Does a hobby have to be good for anything?

A different day. What's up? What are you doing? That's great! What are you doing? We didn't get a chance to meet. Good is good. We filmed a podcast last week. Yes. Luckily, the length of your beard and the length of my hair haven't changed at all. Absolutely not. You haven't even gotten up from the library yet . Exactly. Well, let's just say time flies . What do you do in times like these?

The meeting was the same day we filmed a podcast, so we immediately found these wrinkled t-shirts, but at least the Switch turned out visually nice. So, you wrote something and we created something great. Okay, bro. So, this week's topic is a bit like, you know, the topic from last episode, about 10 minutes ago, it was about the mistakes we make. So, a little off-topic, regarding our hobbies, how do we generally spend our weekends and weekdays ?

What do we use to draw the line between work and our normal social life, between normal life and work ? Well, maybe discussing this a bit more would be beneficial for the listeners. I wouldn't call it a benefit, but at least it could be an idea. Exactly. Exactly. Great guy. I think it's a very clear title. Let me put it this way. I think we're both at a point where we're trying to find the right work-life balance .

You know, instead of just being in a grinding culture mode, we 're trying to balance the hard work a bit by doing physical activities, socializing, or creating different interests. The reason for this is that when people say work-life balance is important, my fundamental belief is that the different activities you do outside of work also contribute to your work performance . So, when you're working in the garden, you can actually benefit the Hardal in the long run, is that how I'll start?

Let's begin . Hey brother, what kind of things are you involved in ? What do you do on weekends, weekdays, and indoors or outdoors? I focus so much on doing nothing, like in the past, or as we discussed in the previous post, I'm now so much in survival mode, or some other mode, or product mode, that my mind gets so tired, man, at some point the stress evolves into something ego-driven.

How is this not possible, man? Let me take a look at this. Now, since it's like this every evening, whatever you're going to do to unwind in the evenings, this is what you're getting instead. Mixing up those documents. Again, it boils down to things like browsing forums on the computer, constantly doing mathematical calculations, and so on. Actually, I've noticed something. Although this might seem like a hobby, it's something else entirely .

Because, man, I'm not doing any work. Actually, I was deceiving myself. Even if what I'm trying to do isn't work, because I'm doing it on a computer or sitting at a desk, it still charges the same amount of energy. It's the same thing, the same effort. So, for example, I have a garden. I'm trying to work in the garden. For example, I have musical instruments. I try to play with musical instruments.

I try to go to the theater. Since I already live in Kadıköy, going to theater performances makes sense. I try to follow movies and films quite closely . I think there's something else too. And one of the most critical points is this under the heading of adulthood, and this is related to social media and so on in today's world. You probably don't know this, but it's on TikTok, Instagram, and so on.

Why couldn't I follow you because I don't have an Instagram account? man, there are a lot of them. So, there's this grinding, hustling, and secondly, if you're not using it, you're wasting your life, or whatever else – there are so many comparisons like that in every field. So, are you going for a run? So, I can run 20 kilometers in about an hour and a half .

I don't even know if that's good or bad. And I think people are stopping doing that. So, doing things simply because you enjoy them, everything needs to fit within a logical framework . Is it even worthwhile to meet someone, to be friends with someone ? It comes down to a point where you wonder if this person is adding anything to your life, and a lot of people have given up on that .

Brother, do I enjoy doing this? So, do I like it ? Am I having fun? It could also be about having fun in a more childlike way. So I think it's okay to dedicate energy to that too, even when sometimes the work you're doing really doesn't make any sense, doesn't add anything to your life . So, for example, I believe that when you're working in the garden, you're not thinking about that.

It's not like, "If I take good care of this garden, it will benefit me in this way and I will become a much better person," or "I'll be much more egotistical," but rather, " No, I just want to work in the garden because I enjoy it." If that's the case, I think it adds much more value to a person's life. I don't know what you think? By the way, sharing this, I think, well, actually, it might be partly due to not using social media much.

