Why Hobbies Are Important

I have many hobbies, though I’m focusing on just two at the moment, the main AU2 dance game and word search as my secondary hobby. As a freelancer and homebody living a slow and simple life, hobbies make the day more enjoyable and easier to get through.

Even when I go on cruise, my hobbies come with me. As much as I try to enjoy the entertainment onboard, I need quiet moments of solitude which means spending a few hours tucked away in my cabin with my hobbies.

So hobbies have become an important aspect of my life, but how did they change my day-to-day life and improve my wellbeing?

Prevents doomscrolling

Around the middle of last year, when I began embracing a simpler life, I made a conscious effort to cut down on social media. I tried deleting a few apps and be more intentional with how I used the rest, but none of it really lasted. The problem wasn’t the lack of discipline, it was that it wasn’t being replaced with something else.

I still keep all my social media apps, but I no longer scroll endlessly. I go into them a few times a day, usually for just a couple of minutes, and move on. The bulk of my day is now occupied by my hobbies.

This shift has made my time feel more intentional. Rather than losing hours to mindless scrolling, I’m spending that same time doing things that actually relaxes me and brings me joy. My days feel more fulfilled and productive.

Prevents oversleeping

Going hand in hand with doomscrolling, I also struggled with oversleeping. I would spend most of my day in bed scrolling through social media until I eventually drifted off, and wake up doing the same thing. This cycle made me feel groggy, caused headaches, and sometimes even led to insomnia at night.

The problem wasn’t just wasting my day but it disrupted my body’s natural rhythm. I was constantly exhausted during the day and had no motivation to do anything,

Keeping my day occupied with hobbies helped break this cycle. It improved my sleep patterns, reduced headaches, and helped me feel more in control of my days.

Boosts motivation

By not feeling tired all the time, it boosts my motivation. With consistent energy, I have the mental clarity to focus and the stamina to see things through.

Hobbies reinforce it further. The enjoyment and satisfaction gives me an extra push to stay motivated. They make the effort feel worthwhile, encouraging me to take on tasks I would normally procrastinate and tackle responsibilities with lesser resistance, which leads to my next point on how hobbies help reduce procrastination.

Reduce procrastination

It’s not just my improved energy levels and motivation that help reduce procrastination. Hobbies are a big part as well.

I’ll admit it that I hate doing household chores. Even cleaning my room feels overwhelming, but knowing that I get to play my dance game or do a word search after, gives me something to look forward to. That anticipation motivates me to tackle chores more quickly and efficiently.

It’s not just household chores, but other daunting tasks too. It’s like a reward system, and completing my responsibilities rewards me with more time for something I love doing and to enjoy my hobbies guilt free. It turns productivity into something that feels rewarding rather than forced.

Me time on a busy day

On busy days, such as when I have to go out for work, hobbies are my personal me time. It gives the day something that’s just for me. By doing things I love, it brings comfort and joy, making the day feel more balanced.

This short moment of me time also helps me reset mentally and emotionally, especially after having to socialise and meet certain expectations. As mentioned at the beginning, I need quiet moments of solitude. So this is the time I tuck myself in my room to decompress and return to myself.

That is how hobbies changed my day-to-day life and improved my wellbeing, both physically and mentally. I’m no longer wasting my free days oversleeping and doomscrolling. Even my busiest days feel less exhausting and overwhelming. Instead, I move through both free and busy days with more calm, balance and happiness, grounded by the comfort my hobbies bring.

Life Update: 3 Main Focus

I am still living a slow and simple lifestyle, but over the past few months, I’ve given my attention to three main focus, instead of trying to do a little of everything.

Cruise

I know this seems contradictory to an intention I set earlier this year to reduce travel, but I’ve found myself genuinely enjoying short cruises. There’s something about being out in the open sea that instantly quiets my mind and creates a mental reset. Each time I return home, I feel clearer, more grounded, and unexpectedly more motivated.

Work

I’m still doing freelance work, but I’ve been taking on more shifts to fund the cruises. Having a tangible goal has changed how I approach work. It no longer feels like something I’m simply pushing through, but a means to something I genuinely look forward to. Knowing there’s time at sea ahead makes it easier to stay motivated, focused, and appreciative of the effort I put in.

Au2 Dance

I know I’ve written before about MapleStory being my forever game, but I actually haven’t played it since I started focusing on these three areas. Instead, the dance game has naturally taken its place. I can spend an entire day immersed in it when I have the time, or play in short bursts on busy days. Since my best friends are playing it too, we often play together, which makes the experience feel more shared and lively. With MapleStory, I was mostly playing alone, and while there was comfort in that solitude, it doesn’t quite compare to the sense of connection I get now.

