Sidequesting
I only have two requirements for something to qualify as a sidequest:
- It must be significantly unrelated to your main quest.
- It must involve a non-trivial amount of skill expression
These map pretty cleanly onto the two parts of the word side|quest.
For example, if your main quest primarily involved programming, building a side project would not count as a side quest. Neither would watching movies, even if it may be an enjoyable hobby. Lock picking would count though.
Why do I think that sidequests matter given the importance I place on the main quest? Simply, I think to live a full life one must try to run the entire gamut of the human experience. Per the Renaissance man, we should seek to develop our abilities to the furthest extent in all areas of accomplishment.
This is also how I'd differentiate between hobbies and sidequests. To sidequest means that you have chosen to take on a quest, and quests demand skill. The definition of quest is literally "journey toward a specific mission or a goal". The gradient between where you are and where you want to be is bridged only by self-improvement.
There is no such seriousness towards improvement in hobbies. It is possible though, depending on the person, that virtually all of their hobbies are sidequests. This is more or less true for me.
A sidequester enthusiastically pursues all activities they have chosen to engage in, and does so with vigour and playfulness.
My perennial sidequests:
- Music production
- Calisthenics
- Photography
- Long-distance running
- Guitar
Things I find cool and would love to become skilled at given the time:
- Chinese and Japanese calligraphy
- Singing
- Breakdance
- Tango
Sidequests I've pursued at some point:
- Competitive swimming
- Ultimate Frisbee
- Violin
- Trumpet
- Debate