You finish work.
You make dinner.
You clean the kitchen.
Then you have fifteen free minutes.
Do you do something fun, or do you look at your phone?
I look at my phone.
Then fifteen minutes becomes forty minutes, and I do not feel happy about it.
I have a harder question.
If an activity makes no money and solves no problem, is it still worth doing?
Sooo…
you think fun needs to earn its place in our week?
Welcome to a new episode of Cosy English Podcasts.
Emily is here with me, and she has strong feelings about fun.
And Mike is here with me.
Today we ask, “Do adults really need hobbies?”
I am not sure we do.
Hobbies need time.
Some need money.
My week is already full.
Good.
We have our first small fight.
I think a hobby can make an ordinary week feel better.
Let us start with the word “hobby.”
A hobby is an activity you do in your free time because you enjoy it.
You may read, draw, cook, or grow a plant.
Yes.
You do not need to do it for work.
For example, a cook makes food for work, but I make a cake at home because it is fun.
Hmm…
does watching television count as a hobby?
It can.
You may love old films and learn about them.
But if the television is on and you do not care what you watch, that feels different.
So a hobby has some choice in it.
I say, “I want to do this.”
Right.
You give a little time and care to it.
It can be small.
One song on a piano can be a hobby.
One song sounds possible.
Ten years of piano lessons sounds expensive.
You ran from one song to ten years very fast.
We used another useful expression, “free time.”
Free time is time when you do not work or do things you must do.
Like Sunday morning after breakfast, when the washing is done?
Yes.
Or ten minutes after lunch.
Free time does not need to be a full day.
Oh, I like that.
Adults often wait for a large, empty afternoon.
That afternoon does not come.
That is my problem.
I think, “I need three hours.”
Then I find twenty minutes, and I say it is too short.
Hmm…
twenty minutes is enough for two pages of a book, one small picture, or a walk around your street.
Waaait…
two pages can count?
I often think a hobby needs a big result.
The time belongs to you.
A small part still counts.
Why do busy adults stop doing fun things?
Children draw, sing, run, and make strange animals from paper.
Then adults get jobs, homes, and many little things to remember.
We begin to say, “Fun can wait.”
I know that feeling.
After work, my mind says, “Answer that message.
Buy food.
Fix the chair.”
Yes…
and fun has no loud voice.
The broken chair asks for you every time you sit down.
Mine makes a sound.
It says, “Fix me now.”
Work also gives a clear result.
You send the message, and the job is done.
A hobby may give you no clear end.
That makes me uneasy.
I like a box with a mark in it.
I understand.
But a week cannot be only boxes.
We also need moments that feel good while they happen.
Hmm…
I feel that.
I do not fully agree yet, but I feel it.
Let us return to your hard question.
A hobby may make no money.
It may solve no problem.
I still think it has value.
Tell me where the value is.
I cannot put “felt nice for fifteen minutes” in my bank.
No, the bank does not want that.
But you may feel calm after you draw.
Then dinner with your family may feel easier.
So it can help another part of the day.
Sometimes.
But it does not have to help.
Joy can be enough.
Ohhh…
that is the part I fight.
I want the fun to do a second job.
Then the hobby becomes work in a funny hat.
You start a garden, and soon you ask it to save money, feed everyone, and look perfect.
Poor garden.
It only wants to grow three small tomatoes.
And one tomato may be a lovely afternoon.
Let us talk about money.
Give me a hobby that costs nothing.
Walking.
You can walk slowly and look at houses, trees, or dogs.
I already walk to the shop.
Is that a hobby?
Do you hurry to buy milk, or do you choose a nice road and enjoy the walk?
I hurry.
The milk has a job for me.
Then try a walk with no milk.
You can also sing at home, write about your day, or learn a dance from music you have.
Hmm…
I can sit by a window and draw what I see.
Paper and a pencil may already be in my home.
Yes.
You can watch birds, take photos with your phone, or call a friend and talk about a book.
That is a long list for zero money.
Free hobbies ask for attention, not a new bag of things.
Now give me a cheap hobby.
Cheap means it costs a little money, but not much.
A small plant can be cheap.
So can a used book, a pack of cards, or simple food for baking bread.
I like cards.
One pack can give you many games.
And you can play alone or with another person.
A cheap hobby can last for years.
My worry starts when people buy too much.
They want to draw, so they buy fifty colors, special paper, and a huge desk.
Then the desk becomes the hobby.
Yes!
They spend two days choosing it and no days drawing.
Hmm…
buying things can feel like a quick start.
