When I take on new hobbies, I have to resist making an app for them.

Sure, making apps for your hobbies can be a great way to come up with something that solves a real problem, but the issue is that it takes away time spent simply doing said hobby.

I seek out hobbies to diversify my life, not to make money or do programming 24/7. Early in my career that was great, but over time I realize that there’s more to life than software development.

I work in risk management. I always have backup plans. Drives my SO a bit crazy sometimes.

I learned to repeatedly check for fork truck traffic before crossing any intersection and pause before walking around blind corners cause of working at a large assembly plant. I find myself doing it everywhere including grocery stores crossing aisles. Could have a worse one, at least this one’s a good safety practice.

Except for food, I tend to date and initial anything I open. Pedialyte–initial and dated. Medicine–initial and dated. It’s definitely something that has to be done at my job, but is also kinda helpful at home. Oh, that isopropyl alcohol has been open for 2 years, better get a new one.

As an ex-retail worker, yeah, lmao, I had to clench my fists and not re-hang the shirt on the floor when I was shopping yesterday. It took courage.

Couldn’t keep myself from correctly (re)organizing the notebooks, though. My excuse is I was already in the aisle and they won’t sell well if nobody can find them.

Worst consequence, I would name medical training and all the time spent learning the different body quadrants, how if the patient is in front of you, their left side is your right, etc. etc.

It took me a few weeks to really get that down and stop messing up my own notes. Now that I have it down, it is permanent.

I can no longer tell my left from my right. Ask me to raise my right hand and I will invariably raise my left without thinking, and I visibly have to think about it to work it out. I am a damn adult.

Thank god I can’t afford a car right now, or I’d wind up in Arkansas.

The amount of Excel/spreadsheets I use in my hobbies and “leisure” time is massive. Otherwise, it’s mostly about having surrendered to the presence of online ads.

Looking at and inspecting doubleseams (can-end interface). To a lesser extent just being interested in packaging. It can take a very long time to shop.

Also, I’ve spent time with QC people that never erase or scribble. “Single strike though and initial” on non work documents.

I have been a social worker, with a bachelor’s degree, and I’ve worked with addics, mentally disabled kids, and LGBTQ* youth (three different jobs, not an all-in-one situation) for years. Had a massive burnout once my private situation went down the drain (not going into detail here) and once I had somewhat recovered, I decided to switch professions as I don’t think I’ll be able to shoulder that kind of responsibility again without being crushed under the pressure again. I have huge respect for people who manage to handle these jobs for years without going insane, but I am just not able to do that anymore.

I’ve been working as a cashier in a supermarket since then, but the notion of being responsible for everyone’s mental wellbeing is so massively hardwired into my brain that I often have to remind myself that things like misbehaving kids running amok in the aisles, customers chatting with me about their private problems, or overworked/understaffed coworkers not being able to cope with their workload are NOT my responsibility and that I should NOT volunteer to help others out if I don’t have the time and energy for it and NOT give customers/coworkers advice for their private issues. I always automatically have the urge to “help” and often need to actively resist it for my own mental wellbeing.

Sometimes I honestly envy people with a healthy amount of egoism, and I do not mean that in a sarcastic way.

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