Can't finish anything or find any hobbies

[Cinco]

I can't seem to find any long lasting hobby, at least not long lasting enough to develop any skills. I've tried lots of things; woodworking, blacksmithing, painting, digital art, drawing, writing, reading, collecting, playing guitar, playing the piano, programming, modding games and miniatures are just some of the things that I come up with from the top of my head. They always end up the same. I have interest in it and do it for a while, ranging from just an hour to maybe 2-3 weeks but then all the sudden I lose all interest in it. Most of the times I just completely scrap projects that I'm working on since if I don't complete them I can't just pick them up later and finish it, mostly because I forget about it. When reading I can't absorb anything in the book or text that I read, I have to read the same things over and over in short segments, but even then I quickly forget what it was about a few pages later so it's just a waste of time and efford. I feel like I'm losing out on a lot of information by not being able to read.
I've spent a lot of money buying things like tools, books and art supplies and I feel like it just goes to waste when I can't bring myself to use them.
This is also why I'm struggling to find a job I'm comfortable with since I don't have interest in anything, especially over longer periods of time. I might be interested in a job, apply for it, work for maybe a week and then realize I've made a mistake theneither suck it up for a couple of months before quitting or just quit right there before going back to being at home

I like working, I like doing things and making things but I just... "can't" and it really annoys me. I'm also sure that I'll come of a lazy person to others because of this and that bugs me even more.

Does anyone else have it like this? How do you fix it?

 

[Ambi]

I think I relate to what you are saying in some ways - but I am off to work for now, my new work, which I think is finally the job that will stick. In the meantime, I am just curious, what are the things that you do stick with? Like persistent things you like - reading? Playing video games? Even daydreaming? Is there anything like that?

 

[Tom]

Finding interesting work is a plus, but many, perhaps most people simply find what they can to make a living. I don't suggest staying with something you hate, but think its better to have just a tolerable job then none. Providing for oneself if you can is a good confidence booster.

 

[Kari_Cookie]

When you can’t read or think of you are wasting of time, have you think of why you lost interest of them? Was it because it’s getting harder, and you can’t learn it fast? So you got depressed and give up? Is it because you were using wrong strategies?

 

[Streetwise]

I can't seem to find any long lasting hobby, at least not long lasting enough to develop any skills. I've tried lots of things; woodworking, blacksmithing, painting, digital art, drawing, writing, reading, collecting, playing guitar, playing the piano, programming, modding games and miniatures are just some of the things that I come up with from the top of my head. They always end up the same. I have interest in it and do it for a while, ranging from just an hour to maybe 2-3 weeks but then all the sudden I lose all interest in it. Most of the times I just completely scrap projects that I'm working on since if I don't complete them I can't just pick them up later and finish it, mostly because I forget about it. When reading I can't absorb anything in the book or text that I read, I have to read the same things over and over in short segments, but even then I quickly forget what it was about a few pages later so it's just a waste of time and efford. I feel like I'm losing out on a lot of information by not being able to read.
I've spent a lot of money buying things like tools, books and art supplies and I feel like it just goes to waste when I can't bring myself to use them.
This is also why I'm struggling to find a job I'm comfortable with since I don't have interest in anything, especially over longer periods of time. I might be interested in a job, apply for it, work for maybe a week and then realize I've made a mistake theneither suck it up for a couple of months before quitting or just quit right there before going back to being at home

I like working, I like doing things and making things but I just... "can't" and it really annoys me. I'm also sure that I'll come of a lazy person to others because of this and that bugs me even more.

Does anyone else have it like this? How do you fix it?

I remember symptoms of depression having very short bursts of concentration

 

[Sabrina]

I can relate. It’s possible that you need variety and excitement in your job in order to not get bored.

Have you thought in looking for a job that has to do with outdoor activities or tourism?

In my case, the jobs that I actually enjoyed were not the typical office ones, they involved odd hours and/or different places, so there was usually a component of excitement.

You’ve tried to develop different skills, but they all seem solo activities. That requires a lot of discipline and self-motivation, which is not a given for everybody. Maybe you need the structure of being an employee, but doing something that changes constantly (people, places, hours, duties) so you don’t get bored and don’t feel like quitting.

 

[Beguiling Orbit]

You led your post by focusing on hobbies while getting/keeping a job appears to be an afterthought. Try flipping those around. Or try integrating the two. Make getting a good job your new hobby.

