Find a Hobby That Will Spark True Joy With This 3-Prompt System

Why I jump between surface hobbies instead of sticking with what makes me happy (and the AI prompts that finally solved it)

Why You Need a Hobby

Recently, I ran a series of prompts in Claude that generated a “life audit,” of sorts.

There were 6 prompts total, each designed to provide information that the next prompt in the series would need to function. Each prompt requires the user to replace bracketed questions (just like the prompts we publish here) with personal information and answers to questions.

I couldn’t finish it in one sitting because the whole process takes about five hours from start to finish.

The prompts transform Claude into a no-nonsense, blunt, brilliant world-class life coach with zero concerns about your hurt feelings or about forcing you to confront and face down uncomfortable personal truths you’d rather not discuss.

I filled out the information that the first prompt needed, and then I ran it. Then I ran the second, third, and so on. At the end, I had a series of life reports from the Coach were so insightful, so personal, so correct that I took a cursory glance at everything, closed the browser window and never opened it again.

One of the things I saw during that glance? I needed hobbies.

See, I do have hobbies. I have a lot of them, in fact. The problem is, they’re all surface hobbies. They’re things I pick up and do for a while before moving on to the next hobby. Instead of sticking with one thing I know makes me happy—instead of maybe getting better at that one thing—I spend my time searching for other things that make me happy.

It’s something I’m going to work on.

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Finding Your Own Joy

Maybe you’re in the same boat I’m in. If so, hey, welcome to the boat.

So you’ve realized you need a hobby. You have no idea where to begin.

That’s what we are here for.

Below, you will find ten prompts that help you figure out what brings you joy. Once we’ve done that, we will use other prompts that’ll turn your AI tool into something like an online dating service: You tell it a little about yourself, and it uses a little tech magic to match you with things you might be interested in.

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The Prompts

PROMPT 1: DEEP PERSONAL ASSESSMENT

This is the foundation prompt of a 3-part hobby discovery system.

This prompt will ask you questions about yourself - what you like, how you spend time, and what's important to you. You'll use your answers in the next prompt to find hobbies that fit who you really are.

Copy the text in the gray boxes and paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or your other favorite AI tool, then hit Enter (or click the arrow button to send your prompt to the AI)

You are an expert psychologist and lifestyle analyst specializing in matching people with fulfilling hobbies and activities. Your goal is to conduct a thorough assessment that reveals not just what someone might enjoy, but what will genuinely fit into their life and personality long-term.

Conduct a comprehensive assessment covering these areas:

**PERSONALITY & PSYCHOLOGY:**
- Big Five personality traits assessment (questions that reveal openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism)
- Motivation patterns (intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation, achievement orientation, social vs solo preferences)
- Risk tolerance and adventure seeking
- Learning style preferences (hands-on, visual, analytical, creative)
- Stress relief needs and emotional regulation patterns

**VALUES & LIFESTYLE:**
- Core values and what brings meaning to life
- Current life stage and priorities
- Social preferences (group activities, one-on-one, solo time needs)
- Competition vs collaboration preferences  
- Desire for routine vs variety
- Connection to nature, technology, arts, physical activity
- Interest in helping others vs personal achievement

**PRACTICAL CONSTRAINTS:**
- Available time commitment (daily, weekly, seasonal)
- Budget considerations for startup costs and ongoing expenses
- Physical space available (indoor, outdoor, storage needs)
- Physical abilities and any accessibility considerations
- Geographic location and climate factors
- Transportation options
- Schedule flexibility (fixed work hours, travel, family obligations)

**PAST EXPERIENCE ANALYSIS:**
- Previous hobbies or activities tried (what worked, what didn't, why)
- Skills already possessed that could transfer to new activities
- Childhood interests that might resurface
- Things you've always wanted to try but never had the chance
- Activities you've observed others doing that sparked curiosity

Ask thoughtful, specific questions that go beyond surface preferences. Use follow-up questions to dig deeper into responses. Present this as a natural conversation, not a rigid questionnaire.

At the end, summarize key insights about this person's psychological profile, values, constraints, and potential hobby directions. This summary will be used to generate their personalized hobby recommendations in the next step.

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PROMPT 2: PROFILE GENERATION & HOBBY MATCHING

This prompt takes your answers from Prompt 1 and turns them into a list of hobbies you'll love. It will create a printable report showing 10 activities that match your personality, along with an explanation of why each one suits you.

Ensure that you paste your complete results from Prompt 1 where the prompt instructs you to do so. We’ve made that area bold so you can see it easier. You'll use this report in Prompt 3 to learn more about any hobby that interests you.

You are an expert in psychological profiling and hobby recommendation systems. Using the assessment data provided, create a comprehensive hobby matching analysis.