So, if there's any benefit, maybe this could be it. For example, if I were working in the garden and I were concerned about its visual appeal, its aesthetics, that would still be a job for me. For example, let's say I would create a landscape painting. I would arrange the stones and so on. Oh, I 've created a very beautiful garden. I would take a landscape picture and post it on Instagram.

And then I would expect likes. But maybe because I don't use social media, that garden, man, at that moment, I just wanted to dig in the soil and do something. Because that flower needs it. I want to meet him. So, because that adult brought it along with another adult, it's like this: I do n't know, man, paying rent could be a part of it, for example .

You're not, for example, sharing posts about the pandemic on social media while you're paying your rent, are you? Look guys, when it comes to paying rent, why don't you pay your rent with me? Like, " How did he pay?" and so on. For example, someone might comment later saying, "Oh, in 2025 they're paying rent in cash." it seems like you don't use online banking . If he's bullied, at some point paying that rent will become something for him .

I'm using rent payment as an example, of course, but whatever you do outside of work. So, maybe the reason these things aren't being shared is because, for example, I don't have the concern of watching a movie and analyzing it, or interpreting it. I can just shut off my brain and watch it. You know, I used to have this thing... I'm going to watch a movie, but it absolutely has to be in English, and it definitely has to have subtitles.

From where? So, while watching the movie, I can also improve my English, maybe it'll be useful in some way, even from that . Exactly, exactly, man. Come on, forget it. If they want, let it be dubbed in Turkish, and just because... I noticed something. So, I now watch movies with Turkish dubbing. I enjoy the movies I watch so much, especially those from the 90s, because they don't make 90s movies anymore.

They don't put them on platforms, and all the ones that are there are dubbed. Brother, the voices of those compassionate Kenter types, the voices of Sezai and others, like Murat Taş Demirler and others, those voiceovers evoke such beautiful feelings in me that I try to savor them, even when watching a movie. I completely agree, that's exactly what I'm trying to say. Some things don't need to add anything to you, or you don't need to turn some things into a performative act.

For example, some people say that the film they watch definitely should n't be a Hollywood film. So, if I'm going to watch a movie, it has to be truly independent cinema, and so on. It's very beautiful, superb. But if you're doing this while looking down on someone watching a Hollywood action movie, then something is actually wrong. Because, for example, one of my favorite things lately is that I like flying on planes and things like that.

For example, if I'm getting on a plane or going on a trip, I download all the apps. I used to watch things I didn't watch before, like the Diehard series or those old 2000s action movies. Some of them are incredibly well-drawn, but I enjoy them so much while watching them. You know what's going to happen, the most absurd conversations, the most absurd fights, it's extremely enjoyable, and it's completely for me.

For example, this kind of action movie, where I have no expectations, I don't put a tick on it, I don't think it adds anything to me, nothing at all. And I try to do this on weekend evenings and so on. I had a lot of that too. I think marketing also plays a part in this. Because marketing is very much about optimization, and I think you're trying to optimize your life too.

Then you try to maximize the added value of everything and so on. But why you do it is very important. So, are you doing this for ego gratification or because you genuinely enjoy it ? And I keep asking myself this question, and sometimes I still feel bad about it. For example, I play PlayStation. Sometimes on weekends, after playing PlayStation for 2-3 hours, I find myself wondering if I've wasted too much time.

Then I try to release them. I mean, you can play PlayStation if you want to, or you can go dig in the dirt if you want to. They are all beneficial for the soul. Teoman came to my mind. My only friend on PlayStation is Teoman. So, we became friends when we were connecting to multiplayer, man. When you become friends with someone, something pops up on PlayStation, dude.

Here are the games your friends are playing . For example, you're going to download a game. My friend and I have played this before. Damn, Teoman's thing is in every game. The guy was playing with that thing, he was forcing it. He didn't play it, he just downloaded it . Is it 100% certain that he didn't play? This is like someone who found it for free on PlayStation and downloaded it.

