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How to Start Researching as a Hobby - by Sarah Schauer

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Sometimes when I research in the afternoon I’ll set everything up on the table and play Etta James softly on my record player. I don’t sit down right away, I “make eyes” at the scene in a similar way to having a crush. A big mistake is resting on sheer willpower, it’s like telling yourself “I have to love someone” and it feels like an obligation. Learning outside school is mainly about desire. Also, if you have trauma with the education system (most of us do), you’ll see learning as the enemy. You’ll avoid it. Give yourself an enemies to lovers arc with learning. When you’re falling in love you want to know more about them, the same thing will happen with learning, researching. Set the scene first and make researching appealing, attractive. View her through fresh eyes, a new lens, and activate your saliency network - the brain regions that act as a “switch” between goal-directed behavior and default mode network. You have a new goal and you’re trying to toggle out of default mode - app

How to Start Researching as a Hobby Trust me, I'm an alcoholic. I really am just doing this for fun. Sarah Schauer Jul 16, 2025 63,995 491 6,755 Share You: Sarah, I want to get into research as a hobby, how do I start? Thanks for reading Sarah’s Substack! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Subscribe Me: first off, tempt yourself. Gather books, highlighters, pens, notepads, some candles, open a window, etc. Sometimes when I research in the afternoon I’ll set everything up on the table and play Etta James softly on my record player. I don’t sit down right away, I “make

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