I have started crochet, sourdough, miniature painting, the ukulele and, briefly, birdwatching. Every one of them was a side quest, so I made a log that tracks them like one.
What’s in it
- Quest Board: hobbies you want to try someday, what they cost to start and how hard they look. Someday is allowed.
- New Quest: one page per hobby, with why you started, your starter gear, a budget and your first achievements.
- Session Log: every practice session, how long it lasted and how it went.
- Level Up: color a box after each session. Every tenth box is a level.
- Gear and Supplies: what you have, what you need, and the wishlist you’re pretending isn’t a wishlist.
- Retired Quests: the honest page, for hobbies you’re done with and what you learned from them.
The budget line matters
The New Quest page has a line for when you’re allowed to upgrade your gear: after a set number of sessions, not before. That line exists to stop you from buying a $200 sewing machine for a hobby that lasts one weekend. Ask me how I know.
Want to try it first? The free Hobby Session Log has two of these pages.
Get Lag’s Side Quest Log on Ko-fi for $3, or pay more if you’d like to. You get US Letter and A4 PDFs, ready to print as often as you need.
House Log
PROTOCOL: You have retired four quests this year.
LAG: Retired with honors.
PROTOCOL: The sourdough starter is still in the refrigerator.
LAG: It’s on a sabbatical.
Be right there. Probably.