get assigned to whatever they get assigned to if that makes sense. (Sorry if I did something wrong/weird, I'm new to posting on Reddit!) The job is called Learning Designer if you were wondering!
You got the adhd mate. Welcome to the club 🖖🏽
Yes I did it was my father hitting the bottle every day. He left a small amount in one, I was overwhelmed with curiosity I drank it. This put me off alcohol for life. He knew it was there, he knew he left that small amount in the bottle when he sobered up the next day. It was a mystery to him then, and still is a mystery to him 2 decades on.
All the time. It drives my boyfriend crazy.
Not me, but I have a friend that does this. They'll get super into some niche hobby and then spend all their money on it for a few months, get bored of it, and sell everything.
yes. me with kpop i was hardcore into kpop for about 4 years until recently
Yes yes yes!!!!
My life!