I complete The New York Times Daily Mini crossword every single day. (Reply and we can add each other to our leaderboards.)
The 5x5 grid usually takes less than one minute to finish. In fact my average completion time for the last two years is 55.90 seconds.
Why do I know my average time down to the second decimal?
Two friends and I have a spreadsheet of our times starting on October 1st, 2019.
We've created a spreadsheet that has daily statistics, overall standings, and total time spent. I have spent 678.2 minutes and counting on the crossword over the last two years — and am admittedly way in last place on the leaderboard.
Nerdy: yes.
Fun and educational: yes.
A hobby: yes.
Guy Raz describes a hobbyist as "a person who creates something out of a passion." Hobbyists build things, like crossword spreadsheets. It's a source of fun and learning and also provides cognitive cross-training. Just like muscle groups benefit from different forms of exercise, the brain benefits from thinking about topics in different ways.
In his book Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, David Epstein writes “mental meandering and personal experimentation are sources of power." The mental meandering involved in filling in small squares is no major feat, but it's just enough of a unique challenge that my brain stretches.
"Struggling to retrieve information primes the brain for subsequent learning," Epstein continues. While studying, learning an instrument, or exercising may be difficult, it's often what keeps us capable of learning.
Guy Raz follows the hobbyist description with a tinkerer and an entrepreneur.
A tinkerer, Raz says, is a person who creates something out of passion, but the solution also solves a problem only they have. Tinkerers are problem solvers. They tinker with cars, code, and systems to fix their problem. It brings a different satisfaction than a hobby.
The next step is an entrepreneur, according to Mr. Raz; it's a person who creates something out of a passion that also solves a problem they share with lots of other people. An entrepreneur monetizes their problem solving because, whether perceived or real, other people have the same problem.
Our passions can flow through us in all three of these ways — hobbyist, tinkerer, entrepreneur. Most people reading this are in pursuit of a lifetime of learning and changing, where all three are equally important.
There's often pressure, even self-imposed, to upgrade, to monetize, or to make something out of the fruits of your labor, especially hobbies.
But I see the value of hobbies as exactly what they are: leisure activities. Crosswords, ceramics, or carpentry can be hobbies that have no grand purpose other than fun. Like a shower, hobbies let the brain relax and spur new ideas.
“I always advise my people to read outside your field, everyday something. And most people say, ‘Well, I don’t have time to read outside my field.’ I say, ‘No, you do have time, it’s far more important.’ Your world becomes a bigger world, and maybe there’s a moment in which you make connections.” (Epstein)
I will keep doing the NYT Mini and filling in my spreadsheet.