**INPUT DATA:** [PASTE THE COMPLETE OUTPUT FROM PROMPT 1 HERE]

Using this assessment data, create a detailed analysis with the following components:

**PART 1: PRINTABLE PERSONALITY-TO-HOBBY PROFILE**
Create a well-formatted, printable document that includes:

- **Your Hobby Personality Summary:** A 2-3 paragraph overview of their core traits as they relate to hobby selection
- **Key Motivational Drivers:** What will keep them engaged long-term
- **Optimal Activity Characteristics:** The types of activities that align with their psychology (e.g., "competitive but non-athletic," "creative with tangible outcomes," "social learning with solo practice time")
- **Potential Challenge Areas:** Honest assessment of what might cause them to quit activities
- **Success Factors:** Conditions that maximize their chance of sticking with new hobbies

**PART 2: TOP 10 HOBBY RECOMMENDATIONS**
For each hobby, provide:

1. **Hobby Name & Brief Description**
2. **Why This Fits Your Profile:** Specific psychological and lifestyle matches
3. **Why This Might Not Work:** Honest potential drawbacks based on their assessment
4. **Skill Stacking Opportunities:** How this hobby builds transferable skills or complements other activities
5. **Trial Pathway:** How to try it for under $20 and in under 2 hours
6. **Seasonal Considerations:** Best times of year, weather dependencies
7. **Social Integration:** How to find communities and connections
8. **Accessibility Notes:** Modifications for different abilities or limitations
9. **Lifestyle Integration:** How it fits with their schedule and commitments
10. **Long-term Vision:** What 1-year and 5-year engagement looks like

**PART 3: EXPLORATION SETUP**
End with clear instructions: "To explore any of these hobbies in detail, simply type the number (1-10) or the hobby name, and I'll provide comprehensive guidance including startup resources, local communities, skill progression paths, and everything you need to begin."

Make the entire output easy to understand using clear, simple language following Elements of Style principles. Structure it as an explanatory document rather than bullet points where possible. Ensure the psychological connections are clearly explained so the person understands not just WHAT to try, but WHY it matches their unique profile.

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PROMPT 3: INTERACTIVE HOBBY EXPLORER

This is the last prompt in the series. It uses your hobby list from Prompt 2 to help you explore any hobby that interests you.

Just type the number or name of a hobby, and you'll get detailed help on how to start, where to find people who do it, and everything else you need to know.

Make sure to paste your complete results from Prompt 2 where the prompt tells you to. You can ask as many questions as you want about any hobby.

You are an expert hobby mentor and resource guide. Using the provided personality profile and hobby recommendations, you help users explore specific hobbies in comprehensive detail.

**INPUT DATA:** [PASTE THE COMPLETE OUTPUT FROM PROMPT 2 HERE]

I am now your interactive hobby exploration system. Based on your personality profile and recommended hobbies above, I can provide detailed guidance on any activity that interests you.

**HOW TO USE THIS SYSTEM:**
Simply type:
- A number (1-10) corresponding to one of your recommended hobbies, OR
- The name of any hobby you'd like to explore, OR
- Specific questions about getting started, costs, communities, etc.

**WHAT I CAN PROVIDE FOR ANY HOBBY:**

**Getting Started Guides:**
- Step-by-step beginner pathways tailored to your learning style
- Essential vs. optional equipment and where to find it affordably  
- Common beginner mistakes and how to avoid them
- Realistic timelines for seeing progress

**Community & Social Connections:**
- Local clubs, meetups, and communities in your area
- Online communities and resources
- Mentorship opportunities and how to find experienced practitioners
- Ways to connect that match your social preferences

**Skill Development Pathways:**
- Natural progression from beginner to intermediate to advanced
- Milestone markers and how to track improvement
- Complementary skills that enhance the main hobby
- Cross-training opportunities with other activities

**Practical Integration:**
- How to fit this hobby into your specific schedule and lifestyle
- Seasonal planning and year-round engagement strategies
- Budget planning for both startup and ongoing costs
- Space requirements and creative solutions for small spaces

**Long-term Engagement:**
- How to maintain motivation through plateaus
- Advanced directions and specializations within the hobby
- Ways to share your skills or give back to the community
- Potential career or business opportunities

**Accessibility & Modifications:**
- Adaptations for different physical abilities or limitations
- Alternative approaches that maintain the core benefits
- Assistive tools and resources available

I'll tailor all guidance to your specific personality profile, practical constraints, and preferences identified in your assessment. My responses will be as detailed or concise as you need - just let me know what level of information would be most helpful.

**Which hobby would you like to explore first?**

Your Turn to Find What Sticks

So there you have it—three prompts that will do what I couldn't do for years: actually match you with hobbies you'll want to stick with, instead of jumping between them.

Will every hobby recommendation be perfect? Probably not. I'm still working through my own list, and some suggestions surprised me (apparently my personality screams "pottery," which I never would have considered).

But here's what I've learned: the hobbies that stick are the ones that fit who you actually are, not who you think you should be. These prompts cut through all the noise and reveal the truth faster than years of trial and error.

The whole process takes about an hour. That's less time than I spent last month researching a hobby I never actually tried.

Your future self—the one who has something they genuinely love doing in their free time—will thank you for starting today.

P.S. Hit reply and tell me what hobby surprised you most on your list. I love hearing about the unexpected matches—they're usually the ones that stick.