Random Rants (for Rob the Robber but I have beef anyway)

Yep.

Yeah, I agree. I mean, I think it's linked very closely to the mental space you're in and the healthiness of your mental health (or lack thereof) but yeah.

Just yeah.

T'is why I haven't finished a TV season outside of Hell's Kitchen since February, and I've played no games to completion since... Blergh, Stardew Valley, in 2021? When I get 2-3 days of sick leave I'll go on a tear and no-life a game for a couple of days, but then it immediately peters out.

Was having this discussion with a co-worker last week.

I read an article a while back about how a good measure of the richness of someone's life is how many hobbies they have.

And then I realised that 95% of my hobbies can be defined as 'kids'.

I'm not sure vegging out infront of endless streaming shows really counts.

I used to have a lot of hobbies when I was much younger, but work and family and tiredness slowly pushed them out one by one.

So I've decided to try and pick one or two and get into those. Maybe Lego or Painting Warhammer or Guitar.

The issue is that my other half doesn't have any hobbies, and then I feel guilty if I'm 'wasting time' on something frivolous.

I know what you mean. I have so many things I dabble in. Gaming, painting miniatures, drawing, reading.

But I feel now that the time has come to focus on what I've wanted to do since I was a boy, and that's write. Now to find decent software

Yeah, bit of hyperbole there but certainly seems more common as you get older in my experience.

It's probably a sign of getting old, but I'm finding myself spending more and more time out in the garage (my workshop, really), pootling about doing little projects and fixing or building stuff, generally making mess and noise and not being told to clean it up.

It's quite cathartic and as I've typed this, I've just had a huge insight into my dad when I was a youth. 

Yes I've been doing this a fair bit lately, I can often find something to do in there, often not essential at all, got my sounds and a comfy chair, just need a bed and kettle and I might move in! 😀

Can relate to all this. Haven't played a proper game in months, too tired by the time I have access to it all. And now the kids are getting older, watching a film or TV show with just the 2 of us is becoming more and more difficult too. Just existing a lot of the time. I do get time for football but mostly only allowed that because the boy is also into it.

Need to also not reach for the phone in moments of downtime. He says, having just done exactly that on the lunch break.

Scrivener is great!

Lots of hobbies is great, because if you don't feel like doing one thing, you can do one of the other things. The trouble is that now the boy is more into his rowing than ever, half my life is down on a canal bank (that's when I'm not rowing myself, which I started because I was down at the club anyway and thought what the hell). Like tonight. After work I want to get home and continue the story I started yesterday, only he's rowing from 5 - 8. I'll be cycling alongside him the whole time so by the time we're home it'll be on it's way to 9. Then there's food to eat and a wife to chat to and a little dog that needs a walk (that's not a euphamism, I mean an actual dog). By the time I sit down to write it'll be after ten, but I'll be up at the crack of dawn to get ready for a run so really, I should then just chill before bed and probably just forget about doing anything today. But that's fine. If I just accept it, I'm a lot happier. It's if I try to resent it, or feel like I am somehow missing out by not doing something creative that my mood nosedives. Yet I know I'll force myself to write, drink lots of coffee and get about 5 hours sleep as usual. I guess it's a case of forcing time to do the things you want, if not doing them is getting to you.

tl;dr - drink more coffee, sleep less

Don't have kids but me and the other half still feel like we have fuck all time to do everything we want to - don't know how you parents manage it.

Yeah make the most of that man. Mine's up later than I am half the time now. There's no respite!! Started writing last night and I got harrassed in to playing Apex Legends with him. He's been on at me for ages to try it so finally relented. Our first game together and we came second. I'd like to say it was down to me but I was still trying to figure out how to heal as he was zooming about the place killing every one.

The way to look at it is this:

You obviously want to do something, and you feel like shit if you don't. There's your motivation. Start with telling yourself you'll just do half an hour of drawing or whatever, and see how you get on. Even if that's all you do, you'll feel brilliant for it. The achievement and rush of creating something, no matter how briefly, will tide you over for the rest of the evening and a good chunk of the following day. It's worth it.

You have more mental capacity than you think. Don't listen to that part of your brain, it knows nothing. Tell it to shut the fuck up, then get going.