None of these were planned. They unfolded naturally, one after another. As I’ve always mentioned, life is an ongoing journey of figuring things out. What feels right now may shift again in a few months, and I may find myself focusing on something entirely different. Perhaps that proves the point that everything in life is temporary, and we should allow things to evolve without resistance.

How Simplifying My Life Brought Me More Happiness

Since beginning slow living a few years ago, I’ve definitely felt happier. However, after taking things a step further this year by simplifying my life, I discovered a deeper, steadier and more lasting kind of happiness.

So here’s how simplicity transformed my life and brought me even more happiness.

Creating My Space

When I decluttered my space, I didn’t just free up shelves, I freed my mind. Since I wanted to embrace being a homebody, I started with the place I spend most of my time, my desk. Clearing it out and keeping only the things I love and actually use made a huge difference. Now my desk feels like a space that supports me instead of overwhelming me.

From there, I began reducing visible clutter around the rest of my room. I still own plenty of things, because change doesn’t happen overnight and simplicity isn’t about abandoning everything. The difference is that now, most of what I keep has meaning or purpose. When I look around my room, I’m no longer surrounded by clutter, and that brings me a sense of calm.

Freedom of Time

One of the greatest luxuries in life isn’t money, possessions, or status, it’s time. The freedom to choose how I spend my hours has brought me more happiness than anything material ever could, which is why I chose to do freelance work.

Choosing time over money comes with its own responsibilities. I have to budget carefully and live within my means. It might seem pressurising, but to me, it feels empowering. It’s more than just a way of making sure my choices support the life I want to live. It also happens to bring me joy because I get to use tools I love, stationery, planners, and notebooks.

Not Conforming to Society’s Expectations

For much of my life, I felt the weight of society’s way of living. Get a stable job, earn a certain income, buy a house, find a partner, get married, start a family and achieving these milestones means success.

For the introverted and shy person that I am, those expectations felt suffocating. They demanded a lifestyle centered on social interaction, competition, and comparison, which are things that makes me feel anxious rather than fulfilled.

When I stopped measuring myself against society’s standards, I redefined success in my own terms. It meant living in alignment with my values, even if that looked different from what is expected. That shift alone brought me a tremendous sense of happiness and peace.

Embracing my Introversion

As mentioned above, society’s expectations is extroverted, which is overwhelming for me. By being a homebody and embracing my introversion, I discovered I had more energy for what really mattered.

Instead of forcing myself to fit into an overwhelming world, I am now filling my time with things that makes me feel alive. That authenticity has been one of the biggest sources of happiness in my life.

Living True to Myself

In my previous post on 5 ways to embrace simplicity, one of the ways is to live in alignment with your values. Happiness is one of my values and simplifying my life helped me live in alignment with that value.

Another value of mine is health, and I’ve come to see how closely it’s connected to happiness. When I take care of my body, I notice a difference in my mood and mindset. Any progress towards better health, no matter how small, brings me satisfaction and happiness.

So that’s how simplifying my life brought me more happiness. Every step helped me feel lighter and more at ease, but the biggest contributor is allowing myself to fully embrace being introverted.

Simplifying my life isn’t just about having less, it’s about making room for who I truly am. By embracing my introversion instead of fighting it, I’m building a life that feels authentic, sustainable, and deeply joyful.

MapleStory is My Forever Game

In my journey towards a simpler lifestyle, one thing has remained constant. That is gaming, especially MapleStory. It is a part of my daily rhythm and something that brings joy and comfort without complicating my life.

I play a variety of games, but most of my time is devoted to MapleStory. It feels like my forever game. I first started playing when it launched back in 2005, and quickly became hooked. I was still a student then, and it affected my studies. To regain balance, I had to quit cold turkey for a while. Even after that, I returned to the game on and off, juggling my love for it with academic responsibilities.

Everything changed in 2016 with the release of MapleStory M. Since then, it has been my main version of the game. Mobile gaming just fits my lifestyle better now, as it’s more accessible, more relaxed, and blends seamlessly with my daily routine.

I also play MapleStory Evolution, that was launched in 2023, MapleStory Idle, and MapleStory Worlds, both of which came out this year. I did try returning to the PC version, but it has become so complex. I can’t grasp that it looks so familiar yet there’s so much to learn and keep up. I also can’t sit at a desk for hours to manually play a game anymore. The convenience and automation of mobile versions suits me better now.

