Slow Hobbying or the Art of not finishing things

When I started writing down my thoughts on slow hobbying or the art of not finishing things, I was at a point where I had completely lost the motivation/drive for hobby related activities. That was the second half of 2025 throughout January 2026. I guess I was just exhausted. But, to be fair to myself, I don’t have much free time left anymore. They said a little 2 year old goblin is a lot of work, and life would never be the same as before. And, guess what? They were right!

In case, you haven’t read it, here’s a brilliant short article on the topic: The Slow Hobbyist: A Manifesto – Bedroom Battlefields

To structure and to keep you engaged in my chaotic write-down of my thoughts, I came up with 5 catchy “power” headings.

1. The power of worrying less

I do have plenty of ideas, but I often lack the energy/motivation to actually work on them. Also, there’s quite a lot of questioning and analysis paralysis going on in my head. I think decision fatigue is a real thing after all. There are unfinished projects, grey miniatures and untouched material slowly accumulating in my hobby lair. I know the pile of shame is another real thing in our hobby. But, if you’re like me and un-started and un-finished take over, you might read my musings below.

I admit, I am pretty saturated when it comes to terrain, miniatures and game systems to play. I am way less inclined to try out, or rather invest myself in, a new game, than I used to be some years ago. A lot of new and hyped (and probably great) games simply don’t bother me anymore. Sorry Trench Crusade. That doesn’t mean I won’t try out a new game eventually. That being said, when I’m going to get into a new game system, I want to do it in a mindful way. Meaning slowly building my “army/warband”, terrain and easing into the rules.

On the other hand, I want to focus the little free time I have on games I already play and enjoy. Painting and crafting for games like Battletech, Frostgrave, One Page Rules and some solo games still makes me happy. Knowing, that I have the bulk of the material I need to play these games, I can slowly add some fun little extra features, that  I can actually enjoy making without being in a rush.

At the time I started writing this very post (2025), I was this 🤏🏻 close to finishing my Fantasy Green-skin army started in the mid nineties, to finally get that Maugthrond Warhammer Fantasy 4E game going with David. (Note: I finished that said army in December 2025.) That’s a long term passion project to which I don’t want to add anything anymore. #stillmania. I took my time, a lot of it. 30 years in fact! With a 25 years break in between.

My Battletech Davion company also came to its completion. That took me way less time. 2 years to be precise, despite using a fast painting technique/scheme. In fact, my Battletech speed painting tutorial marked the beginning of this project. Again, I worked in a Stop-n-Go approach on this, let’s face it, very small project. I could have done it in 2 evenings or as it used to be trending on YouTube: “I painted an entire army in 24hours. And I went nuts”.

As I mentioned before, all these projects could have been finished a long time ago, if I wanted and had I not been that “unproductive” or simply avoiding. But why?

When working on a hobby project, a lot of thoughts and decisions influence it. That doesn’t mean, it’s always a success. Far from it. I always find flaws and ways to optimize it in the end.

The main goal has been achieved. I made something I consider done, or usable in play. If for any reason I want to modify, optimize, or completely redo the project, I’ll always have the option later.

No need for stress.

2. The power of small projects

Some time ago I stumbled upon a small game called “Full Tilt” by Games Workshop.

Recently, while taking some notes in my hobby journal, I thought I should look for an easy, small and low model count game to work on, as a “palet cleanser” so to speak. I remembered Full Tilt again … and that box of Warhammer Fantasy 4th edition knights I bought in my teens and had lying around in my man cave.

3. The power of repetitive work

Having used nearly exclusively my 3D printer I forgot about mold line removal and gap filling on plastic minis. Let alone assembling them. Now, this is a refreshing change of pace. Admittedly it’s a bit of a repetitive and mind numbing activity. But once you’re in the “zone”, it’s quite relaxing. And strangely enough, it got me in a flow state.

From a pure productive point of view, assembling a couple of miniatures in an evening isn’t sustainable at all. Hence if you’re in a rush to finish an army, the key take-away would be to develop a routine and practice regularity without overwhelming yourself and ultimately burning out. Yes, hobby burnout is yet another real thing for us miniature wargamers.

4. The power of deep work

No, this power isn’t a direct link to Cal Newport’s best-selling book “Deep Work”, even though, you’ll probably find some insights reading it.

After putting my minis on bases and priming them, it was time adding the first base layers. So I did exactly that during over the course of a couple of evenings.

During the following painting sessions I went ahead to wet blend, shade and edge highlight my 3 horses.

That’s already 5 days with short, bite-sized relaxing hobby sittings.

So, put your phone away, turn off the TV, put your kid(s) to bed and lock yourself in your room. Be alone. There will only be you and your tiny grey soldiers eagerly awaiting their paintjobs! So crack open your paints, fill up that water cup and wet that wet palette. Now, take a deep breath. And start painting. But where to start? It doesn’t matter! Just add paint to tiny grey soldier. The rest nicely follow along, all by itself. And, before you know it, you’ve finished a surface of your miniature, with shading, highlights and so on. You’re making progress.

My point is: get rid of distractions and just start.

5. The power of atmosphere

Slow hobbying is about savoring the process rather than rushing toward a result, and the right atmosphere makes all the difference.

If you have a dedicated hobby room or not, these simple tricks can be applied even to a small little hobby corner.

For our painting and crafting needs, it’s best to use strong daylight bulbs. These might sometimes feel too harsh or clinical. Adding soft and warm lighting, like a warm white table lamp or candles, helps create a calm, focused mood. Simple, intentional decoration, such as natural materials, inspiring pictures, plants, or simply a neatly arranged workspace, reduces visual clutter and invites a sense of ease. In the background, gentle soundscapes, quiet instrumental music, ambient noise, or even silence, allow your mind to settle and fully engage with your activity. Even a scented candle might do the trick.

Together, these elements turn a simple hobby into a restorative, almost meditative ritual.

Conclusions

Consider these 5 powers as my guidelines to the art of slow hobbying and to worry less if you’re not finishing things. If they don’t work, ditch them and/or use something else. Let me know in the comments what works for you. I’m very curious.

I haven’t worked on my horsies for a while now, and as I expected, I haven’t finished this project (yet). But, what I’ve done instead, is to finish my Orc & Goblin army and my Battletech company. In addition to that, I kickstarted myself building terrain, painting miniatures and 3D printing again.

Motivation and actual, slow, but steady, productivity happens during the creation process. Not before. So just start doing. Something. And do it slowly. Take your time. There’s really no rush at all.

Finally, if for any reason, you really don’t want to engage in hobby activities, don’t beat yourself up. It’s a free time activity after all.

Ultimately ask yourself: Why stress about something that should be a relaxing activity for these rare moments of free time? Do it at your own pace, or don’t do it all.