Brother, that's the only reason I thought of him. More than asking about time, I'd like to ask him if there's a single play he's finished from start to finish . Brother, for example, a lot of things make sense to me . I agree with him 100%. When you're doing something, for example, let's say you're going to cook, okay? For example, I had something like this. Or maybe I shouldn't cook, I should just sweep.

Brother, I always put a podcast in my ear when I was installing the vacuum cleaner . Is it ok? For example, I had created this app in my head. For example, how many minutes does it take to finish vacuuming? 15 minutes is all I have, bro. I can finish one part of an audiobook in 15 minutes. Okay, I'll listen to an audiobook, I'll listen to a podcast.

Let's do something useful, man. Then I started releasing it. Wow, I feel so relieved! You don't even have to be efficient when you're sweeping, man. Exactly, bro. While you're sweeping, sweep. Then I realized something. Honestly, I'm putting things in order in my head so well, like when I'm doing something pointless, like in the garden, you know, there was even that thing, like, "I don't want any music playing in the background while I'm reading a book," or "No way, don't let any music play, just let it be quiet, focus only on the book," I was doing that thing for a while, and even that was taking up my time, and when I say time, I was racking my brain so much, I was reading the book while I was choosing the music to play in the background, my reading urge would disappear.

I was losing my enthusiasm. I realized I'd been setting up a playlist for 20 minutes. Should it be... no, should it be a sun? How can it become fashionable? "I swear to God, damn it!" he says. And also, that's in everything. Well, I think trying to multitask, as you said, maximizes efficiency. You know, like, just doing nothing, like that. Just talking nonsense. Honestly, we need this. For example, I think everyone could ask themselves this question .

When was the last time you just sat down and had a cup of coffee? So you didn't drink coffee and read a book. I added a beiz to this. Look, even this is effective. There's even an effect in this. Do you understand? So, when was the last time you just sat and drank coffee, for example, without a book, without your phone, without conversation, without anyone else around?

It's very, very old, maybe it never existed at all. In fact, that really does push people towards something. I think when you focus on what you're doing right now, what you have at your disposal, and enjoy it, your mind just calms down, as you said. You're more present in the moment and, you know, you're not rushing things. Do you understand ? There's no such illusion as "I'm progressing very fast in life ."

Just enjoy it, man, there's no rush . So, for example, you... I... I have... something. If I'm focusing on a single task, like sweeping, I'd think about how to sweep as quickly and efficiently as possible. So how do I sweep the house in the way that I can tidy up as quickly as possible with the least amount of movement? I sweep the fastest. So I was thinking about what the quickest shortcut would be if I were going somewhere by bike.

I've given them up too, for example. I just sweep normally, straight across, man. So I can sweep some areas twice. For example, I used to get hung up on things like that because of my past experiences. So, in such a completely unrelated way . And, as you said, these are things that really take up a lot of space in people's minds. When tiny little things accumulate, they form a mountain .

Well, it's very, very, very difficult, and of course, handling this kind of thing gets difficult at a certain point. Well, since I live alone, maybe I can notice these things a little faster. Because this way I can actually spend time with myself. But when you're sharing a life together, it might take a long time to notice these things . For example, imagine this, man. That you have a wife and children.

Imagine you have three children, for example. Now, while you're dealing with their worries and anxieties, one will want a toy, another will need school fees, another will need money for diapers, and so on, and the line between work and life starts to become your own responsibilities. So, what do you do outside of work, man? I spend time with children. This is nothing, really. Then you think to yourself, "Of course, you don't have to do anything."

And you can dedicate all your time to yourself. You can talk nonsense. Sit, stare at the wall, draw a picture, do something. So there are many things that can be done. It's as if we might feel inferior while doing these things. And I think that's why, with social media, it's become something that can be perceived as bullying, so I really don't think anything is necessary . Offline mode is very valuable.

So, for example, we need to ask that question again. For example, even when you're exercising, why are you exercising? What is your goal ? Are you really enjoying it? So, I think these are very valuable, important questions, and above all, one of my concerns lately—I don't know if we've talked about this before—is... That's why I'm trying to focus my attention and effort on different areas. That's a huge risk, man.

