I am bored out of my mind right now. All the hobbies that I've had over the past few years, like Magic:the Gathering and SC2/LoL, have just lost their appeal to me. Either I have to invest huge amounts of money in order to be competitive, like in MTG, and videogames are just a time sink that holds no more value for me anymore.
I have an abundance of free time so vast in comparison to other people that I could pick up a single thing and become very good at it, but honestly what is left? I am too old to learn an instrument and see no reason to do so given that it's such a common skill, reading holds little pleasure after I burnt my eyes out last year with a few hundred books, volunteering for a political campaign is out of the question since I don't like either of the politicians and I live in a state in which the vote is telegraphed anyways, any sort of programming is out of the question...
I had a few ideas, but all of them seem terrible.
Memorizing the Constitution-would take me a week at most and I'd get nothing out of it Writing-I have no talent for it Trying to land a job at the Huffington Post-Given their standards it wouldn't be hard but I really don't like having to fulfill quotas
I honestly have no idea on how to spend my time. This shouldn't be a problem, and yet it still is. I have a great ability with memorizing things and absorbing knowledge quickly, but I have nothing to apply it to and nothing to define myself by.
I'm not sure how to help you considering i'm spending nearly all of my free time on going through Orwell's bibliography, which you ruled out. Other than that I write essays for fun and chat in IRC, so I've not a clue as to what might entertain you, and the blog left me feeling somewhat like a parent trying to suggest activities for a child who alleges boredom, but shuts down every suggestion you offer to them.
And birdie is right. Going through a list of things to do/learn and making excuses for each of them is not the right way to go about things.
On October 01 2012 05:08 marttorn wrote: I'm not sure how to help you considering i'm spending nearly all of my free time on going through Orwell's bibliography, which you ruled out. Other than that I write essays for fun and chat in IRC, so I've not a clue as to what might entertain you, and the blog left me feeling somewhat like a parent trying to suggest activities for a child who alleges boredom, but shuts down every suggestion you offer to them.
I feel almost exactly the same way right now. I've lost most of my interest in video games for now (until Black ops 2 gets released for zombies) and I just plain don't like reading. I've been trying to learn to play the piano but it seems pretty futile right now. So I have almost nothing to do. One thing I could maybe recommend to you is to invent something. One thing I've put on hold for a week or so is this board game I've been designing. Go design a board game.
It sounds like you have come as far as you can with a belief system. Now the belief system is out dated to you. Maybe the next step is to realize that the pleasure of reading or learning of instrument is not necessarily about what rewards it grants you in a superficial accomplishment context. Maybe you need to start looking for something you love just for itself rather than loving it for what it can do for you
You could do the second part of your star wars blog . Also you have to just try stuff until you find something you like. Go out of your way to find something new that you like.
On October 01 2012 05:16 meteorskunk wrote: It sounds like you have come as far as you can with a belief system. Now the belief system is out dated to you. Maybe the next step is to realize that the pleasure of reading or learning of instrument is not necessarily about what rewards it grants you in a superficial accomplishment context. Maybe you need to start looking for something you love just for itself rather than loving it for what it can do for you
Finding something you love, (ie: enjoy) is a reward, and thus you're still looking for something that can do something for you.
OP: Well, idk what you enjoy.
Grab some noncompetitive games to pass time and relax. Pick up a sport. Learn irrelevant skills so you can say you did (idk, scuba diving or something)
Why is programming out of the question? Learning something like Assembly, C++, or even python will give you a skill that you will be able to use your entire life. You can also make money.
You don't want to read, I understand that, but why not just try to read for about one hour per day if you have the time? You won't burn out that way.
You know how to get good at writing? By writing. Ask your English teacher if there are any essays with prizes open at the moment or even if you can do stuff for extra credit if you don't have an A. Writing is another extremely valuable skill that you can use to make a living, and it will certainly help to be good at it when you write college application essays, standardized test essays, and just assignments in general. Hell, you might even decide you like it.
School stuff/ College stuff. You say you're a fast learner, so doing poorly in school is unacceptable. Do homework, study, ask for extra credit if you're not doing well. If you get good grades, then prepare for standardized tests. I got a 35 on the ACT a couple weeks ago and I'm a junior. You have to study and be familiar with the test to reliably do well, and it's somewhat fun to push yourself to do better and better, work faster and faster. Do the ACT first and then go to the SAT plus subject tests. You're a sophomore right now, right? If you're in an accelerated math class (finishing algebra 2, starting precal/trig) like me you will learn the rest of the math you need for both the ACT and SAT this year.