MapleStory Worlds has an old-school version that captured the charm of the early days. It brought back waves of nostalgia, but also reaffirmed that I can’t keep up with manual grinding anymore. I’ve moved on to a more relaxed way of playing.

Since embracing a simpler lifestyle, I’ve also become a homebody, and MapleStory M is part of my daily routine. I start my day with a short session, then set up the auto-battle function so my character can grind while I go about my day. In the evening, I rotate to another character, and at night, before bed, I check in on a third one to build up my account steadily.

In a world that often pushes for more, MapleStory has become a source of comfort, nostalgia, and quiet joy. It may have started as an addiction, but over the years, it’s grown into a companion that now fits right into my slower and simpler life.

No other game has held my attention for as long as MapleStory has. The original PC version and MapleStory M alone already span years of my life. That kind of consistency is rare for me when it comes to gaming. Most games come and go, but MapleStory always finds a way back into my life.

The fact that I’ve not only stuck with two versions of the game for so long, but also tried almost every spin-off, really says something. I even gave the PC version another shot, because there’s a part of me that always feels connected to it.

I think there’s something about the world of MapleStory, that makes it feel like home. It’s familiar and comforting. Even when I step away, I find myself returning. That’s why I know MapleStory is truly my forever game.

Letting Go of Perfect Through Simplicity

I used to be a perfectionist, but that led me to become half-hearted in everything I did. An example is my skincare routine, which I have been trying to cultivate a habit for the longest time.

Since beginning a simpler life, I have realised why it was so difficult to cultivate the habit, because my perfectionist mindset saw it as all or nothing. It’s either I complete the full routine or don’t do it at all. There will definitely be days when we feel off, tired, or just unmotivated. On those days, doing part of the routine would have been enough, but that wasn’t my thinking then.

Another example is my planner. I’ve tried everything, from bullet journaling to pre-made layouts and digital planners. No matter the system, I always felt pressure to keep up with it. My perfectionist mindset couldn’t make any mistakes. Drawing wrongly or crossing something out felt like ruining the entire page. As for digital planners, I was too obsessed about the alignment. Every line had to be evenly spaced and every font perfectly uniform in size. There was no flexibility, just the need for everything to look perfect.

It wasn’t until I embraced a simpler lifestyle that I changed my mindset about perfectionism. Simplicity isn’t just about having less things, it’s also a mindset. So here’s how simplicity helped me let go of perfectionism.

Focusing On My Values

In my previous post on, 5 Ways to Embrace Simplicity, one of the ways is to Live In Alignment With Your Values. For me, my values are happiness and health, but chasing perfection came with the expense of sacrificing my happiness and health.

Happiness isn’t about grand achievements. It’s about feeling content, peaceful, and aligned with how I want to live. Health isn’t just physical, it’s also emotional and mental. It’s about reducing stress, and treating myself with kindness. When I center my life around these values, I also release the pressure to be perfect.

Adopting the Just Do Mindset

There is a saying, “a small step can go a long way“. Doing something small gets you farther than waiting for the perfect moment to do it all. Even if I can only do something partially, it will benefit in the long run. Progress doesn’t need to be perfect to be meaningful.

Lower Expectations

Simplicity helps lower expectations by encouraging a shift in perspective. When I made the intentional choice to live more simply, I began to redefine what I expected from myself. Simplicity helped me let go the pressure to do everything flawlessly, and I started embracing imperfection. I don’t waste unnecessary energy on obsessing over the smallest details or trying to polish every task to perfection.

Using Affirmations and Mantras

I love affirmations and mantras. They act as calming reminders of what truly matters, and can be repeated during moments of stress, indecision, or self-doubt. It takes time to fully let go of the perfectionist mindset, so sometimes I still find myself obsessing over the smallest details. When that happens, a simple affirmation or mantra can bring me back to my new values and expectations.

Slow Down and Be Present

Another way, as mentioned in my previous post, on ways to embrace simplicity, is to slow down and be present. When I am doing things at a more relaxed pace, I become fully present with what I am doing, instead of being on autopilot.

That sense of awareness helps me catch myself when I start obsessing over the smallest details or trying to be perfect. In those moments, I can pause and remind myself of my new values and expectations, through affirmations or mantras.

Simplicity pulled me away from perfectionism. It reminded me that life isn’t a performance, but a journey. The more I let go of the need to control or perfect every detail, the more peace and happiness I find. I don’t have to do it all and I don’t have to do it perfectly.