The real start is one line on one piece of paper.
I like that rule.
Start with what you have.
Buy one small thing only when you need it.
That keeps the hobby light.
Expensive hobbies are different.
A new camera, a boat, or trips to far places can cost a lot.
They can also need lessons, travel, and special clothes.
Some adults love them and can pay for them.
Sooo…
are expensive hobbies bad?
No.
The question is simple: Can you pay for it without fear or trouble?
If I cannot pay my rent because I bought a boat, the boat is not helping my week.
That is a very large problem on the water.
Hmm…
we can also try an expensive hobby in a cheaper way.
We can borrow a camera or rent something for one day.
Yes.
You can take one lesson before you buy everything.
You may learn that you love it, or that you only liked the idea.
That second answer saves a lot of money.
Money can also bring a strange feeling.
We buy good tools, and then we think we must be good at the hobby.
“Good at” means you can do something well.
My sister is good at tennis.
She can hit the ball where she wants.
I am not good at tennis.
My ball visits every part of the park.
Does that stop you from enjoying it?
No.
I laugh, run, and try again.
But adults often feel bad when they look new or slow.
Children can draw a blue cat with six legs and feel proud.
An adult draws one bad ear and hides the paper.
Exactly.
Enjoying something and doing it well are two different things.
Hmm…
I often turn fun into a test.
If I cannot win, I do not want to begin.
Then you lose the happy part before the game starts.
That hurts a little, because it is true.
A “beginner” is a person who is starting to learn something.
A person at the first guitar lesson is a beginner.
A beginner is allowed to sound bad.
More than allowed.
It is normal.
My first cake was hard on top and wet inside.
Waaait…
did you eat it?
I ate one small piece.
Then I gave the rest a quiet goodbye.
That is sad and beautiful.
The next cake was better.
But even that first day was fun.
I played music, mixed the food, and made the kitchen smell sweet.
The cake failed, but the afternoon did not fail.
Yes.
A hobby can give you a good hour before you see the final thing.
Hmm…
that idea makes me feel free.
I can be bad at drawing and still like drawing.
Some people like quiet time.
Which hobbies fit them?
Reading, drawing, making food, doing a puzzle, or caring for plants.
You can do these at home and hear your own thoughts.
I would add slow walking.
No talking.
No busy music.
Only the street and the sky.
That sounds peaceful.
Quiet hobbies can help after a day with many people.
Hmm…
but a quiet person may still want some contact.
Reading alone can feel lonely after a long week.
True.
You can read alone, then talk about the book with one friend.
You keep the calm part and add one warm talk.
I like that.
Social does not have to mean a room with thirty people.
No.
Two people making soup together can be a social hobby.
And if the soup is bad, we know someone who can say goodbye to it.
That poor cake follows me everywhere.
Some people get energy from other people.
They may like team games, dance classes, or singing with a group.
They can “join in.”
To join in means to start doing an activity with other people.
If friends play cards, you sit with them and play too.
Good example.
You do not need to lead the group.
You can join in and learn as you go.
That sounds easy, but the first minute can feel hard.
Yes.
You stand near the door and wonder, “Does anyone want me here?”
I have done that.
I almost go home before the class starts.
A kind group helps.
One person smiles, shows you where to sit, and the fear gets smaller.
You can also go with a friend the first time.
Then, after a few visits, you may become the person who smiles at someone new.
I love that.
Your hobby can make another person’s first minute easier.
Do we need to choose one type?
Quiet people get quiet hobbies, and social people get group hobbies?
Human beings are not boxes.
I may want a busy dance class on Friday and a silent book on Sunday.
Good.
I want both too.
My week changes, and my needs change.
Hmm…
a hobby can match the day.
After lonely work at home, you may want people.
After a loud day, you may want a plant.
The plant does not ask many questions.
It has one question: “Did you give me water?”
That question can feel hard in my home.
Then choose a stone collection.
A collection is a group of things you keep, like five pretty stones from different walks.
I can care for five stones.
I feel ready.
Start with one.
We do not want you to buy a special stone desk.
We need an activity that takes only fifteen minutes.
Let me think…
drawing is one choice.
What can you draw in fifteen minutes?
One cup.
It is on the table, it does not move, and it has no difficult face.
A cup is a kind first model.
I might take a short photo walk.
But fifteen minutes can disappear while you choose the perfect place.
True.
I can walk for seven minutes, turn around, and come home.
I take one photo of something I like.
That is clear.
No long trip and no perfect photo.