In other words, don't define your life and yourself solely through work. Of course. So this time you reach a point where, when things don't go well, your life starts to fall apart too. Because you've identified yourself too much. You've worked so hard, you've focused so much on just one thing, that when that thing goes badly, you go badly too. But when you add other things to that, different worlds, different hobbies, different interests, you're not defined by just one thing, and you don't rely on it as much.

This could be a person, your friends, socializing, or even your favorite sports team . So people get really attached to things like that. That's why adding different things, introducing different hobbies, is valuable. For example, let's say you meet someone on a trip or something. The first thing you say is, "I'm a Fenerbahçe fan too," and so on. Exactly. Or, for example, it's very much like that, man.

Hi, I'm Barış. I'm the co-founder of a company called Hardal, or rather, I have a startup. I'm a startup guy, or something like that . So, this just explains it very clearly, as you said. That's how some people meet. So the first thing they say is what they do for a living. For example, there's a TV series, I think these things are in it. When the guy introduces himself, he'll say something like, "Hello, I'm so-and-so, I work for an international company," for example.

Hi, I'm so-and-so, and I work for an international company. You know, that identification with your job, your title, or rather, that... well, it's a bad feeling. So, like you said, it's a place where you can't completely distinguish between work and your own thing. Hey man, you're Berkay! You are peace. You do n't need anything extra like that. What do you normally do, I mean, as a human being, man?

So, what are you doing as a human being? That's important, I mean, it's a bit like I said, and I think it's also related to social media. So, you know, we weren't even looking at LinkedIn for a while, and people on LinkedIn praise themselves so much, it's like everyone's praising each other, and in all that praise, the things they do outside of work become completely irrelevant .

But people do very different things outside of work. I also think the EU isn't really that important . So, what we're saying, what we're saying, might negatively affect our investment processes, but there's something else, really. Nothing is that important, and you close yourself off so much in the bubble, as you said, the more you define yourself by something, or whatever you define yourself by, the more you confine yourself to that area, that nothing outside of it seems real .

But brother, those are very different worlds, very different jobs, very different problems. And you learn this as you dedicate your effort and time to different things . Otherwise, as you said, you end up staying inside an area like an ecochamber. It doesn't even have to be social media. So, it doesn't matter if you just work and just do a job or just do X, and even if you don't use social media at all, the people around you are creating that echo chamber for you, and you're just repeating the same message.

You're making yourself known, and you're also making it known to the outside world. So you're focusing solely on giving, on delivering the message. So, when it comes to buying, to the buying side, it can turn into an egoistic thing like, "No way, I'm doing this and that. Am I going to buy this? Who are you to buy this?" So, whatever we choose as a hobby, it's really valuable.

By the way, it just occurred to me, when you were talking about it, for example, when you meet someone and you mention your business, imagine you meet Elon Musk, does he say, " I'm a businessman," or does he list all his companies? If it were something like that, PayPal. If he started with PayPal, it would be so funny. It would be funny, or maybe he just mentions PayPal.

He doesn't mention the others . There's a stand-up show called PayPal, where he says, "We had an exit," and so on. Hello, I'm Elon Musk. Yes. He says, "two-time exit founder," and so on. This is the perspective, for example, what does that have to do with us? We also skip over things like "2 XP exit," "3 XP," etc., but generally, it's always the same thing, the explanation under the title, the headline, in most things.

To truly understand a person, perhaps it's not just about these titles; maybe people are so attached to these titles that they can't enjoy their hobbies as much and ca n't change their perspectives. That's an interesting point, isn't it? Yes. I think it's because, as you said, people are looking for added value. For example, when choosing a hobby, let's say a well-off person wants to start a sport.

They might start golf. They might not start field hockey. They might start basketball, or handball, you understand? Or volleyball, they might say, "No way, what am I going to do with that?" But golf, of course, golf is fine. If they're physically okay, maybe tennis sounds good. There's a different underlying message there; instead of thinking about what adds value to them, what they enjoy, they bring different social norms with them.

