CRP Patreon Exclusive: “Hobbies Are Stupid”

This is some really damn good advice, helping me think through the purpose of the things I do so I can refine the answer to the “Why” question and do them for a reason rather than just to toss time away to. Thank you

I am not so sure about this one. As far as being productive, is a rewarding hobby more of a waste of time than going out drinking, playing poker, watching TV and a long list of other things we do just for the fun of it?

Coach, if you’re reading this, thank you. I’ve wasted countless hours on a photography hobby that barely produces any money and quite frankly has no future. Your advice re-affirms what I already suspected.

I created a mental model/system for this based on science that has helped me tremendously. There are two types of habitual behaviors: Vices and Hobbies. (yes, ik you said to not do hobbies but I made this system prior to this video, it’s just a naming scheme) - Vices are done for short-term pleasure with no long-term gain. Vices unnaturally flood your brain with dopamine just like a drug. Examples are video games, anime, tv, music etc. - Hobbies are done for long-term gain, and are things you learn to enjoy as you do them. Hobbies provide your brain with dopamine but not as much as vices. Examples are programming, reading self-improvement books, writing, drawing, etc You need to cut out all vices and replace them with hobbies that benefit your goals in life. In-moderation is not enough; Vices flood your brain with dopamine, your brain will prefer to do the vice and actively make up excuses to do so (just one more level, I’ll stop after watching this anime/tv series, etc). Also, anyone can learn to like a hobby. Even if you find something like algebra or chemistry mind-numbing, you can learn to like it if you cut out enough vices, because your brain will adapt to requiring less dopamine. There is no hobby you were naturally born to do, they are all learned through practice. So you should base what hobbies you develop solely on return-on-investment (what the hobby allows you to do, how much money you make, etc)

Hey why do you find it so important to know different languages??

I literally came back here to check in on his posting about Ukraine. But there is none.

Ukraine update?

Have you left Ukraine yet coach?

how is situation in Ukraine/Kharkiv coach?

Hope the situation in Ukraine gets better 🫤

How about some boots on the ground about what is happening over there, Coach?

Ken R

Hi coach, like you, I enjoy riding motorcycles. Even though it does not add money in my pocket, it adds a great deal of enjoyment to my life. This video really missed the mark. Often, our passions (hobbies) are what add fulfillment to our lives. Life is more than just adding dollars to our bank accounts.

I found myself relaxing by watching anime series the last few days, but started spending too much time on it. Tnx for setting me up straight again coach. No counterarguments. Only a small thing to add, as long as you’re not spending hours on your hobby and in an uncontrolled manner, you’ll be fine on that part. I personally think that hobby should be like a carrot for the horse. You work for it and then enjoy a reward and then back to grinding and so on. But always in a healthy proportion. What’s considered healthy depends on your situation

No, you're wrong on this one. The idea that you should stop learning new things simply because at an older age doing so is harder (which I agree it is) is a terrible one - stopping the learning process is a one way ticket to early onset dementia. Making money is great, but at some point you have enough and isn't the point of all that money so we can spend some of our time doing things we actually like? FWIW I don't really consider video games or watching TV a hobby, and agree doing those things to excess is a waste of time, but hobbies that engage your brain and/or body are not a waste of time. In fact you've made videos about how some of these simple cathartic tasks, i.e. building models if that's your thing, can be beneficial.

Walt Dockery

Crooked Biden is telling US citizens to leave Ukraine for possible Russia invasion. Good luck over there Coach.

There’s nothing wrong with that. People need to get stuff off their chest. Fine by me. CRP

Some of you guys are writing "twelve chapter novel" type comments on this feed. 🤦

My hobby is guitar and I do not feel like I'm throwing my life away with it.

