One of the best things about being in a relationship, I have decided, is no longer having to go on dates where you are asked the inevitable question: “What do you like to do in your spare time?”
It should be an easy thing to answer, shouldn’t it? It’s not as if someone is asking for a mathematical explanation of the mass gap. It’s not as if someone has asked you to describe, in iambic pentameter, why Ed Sheeran is so popular. They are just asking you what you like to do in your spare time.
The problem, however, is that I have no idea how to answer. When I was a child, I had hobbies. I liked to collect rocks. I liked to go rock climbing. You know, all the normal things a socially awkward child likes to do. But hobbies are more complicated as an adult. The things I enjoy doing most (sleeping, mainly) can’t really be classed as hobbies. They are just normal human activities that normal humans do. When I cast around for the slightly more unusual pastimes I enjoy, they are not exactly things you can share with first dates. For example, I really enjoy making bonfires. But telling a girl you just met off Tinder that you love starting fires generally does not result in a second date.
For anyone else who may be struggling with this issue, I have got your back! I have recently come up with a brilliant (if I say so myself) hobby-hack. If you want to turn the most mundane of activities into an impressive-sounding hobby, just put the words “intermittent”, “extreme” or “experimental” in front of it. Saying “I enjoy napping”, for example, makes you sound lazy. But saying “I enjoy intermittent napping” sounds science-y and intriguing. Experimental napping is even better.