Of course, putting all of that aside... It's really hard to focus on just one thing, you inevitably get influenced, but it would be nice to be able to create a world where you're not influenced. We get influenced too, I guess. It's impossible for us to influence others, right? Absolutely. So, when you completely disable your ego and focus a bit more on the offline side, I think everyone can enjoy activities that allow you to realize who you are.

Hobbies are very valuable, I think. You need activities that allow you to discover your own self. Activities, to be more precise. For example, in Kadıköy, there are Medik Clubs. Yes. I like to follow them. I sometimes go. Even though I don't like their culture, they find it very cringe-worthy, you know, like when they can't find a joke, they lash out at the audience, things like that .

I go to the Just Clubs, for example, most people don't go. It's nice in Kadıköy, I think it's good. Very good. By the way, I'm really okay with being kring . Being kring, being okay with being king, is really liberating, I think . Because in most things, that coolness... With our effort and desire, we can hold ourselves back from so many things. I mean, we block ourselves with things like, "Oh, will I do well?

Oh, will I make a fool of myself? Oh, will I be too kring?" When we let go of those things, it's really easier . For example, lately I've been into billiards, something completely unrelated to me . I found a billiards player here. We just happened to meet. I really, really liked it, and I play badly. I can't say I'm very good, but I enjoy it incredibly, and people compete with each other here .

For example, you're at a table, someone comes along, a random person, and you play a match with them . If they win, they stay, and someone else comes along, and so on. I've lost quite a few times, but it's been a real distraction . I really enjoyed it. For a while now, I've been excitedly thinking, "Let's go play billiards!" So you'll probably get a cue made soon .

Put on a cue and stuff. Are you special? I open the pack, the bag, and stuff. Do you do pike? I don't know pike, man. What does pike mean? What do you mean? I don't even know what it is. I'm just hitting balls right now. Hey, I used to watch those old matches, like in the 2000s, the Semier vs. Köleman match, the World Championships in some year or other .

It's a pretty enjoyable activity, but they were playing snooker, right? Semih Saygün and all that? No, there were also those who played 8-ball and those who played 8-ball. Snooker is something else entirely. Snooker is newer, more of a sporty version. Snooker is great, man. I've never played it, by the way, but it's fun to watch. There are so many things, man. For example, even just snowboarding has so many different things going on.

Whether you're snowboarding on Uludağ or something, it's different if you're on a Burton board, you need to wax the bottom, you wear something... the culture itself is a whole different world. People do it for many years. Now there are so many different hobbies, man. So many hobbies. How much of them... If you diversify things like that, you add so much color to your life. Books are one of them .

Music is another. I go to concerts very often. Bands you don't like come here. They're all metal. When I say bands we don't like, I mean, for example, I'm really into all kinds of music, but I just couldn't get into death metal. I'm missing something there, but I haven't figured out what it is yet . Hopefully, I'll mention it someday . It's like, after all that, I suddenly become a dead metal fan.

It's like, it just happens . Shall I tell you about the last concert I went to? Yes. Another dead metal band. You know, the ones you don't like. Before that, there's a band called İnce Saz. They play with the qanun and all that. They're really good. Now, I actually look at it this way. When you first start with metal, all music seems like a low-key genre, so when you get used to the hardest kind, you absorb all the genres very well.

But when you start with pop music or something else... It's really hard for me to rise to the top . Maybe that's why it feels bad. I don't know. For example, I don't have anything against the death metal scene, but like I said, I sometimes sit and listen to Turkish folk music. I even posted on Slack recently. Lately, for some reason, I've been listening to 2000s emo and punk.

It was something I hadn't listened to for a long time . Exactly. Exactly. For example, before that, I was into Mississippi blues, more basic, single-instrument music, and I was leaning towards it, but even though I've been involved with many different genres, death metal just didn't quite hook me. I don't know, maybe it's too aggressive for me, but maybe I need to give it a little more chance.

