1. Something you're really interested in. This can be hard to flesh out since you can't just know from the outset, but try to avoid getting into fads. I keep upgrading my computer every few years but I barely play the most popular AAA games. You know what gets a lot of my time on Steam? Total War. Can't afford not having everything since Empire installed, and if mechanics on the older ones weren't on improved later versions like Rome II and Shogun II, I'd still be playing older versions like Medieval II. You know what else gets playtime? PS ports like Disgaea, Street Fighter/Marvel games, MK/Tekken, etc. Why do I have a PC instead of a console? Because backwards compatibility can suck more than PC port selection and no console runs Total War. Plus aiming a gun outside of piloting a mech that is either slow (like Mechwarrior) or needs to fight melee (Gundam and Armored Core), it's easier to aim a gun with a mouse. Or in my case what I really like is music: electric guitars and pedals in high school wasn't sustainable buy intensive college coursework, and I had to drive around, so I got into car audio; then home audio later; then giving up on room acoustics, I'm on headphones for home audio and IEMs for mobile use on the train instead of driving my car with a Focal system.
2. Something that has no practicality impediments. I might like Warhammer, but if I have to drive across town to play with somebody on top of blowing money on the figurines since my closest friends who live nearby don't play it, then screw it. But I'm still into Warhammer novels and some of the video games, enough that on SocMed any socio-political discussion has me and a few like-minded people (including others who also don't do the tabletop games anymore), we'd be referencing the Imperium or Chaos.
3. Something that you can work around the practical impediments of while having practical everyday use. I cook, and while at the time I went deeper into the equipment, I only had to import a good cast iron skillet. Market's blown up and I have carbon steel now. Knives are expensive but I'm not doing it professionally so I don't need the same level of kit as a chef, although I still use specialized knives (some anyway) instead of a mutli-purpose chef knife, and I imported these along with the stones instead of paying somebody to sharpen them every few weeks (once I have a garage I'm getting a mechanical sharpening machine with a millstone then only keep polishing stones and strops). What's the practical use? I need to eat, my friends and I eat and drink together too.
4. Chemical help. Do you like beer? Whisky? Try as many as possible, keep stock of favorites while also trying out others. You like coffee? Stop drinking instant or drip and grind your own beans and use other brewing methods that might be more practical than an automatic drip (sure that can automatically brew synced to your alarm in the morning but you need to wash the damn thing and it has to be dry before you set it up at night). You want chemicals to help focus directly rather than be the hobby? Ask your doctor about adderall or ritalin.