Finding a way to earn money to pay for food and rent should take precedence over leisure time activities. Focusing on hobbies right now appears to be a distraction for you. Instead, take a career assessment test. Ask everyone you know what they think you're good at and then try to match those skills with a career. Then go pursue that career. Once you have it, THEN you can focus again on hobbies.

 

[Judge]

When I read such accounts, the first thing that comes to mind is to consider forms of depression you may have, and what alternatives you may take to seek help along those lines.

When I go through bouts of depression, they simply sap my ability to be creative and sometimes even productive. It just happens. When apathy becomes my enemy. Where just getting up in the morning takes a whole lot of effort.

 

[LucyPurrs]

I'm wondering if you could have an attention deficit issue since you seem to have problems with focusing on anything for very long and issues with reading. Perhaps you could get that evaluated as well as be evaluated for depression as some have suggested. Hope you are able to get the help you need to be able to stick with something whether it be a job or a hobby.

 

[Cinco]

I am just curious, what are the things that you do stick with? Like persistent things you like - reading? Playing video games? Even daydreaming? Is there anything like that?

I want to read but i don't do it since as I said, I can't absorb any information.
I play videogames, not as much as I used to but I don't see this a "hobby" but more of a time waster. I've tried proffesional gaming aswell but I can't really seem to develop the skills for it despite having palyed videogames for so many years.
I love daydreaming, whenever I'm out hiking or trying to fall asleep I daydream a lot. All of this day dreaming is what gives me these ideas and visions that I want to bring to life but can't. I have the idea and I have the motivation but when I actually get to it, it just fades away.

The only thing I seem to be somewhat into is free diving, but up here it's a really limited hobby, I can only do it for short peroids during the late spring and summer because of temperature, it's also dependant on being with another person for safety reasons. I actually managed to get one of my cousins to do it with me and he's into that aswell. I'm comfortable with him but it's only him so I'm even more dependant on one particular person.

I'm wondering if you could have an attention deficit issue since you seem to have problems with focusing on anything for very long and issues with reading. Perhaps you could get that evaluated as well as be evaluated for depression as some have suggested.

I don't have depression as I've been falsely diagnosed with it previously. I have however been told that I show sign of ADD previously but haven't recieved anything for it so I went to my doctor and asked if I could maybe try some medication. Instead of letting me try medicines he set me up for an apointment with a "councelor" to talk to instead and even suggested group therapy. Hopefully I can get some help with this

Thank you

 

[Misery]

One thing to keep in mind is just how many different hobbies are out there. And also the fact that autism seems to frequently come with VERY narrow interests. You may have to go through a ton of them in order to find ones that fit with you.

For me, gaming is my main interest, but I ended up finding two other hobbies, both of which are a bit obscure. The first one is twisty puzzles, which are these things: https://i.imgur.com/S9d8G70.jpg Think Rubik's Cube, except that the actual Rubik's Cube is really easy compared to many of the others (and here I used to think the thing was utterly impossible). I have lots of these, way more than just what's on the shelves.

Second hobby is drones and RC vehicles. I have all sorts... "sport" drones that are for zooming around with, little ones that are meant for indoor use, and a bloody huge flying camera platform. Learning to fly them was quite the experience. Learning to LAND them was even more of an experience and was accompanied by a wide range of exciting sound effects. And there's RC ground vehicles too. Most people envision little harmless cars when they think of these. Toys. The sorts I'm thinking of are huge heavy things that can hit very high speeds (the two I have can hit 35 MPH, which is actual speed, not some sort of scale speed. Other models can go much faster, but I'm a beginner, so that's fast enough. Yes I've crashed them. Everyone crashes. Everyone.) Not the sort of thing you'd hand to a kid, really. There's also planes, but those are a whole different beast and I dont have them yet. They need a ton of space. Fortunately there is a model airfield somewhat near my house, complete with a runway. I'll get my first model plane when the weather warms up. I expect even more crashing. Because apparently I havent run into enough things yet.


Both of these are the sorts of hobbies you rarely hear about. But alot of the more "common" hobbies just... didnt do it for me. The problem with hobbies like these two is that many dont know they exist. Well, drones arent that unknown, but most people know barely anything about them. Twisty puzzles I never even knew existed (beyond the normal cube) until they randomly showed up on Youtube for me.

Part of my point is, maybe you just havent looked in the right places yet. Perhaps a more obscure hobby may turn out to be the sort of thing that'll work for you.

I will say one other thing though: Sometimes it may be worth forcing yourself to stick with something a bit longer before giving up on it. Some things just inherantly take longer to "click" with most people

 

[Progster]

I don't find hobbies, hobbies find me.