Oh. And for anyone else addicted to this crap, this is how you’re going to feel when you drop it. It’s normal. The reason you were using all the drugs/alcohol/movies/porn/[inser addiction here] is because your life and the world around you actually was garbage and (most likely) you’re not facing it because you’re beliefs are in line with it. As a good example most modern guys have a drink and watch TV at the end of the day because they hate their job and they’re only doing it to appease their wife. So if you took away the alcohol/TV they’re probably going to get really angry, because they actually do hate their job/wife etc. They’re just able to keep that at bay while using addictions. So I warn you. When you drop this shit you will have to face reality and that will mean you will have to probably reassess all of your beliefs. And I am actually happier now. It’s not the ‘10/10’ I used to get while partying, but at least there is no 0/10 days which I used to have when i was hungover.

Dave Smith

I hate my life. I hate my parents. I hate my friends. I hate my neighbours, the government and I hate my country. The only thing I enjoy is fucking hot girls, getting drunk, partying, watching porn, movies, cam sites etc. I’ve tried for the past year to get better habits, but man it’s hard because it’s all so boring, so sad, so meaningless in comparison. So yeah, I agree that ‘hobbies’, which what I really think you’re referring to distractions/addictions distracting you away from reality are useless and they are but that’s the thing, while you use them it’s at least bearable. I’ve been about 2 years sober now and am getting there, but it is really hard to cut this crap. I’ve been waiting, searching and hoping happiness will come. But when you remove all the distractions what are you left with? A stupid government endlessly printing money to appease women. A society which idolises the most retarded of people, sometimes literally and just a serious sense of impatience, competitiveness and urgency which personally, my body can’t keep up with. I’m still working on it and I can feel I am 6-12 months away, but a huge part of the transition is ditching the old job I hated which I literally couldn’t get myself to do without caffeine, which I refuse to drink now. So I’m in agreements with the addictions aspect, but not hobby. At least I hope that it’s not true, because I am now trying to turn my hobbies into a job. Let’s hope it works.

Dave Smith

rage about what?

Dave Smith

Why? that was the point of the video, it’s super hard and quite frankly a waste of time…

Dave Smith

what about women though? Do you only judge guys this way?

Dave Smith

Can you expand on that a bit, what you’re saying sounds interesting.

Dave Smith

Wouldn’t that work for any hobby? If you play guitar could make money on the weekend doing gigs. I’m doing my PT course now to show people the gym + how to game.

Dave Smith

One of two things: 1. These things are super addictive man, like coach said people use them as a way to avoid facing their life. I had a breakup 4 years ago that was just completely life shattering to the point I was drinking 24/7. I’ve been clawing myself out of that tailspin for the past two years but it’s hard. It’s hard to pay the bills and do boring stuff when you could be out drunk with some hot girl. I mean, judge, but understand we can all fall prey to it.

Dave Smith

from 20-30 it’s still habit forming as well, so yeah, fighting is a great one. I’m 34 and I wish I did more boxing.

Dave Smith

be careful. You are dangerously close to being fully in her frame.

Dave Smith

I used to party 7 days a week for a few years, was like a hobby as would learn game, then go practice. Now I’m older I think it’s a waste of time. I mean, I know how to design the perfect tinder profile, so I just do that, why waste the time running around? But it helps learn the skill like coach said

Dave Smith

His point (i think) is that you did those things to learn the skill, now where are you going to apply it?

Dave Smith

Coach, You’re describing a friend of mine to a tee. He’s 41 now and makes $30,000 a year. Unmarried and lives in a shoebox apartment. Plays his stupid video games 4-6 hours a day and watches Netflix. He’s definitely got his head in the sand and a lot of the guys in our social group are leaving him as a friend because it’s just sad how pathetic he has become. I tried a few times to get him to try some new things and enhance his career. He acts motivated for a few days, and then goes back to his old lazy ways. I don’t get how he could be satisfied with life. It’s very sad.

This is why I took up piano a few years ago at 32. I’m terrible at it and I’m mainly doing it because I think it’s got cognitive benefits and when I’m old that could be important.

When do we get the CRP album? Love the new outtro music.