Languages. Ignore the one you're learning in school because you're going to learn it well anyway, you'll get bored in class, and if you become to confident in it then you will do poorly in things like vocab quizzes. There are some Latinos in my Spanish class and the hardest part for them is remembering which words were in the vocab section, because they know several words that mean the same thing. If you're learning a Romance language (Latin group) then give another one a shot because they are pretty similar. Otherwise, learn one that interests you but that isn't really hard (not Chinese...).
Find yourself an internship or job. Make money, learn a skill, meet professionals in a field.
Pick up an instrument. You're still comparatively young, and a lot of adults regret not having learned an instrument when they were younger. Clearly you're a really intelligent high schooler with great memorization/aptitude for learning, and the fact that you have tons of free time also shows that, in fact I'm a bit envious, wish I could have been such a baller
As far as I can tell, there are two main ways you can use that free time: 1) for pleasure/personal enjoyment, 2) set yourself up for success in the future (even though it may entail boredom). For the former, you could play games with your friends, maybe get some games going from ABL irc for instance (shock and quails like to play) just to have fun. Find an instrument, watch movies, read for pleasure but at a reduced pace, etc. For the latter, you could seek a job or internship in line with your future career path (seems like you'd be good in humanities, e.g. become a lawyer probably?), learn a skill, or something along those lines.
You're not too old to learn an instrument. I know someone who is learning to play keyboard instruments who is in her 30's, and she is getting extremely good at it.
If I was confident enough to practice in the only place I have, my ridiculously un-soundproof room in the middle of my house with 5 broken windows at the end of it, I'd learn to sing.
Bullshit. Read a lot, write a TON, and you'll get better. EVERYONE started out writing shitty stories with grammar mistakes out the wazoo and a style that reads like a cat scratching on a blackboard, I guarantee you. Some people WILL seem to have a "way with words," but you don't even have to have a good style to write well. If you can write clearly and make sure how you write doesn't get in the way of the reader's enjoyment/understanding of the content, then you're already a half-decent writer.
i think its dumb to come up with a random hobby of yours. he has to find his own stuff he likes, like reading, painting, watching movies/series or whatever the fuck there is. try out a lot!
I could spend a whole day just thinking about starcraft, one piece and fantasy characters
"... I have to invest huge amounts of money in order to be competitive ..." Must be inexpensive. Check.
"... I have an abundance of free time ..." Must keep you busy. Check.
"... I could pick up a single thing and become very good at it ..." Doesn't have to be easy or instant gratification. Check.
"... see no reason to do so given that it's such a common skill ..." Must be something that people are surprised you can do, and usually incites either amazement or defensive jealousy in others when revealed. Check, check, check, and more check.
"... volunteering for a political campaign is out of the question ..." Why did I quote this. Check?
"... I have a great ability with memorizing things and absorbing knowledge quickly ..." Must make use of great ego skills with agile fluency. Check.
Well then, holy check do I maybe have a suggestion for you.
Current world record holder practicing at home
The same guy giving terrible and vague explanations of what he's doing
Asians like it and are crazy good at it, so it's a lot like Starcraft
Variety! Even though CFOP and Roux are pretty much the only main speed methods in popular use right now. Maybe ZZ, too.
Also, Roux is a very sexy method, especially the last step. Cube throwing is not a competition legal way of stopping the timer, just to be clear.
And finally, a more average speed solver (but still good). This is like mid masters vs the top korean server GMs above, showing a more reasonable goal to go for.
It's a hit or miss suggestion. Those who try it often do it for years and stay interested, but most scoff at it as a serious hobby. If it looks like fun, then I will post a large bundle of information and resources to get going on.
You really haven't explored many options. Off the top of my head
Learn a language Learn math Muay Thai/Boxing (or another combat sport you can do alone) rubix cube Magic Hypnotism/Mentalism Programming Inline-skating/longboarding/skateboarding Table Tennis (or another racket sport) Chess Go Pick-up Learn a unique instrument (I recommend a Guqin or some other zither instrument) Cooking Running Fencing
There's so much to do! My problem is that I don't have enough time to dedicate to all my hobbies, not that there's not enough interesting hobbies to occupy my day.
I know the pain. Sometimes I just find myself refreshing tl/da/other internets for no reason. I can play 10 ladders a day - thats 2h (or few dotas) write a blog - 30 min learn japanese - ~30 min watch a series = ~1h sleep for half a day mindlessly click things on the internet for the rest of the time
Sometimes I can get into some game for few days, but I quickly lose interest in it. Or I start reading a book or watch series and never finish. I don't wanna go back to MMO. Being antisocial and lazy as fuck doesn't help.
EPT
. Also you have to just try stuff until you find something you like. Go out of your way to find something new that you like. 
