Hobbies aren’t fun anymore?
A class about creativity, free time, social media and the pressure to turn everything into something productive.
Talk about hobbies
Share experiences, preferences and opinions.
When does fun become work?
Explore pressure, progress and productivity.
Tell your hobby story
Build a timeline from your first interest to now.
Lead-in
Discuss the questions. Give examples and ask each other follow-up questions.
Which hobbies appeal to you?
Choose the activities you find most appealing. Have you ever tried any of them?
Music production
Film making
Painting
Skateboarding
Photography
Writing
Talk about your choices
Match the words and definitions
Choose the word that best matches each definition. Then check your answers.
When fun becomes work
“We’ve taken everything that used to be just for fun and turned it into another form of work. We’ve lost the ability to do something just because it feels good to do it.”
— Idea from the video
The grindification of hobbies
Duration: 3:42 min. Click the video cover to watch it on YouTube.
Before you watch
Think about this question: what makes a hobby feel like a job?
2. Take notes on the main idea.
3. Then go to the next page and complete the tasks.
▶ Watch on YouTube ↗
The video opens in a new tab.
Comprehension
Discuss the five ideas from the video. Explain what the speaker says, expand on the idea, and share your own opinion.
Why can free time feel like a waste unless it leads to improvement or a bigger goal?
People may feel they need to improve, develop a special style, or make progress in a hobby.
Goals and expectations can replace joy and make a hobby feel like another job.
Documenting and sharing an activity can become more important than enjoying the activity itself.
People may feel they need to make money, improve themselves, or turn a hobby into a side hustle. The video suggests hobbies can be valuable simply because we do them.
Video summary
Fill in the blanks with the missing words. Use each word once.
Word bank
Select a word in each gap. The answer key is not shown until you check.
Social media makes this worse. Instead of enjoying the activity, people feel pressure to everything and turn it into online content. If a hobby doesn’t make money, it can seem frivolous or pointless, unless it becomes a side .
This comes from a strong productivity , where rest feels irresponsible and every activity must be “useful.” But hobbies should be the to this culture — a way to relax, play, and be human. After all, your hobbies don’t you success, money, or progress. Sometimes, the value is simply in the experience.
Think a little deeper
Give reasons, examples and counterarguments. Try to build on each other’s ideas.
Speaking challenge
Choose one question and speak for 60 seconds. Try to use at least three words from the vocabulary section.
Hobby timeline
Use this visual timeline to talk about a hobby: how it started, the early days, the fun phase, whether it became serious, and how you feel about it now.