What’s about fightsport as a 25 year old I think there are spill over effects

Everything in life.. moderation is KEY.. I’m 34 and own a small business.. like you motorcycles (and classic cars) are my hobby and have been since childhood.. they occasionally make me $.. I’ll buy a car or motorcycle and have it for awhile and then resell it, I’ve been doing that since I was about 16. But more so as I get older I find myself wanting to keep them all.. this is where my fiancé comes into the picture she’s very good at keeping me level headed.. she loves and supports my motorcycle hobby but when I start talking about buying new bikes she brings up the fact that we are looking for a new house (and we are) so she keeps my priorities in order. She would never tell me “no don’t buy that” but she nudges me when I need it.. moderation is key

Coach, it'd be interesting to hear from you on parties and similar social occasions. I'd say it'd be similar to hobbies, i.e. there's definitely proper place for that in life; and then there's networking, and having a pool of potential dating partners...

True. Just have to pick the unorthodox way of learning languages, because most traditional methods suck.

I play guitar (electric) and I suck at it, I don't make any money from it and I actually spend lots of money on gear. But it also gives me joy and I read somewhere that playing any musical instrument is good for your brain.

Bs, of course you can learn langugage in your 50s. There was a lady that learned her first foreign language at that age and she became real-time translator, which is the hardest form of translation. And she learnt it by teaching some kid language, so she have to learn it fast enough to be one step ahead of him.

Hey coach, yeah, you are right. I'm 33 years old with an 18th month old son. Looking back at my life while being a father I realize that I wasted all my adult life feeling like I was paying off my sexual debt as it were. From 20 up until I was 31 years old I got caught up practicing game, fitness, social skills and hooking up with women all the time. Unknowingly I turned it into a hobby. Though I did enjoy it and as far as I was concerned, I was "living the life". But in ways it turned me into a emotionless, callous person ultimately feeling unfulfilled in the end. I lived life forward and learned backwards. I realized that I was unhappy with where I was in my life at the time because I never developed the patience to do anything productive when I was younger and used my over consumption of sex, game and dopamine to numb myself from my own reality. It was always easier for me to hit up one of the girls in the rotation anytime that reality started to flare up. Or just cave into their request to come over when I was trying to stay busy. Hard pill to swallow in deed, Pops. Appreciate your content, Coach

Why hobbies? To not feel like a robot? To not kill the inner child?

I am a gardener and a brewer. Both produce resources that I consume and share. Also both require time and often intense labor, usually front loaded. For instance, the prep work to clear and prepare a garden in the spring takes the most time and effort, then it is a little each day all season. Brewing may be a huge time suck for a day or two, then it is just waiting. I think the point is, that if your going to engage in an activity that will be a time suck, be sure it is time we’ll spent. Get something from it.

Lovely

Reminds me: Why do people fuss and spend lavishly over their pets? Pets give unrestricted love without criticizing. Something people can not do. Hobbies fill a similar void and can keep the hobbiest grounded. Better than Suicide or drugs. While damning hobbies - CRP makes the case 'for' hobbies. * Who really wants to confront their short comings - who honestly can? U.S.Grand quote: "I regret that last charge at 'Cold Harbor'. * A wise person once observed: Hobbies and collections in adulthood may be an attempt, by that person, to regain something from their childhood. Something they wanted but were never able to possess.

Don't people do hobbies to relax? What if the purpose is to get your head away from certain aspects and give your mind a breather? Edit: He described it, so nevermind.

I don't think it's a question of time, but energy. I have enough hours, but I have limited focus and willpower.

Learning a language is really difficult. It always was, even as a child. I sincerely hope, I will still be able to learn when I am older.

And to be frank, spending hours and hours at the gym is a waste as you can just get weights at home and be done after 30 mins 3 times a week. Where do people get the time?

Great video coach!

I don't agree fully that you can be too old to learn things, but I do certainly agree that doing things that don't produce something worthwhile is a waste of time.

We have a saying in Portugal similar to "an old dog can't learn new tricks", but related specifically to languages: "Burro velho não aprende línguas.", translated to "An old donkey doesn't learn languages."

I'm barely starting to watch the video and I was going to rage, but I immediately start to think and then I go "YES, yes hobbies are stupid"