Because of the aggressiveness. Now, in February, a band called Behot is coming. Their name is quite something, they perform with pig heads on stage. It's all about the toughness and stuff. Yes. I like things like that. I don't know, like, I used to listen to Ramstein and stuff, but I guess they're too soft for me. By the way, Til Lindeman came to perform last week, I couldn't go.

He's now doing solo with his own band. He was in Istanbul, man. He apparently bought fish from the Beşiktaş fish market, bit their heads, and threw them at the audience. He threw cake and stuff. You know, that industrial metal and that stage performance, it's a bit heavy. The stage show is very critical, the stage show is like that . Absolutely, it sticks in your mind . Anyway, what I'm saying is, that guy's hobby could be something else, you understand?

I mean, just because you're Til Lindeman, you might be on stage wearing a skirt and biting fish, but maybe your hobby is watching NTV Spor at home. Like, for example . Did I explain it well? So, of course, it definitely shouldn't be bad, I think. Exactly. Exactly. So, I wish everyone a future full of hobbies . I hope the new Hobbies are what we add to our lives.

I have so many different things I want to do but haven't found the time for yet. So, tell me two of them. So, two hobbies you want to do in 2026? Let me tell you right away. One is, you know, I took sailing lessons a couple of times, and I was away for a week or so. It always stays that way, and I want to find a way to sail regularly here .

The second is, there's a sibling of tennis, Padel, a more popular version, I think. I tried Padel a couple of times, I really liked it, and I keep putting it off. I want to play Padel regularly and spend time in the water, let's say . Not even sailing. I want to be regularly on the sea in 2026. A bit more physical, you know. Yes. Physical, that's what I meant.

A sporting activity. Exactly. Because I've reduced them a lot. I mean, they used to be more in my life, but I've reduced them a lot by 2025-2024. By the way, you had this line from a movie... Bro, if something forces you to buy new clothes, bro, that's not a hobby. Do you understand? Like, bro, it's really difficult, you know. Yes. For example, let's say you're going to do a pader (a type of shopping spree), if you absolutely have to buy something, bro, that's related to the capitalist system.

Bro, there was this book over there the other day, you know, the one about like gels, that's why I like gels, you know, where you don't have to buy anything. For example, talking to the email address, that can be a hobby, and maybe in 2026 I really want to improve these skills, like talking to shopkeepers. Bro, I realized I enjoy talking to shopkeepers, you know, like, I used to just say hello when I passed by, like the hardware store, they're all on the street, but stopping and really having a conversation used to feel...

Like, don't you have anything better to do, bro? I noticed something the other day. That upset me a little. It's crowded here. While I was walking, an elderly couple was walking slowly in front of me, and I'm so used to walking so fast that the elderly couple stopped, literally stopped, and gave me way. Like, okay, go ahead, get lost. Wherever you 're going, like, are you rushing to the tannery?

When you give way in that way, I realized something. Damn, even walking has turned into a kind of speed, and there's always someone coming. Forget the pleasure of walking down the street; it's like when you're on the phone, you're out of breath. It's always rushing, you're running somewhere. It's rushing. I ask, " What are you doing?" and you say, "I'm walking," but it's like you're slowly climbing a hill, your tone of voice is like that.

I agree, 100% . So, in 2026, I want to focus on these little things that will benefit me, or even if they don't. Maybe small talk, maybe communication with people. When I go out, I want to take a deep breath and say, "Ah, that feels good ." Although weekends don't happen here, at least I want to go out and do things for the fun of it, just one thing, and try to enjoy it .

I wish and hope for a year where everyone has health and peace in 2026. I hope he brings it. Idiom. Very good, bro. I hope so. Then, thank you for this conversation. It was a really good topic. It was great. We talked about hobbies. We talked about Barış and Berkay's hobbies. Can we do another podcast, Barış? What do you say? We got carried away, but not with this momentum, bro.

We're making another t-shirt, bro, you know, until midnight until New Year's Eve 12 episodes of podcasts for the whole year, we're drooling We forgot to record it, right? We're just talking about it, bro, it's definitely possible. Okay then, thanks again to everyone listening . And Happy New Year to everyone. Happy New Year to everyone. Goodbye.