You Don’t Need More Time, You Need A New Identity

The real reason your goals never survive past February has nothing to do with motivation.

Jun 11, 2026

You know what I find frustrating?

Spending hours thinking about things I want to do, but then turning around and doing everything but that.

And I know a lot of you can relate to this; you have all these incredible ideas haunting your mind, keeping you awake at night. But in the morning, you stuff them in the back of your head telling yourself “I’ll work on this later”

And now that months has pasted, you convinced yourself that the reason you haven’t started yet is because you “don’t have time”

(Well I’d sit down for what comes next)

Let me ask you this: “what do you do after you come home from work?”

Scrolling? Binging Netflix?

…

RIGHT

You’re making excuses!! Both because you don’t need as much time as you think, and also because your screen time is telling a completely different story.

I know because I’ve been there! To be completely honest, I still am. I still spend hours, days, hell months even, thinking, planning, researching. But my execution?

Okay, now that I’m done telling on myself, let’s get into this.

What nobody tells you is that your lack of execution is not a motivation problem, it’s an identity one. “The thing” you’ve been thinking about doing is still something that you want to do, not yet a part of who you are, and that’s why it’s so hard to start.

You are thinking: “I need to start writing this book”,

“I need to start my youtube channel”,

“I need to start painting“

And not: “I am a writer”,

“I am a youtuber”,

“I am an artist“.

The action you want to accomplish is not yet who you believe yourself to be, that’s what’s keeping you stuck in inaction.

And one of the most effective ways to shift your perceived identity is to get a hobby.

Yes I know you’ve heard this one before. You’ve heard about how hobbies can boost your mental health, reduce your stress, and give you an overall sense of purpose.

But what they usually don’t tell you is

that hobbies are not just entertainment.

They are rehearsals.

Every hobby trains a version of you whether it’s intentional or not.

The person who writes on their journal everyday is rehearsing being a writer.

The person who goes on a run every morning is rehearsing discipline.

The person who paints every week is rehearsing being an artist.

You become what you repeatedly practice, even if you’re doing it for fun.

Now, “You need to get a hobby” is good talk and all but I wish more people would talk about how to choose the right one and how to actually stay consistent with it without compromising or feeling burnt out in the process.

Well the truth is you don’t need an insane amount of time to get started.

All you need is structure!

And one thing I find absolutely essential for picking the right hobby for you is to know which of the 5 categories they fall under; physical, creative, mental, grounding, and social.

You shouldn’t choose your hobby simply because they are entertaining. You should choose them based on transformation.

Ask yourself this: “who do I really want to become in 5 years?”

Then choose hobbies that will reinforce that identity.

If you want to be a healthier version of yourself, choose a PHYSICAL HOBBY.

These are the hobbies that take care of your body.

The ones that remind you you’re a human being before you’re a worker, a parent, a student, or a problem-solver.

Running, dance, the gym, swimming…

Anything that gets you back into your body.

Now if you want to become more creative, you’ll need to pick a CREATIVE HOBBY.

Those are the ones that help you express yourself in your own way.

Writing, painting, content creation, pottery…

Anything that connects you with your emotions and lets you create.

You see a smarter version of yourself in the future? choose a MENTAL HOBBY!

These hobbies take care of your mind and nourish your intellect.

Things like reading, puzzles, research, learning a new language…

These challenge your mind and expand your knowledge.

If you want to feel more grounded, the GROUNDING HOBBIES are your best options.

Baking, gardening, fishing, camping…

These anchor your mind into the present moment. They will lower your cortisol levels and make you feel calmer and more at peace.

Lastly, if you want to make more connections, you need a SOCIAL HOBBY.

Things like board games, volunteering, clubs, improv…

Something that is community-driven and will keep you connected with other people.

Now that you know where your interests fall into, the next step is to know what to prioritize. And for that you need to know what your goals are.

People don’t quit because hobbies are hard, they quit because they start six at once.

Treating every interest like a priority is why nothing survives.

So ask yourself: “what do I want to accomplish with this hobby?”,

“Is this something I should prioritize right now?”

Do this for every hobby you are thinking about starting and put them into these 3 priority boxes: your needs, your yearns, and your craves.

The Need-Yearn-Crave method

Priority 1: NEED

This is going to be a hobby that helps you with one of your main current goals.

Let’s say your goal for this year is to get back in shape, your “need” should fall under the physical hobby category.

And this, you’re going to make sure you set 15 minutes, every single day for it.

No excuses.

Incorporate it into your schedule. Set an alarm. And when it rings, just do it. For 15 minutes.

Priority 2: YEARN

This hobby should go towards a second goal you have or something you feel you need to do.

Your work may feel draining and you need a grounding hobby to fill revitalized.

You are going to take an hour out of your week for this exact purpose. Put it in your calendar, put a reminder on your phone, tell people around you that you’re going to do this at that time. And when the time comes, GO DO IT.

Priority 3: CRAVE

This one you’ve been putting off for so long. for months you’ve been telling yourself you have to start but you always get cut up in something else and have yet to start.

Take 4-6 hours every month for your “crave” hobby. Plan ahead. Tell the other people involved in advance, if any. And when the time comes, force yourself to do it, even if you don’t feel like it.

Hobbies are not just fun activities, they are the tools you use to convince yourself that you’re exactly the person you want to be.

Because who you will be in 5 years is being shaped by what you are repeatedly practicing now, whether you’re paying attention or not.

At the end of the day, it all sums up to doing the things that your future self will think you for. And you do that by choosing hobbies you actually need.

Answer this honestly:

“If your life stayed exactly the same for five years, what would hurt the most?’

Your health? Choose physical.

Your loneliness? Choose social.

Your burnout? Choose grounding.

Your lack of confidence? Choose creative.

Your stagnation? Choose mental.

The point is, you don’t need another day off to start doing “the thing”, you just need a fraction of the hours you spend on things that don’t serve you.

15 minutes a day

1h a week

half a day a month

That’s it.

The life you want is not built during life-changing moments.

It’s built during ordinary Tuesdays where you decided to just show up.

Because every time you practice something, you’re casting a vote for the person you’re becoming.

So choose wisely.

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💬 Your Turn: What hobby would completely change your life if you started today and stayed consistent with it for the next year? Leave a comment below, I’d love to hear your story.