Hmm…
other choices are one song on a guitar, one page in a book, or ten minutes with a plant.
The plant gets ten minutes.
The last five minutes are for cleaning water from the floor.
Your plants have exciting lives.
Which activity do you choose for yourself?
You cannot leave with only ideas.
I choose drawing the cup.
I already have paper and a pencil.
And how long do you draw?
Fifteen minutes.
I stop when the time ends, even if the cup looks like a potato.
That may be the start of a fine potato picture.
What do you choose?
I choose the photo walk.
I want to find one red thing near my home.
Only one color?
That makes it like a small game.
Yes!
A red door, a red cup in a window, or a red flower.
I do not know what I will find.
I feel a little jealous.
Your hobby has fresh air.
You can draw the cup outside.
One step at a time.
Now we need to “make time.”
To make time means to choose a time for something and keep that time free.
For example, I choose Wednesday after dinner for my drawing.
Ohhh…
it does not mean we find extra time somewhere.
We choose where the activity goes.
Right.
I cannot open a box and find a new hour.
I can use fifteen minutes in a clear way.
Which day do you choose?
Wednesday.
I finish dinner, clean my plate, and draw at seven thirty.
Put the paper and pencil on the table before dinner.
Then the start feels easy.
That is smart.
If the pencil is in a dark drawer, I may forget.
Or you may look for it for fifteen minutes.
Then your hobby is looking for a pencil.
I already do that hobby too often.
I choose Saturday morning at ten.
I put on my shoes, walk for fifteen minutes, and take one red photo.
What happens if it rains?
Hmm…
I take the photo from my window, or I walk with an umbrella.
Good.
You have a second plan.
Mine needs one too.
What if Wednesday becomes very busy?
Draw for five minutes, or move it to Thursday.
Do not throw away the full week because one evening changes.
I often do that.
One plan breaks, and I say, “Well, next month.”
Next month is too far away.
Keep the next step small and near.
Thursday after dinner is my second plan.
Paper stays on the table.
Good.
Now the plan can bend without falling down.
That picture helps.
A plan can bend.
I still hear a small voice saying, “This drawing does not help anyone.”
Ask a different question.
Do you feel interested while you draw?
Do you feel a little lighter after it?
Maybe.
I will not know before I do it.
Exactly.
Do not make the hobby prove its value before the first fifteen minutes.
Hmm…
adults often ask fun for a full report before it can enter the room.
“Dear fun, please tell us how you help our money, health, home, and future.”
And fun says, “I wanted to draw a potato cup.”
Let it draw.
I am changing my mind.
A hobby may make a week better because it gives us one part we choose.
Yes.
Work asks things from you.
A hobby lets you answer, “I want this small moment.”
We have one more useful expression: “give it a try.”
It means do something once and see how it feels.
You can give drawing a try for fifteen minutes.
It does not mean I promise to draw every week for ten years.
No promise.
One try gives you real information.
You may enjoy it, or you may choose something else.
That takes away a lot of fear.
I am not choosing my hobby for life.
What if the cup drawing feels boring?
Then I try music, a short walk, or cards.
I do not call myself bad at hobbies.
Good.
The activity may be wrong for you, but trying it is still useful.
Hmm…
and I may enjoy the second try more.
The first time often feels strange.
Yes.
Try once with an open mind.
Then choose if you want one more time.
Let us make this easy for the listener.
Look around your home.
Choose one thing you can do with what you already have.
Keep it small.
Read two pages, draw one cup, walk around one street, or play one card game.
Choose a day and a time.
Fifteen minutes is enough.
And notice how you feel before, during, and after.
You do not need to write a report.
I can hear my old voice asking, “Did this make money?
Did it fix the chair?”
Tell that voice, “The chair can wait fifteen minutes.”
The chair will make its sad sound.
Then draw the chair.
Now it is part of the hobby.
That is a perfect answer.
The problem becomes the picture.
And you get your fun without buying a boat.
At the start, I thought adults may be too busy for hobbies.
Now I think fifteen chosen minutes can fit inside an ordinary week.
I also see your side more clearly.
A hobby feels heavy when it costs too much or asks for hours we do not have.
Start free or cheap.
Enjoy being a beginner.
You do not need to do it well.
Your one clear step is this: choose one activity and give it a try once this week.
If it makes no money and solves no problem, it can still be worth doing.
A small happy moment has a place in adult life.
Thank you for spending this time with us.
We hope your fifteen minutes bring you something good.
Take care, enjoy your week, and see you next time.
Goodbye!