How To Make Time For Your Hobbies

There are countless of articles online that will tell you how important hobbies are. And guess what – it’s true. Hobbies are been proven to have multiple benefits – both physically and emotionally. They can foster creativity, time management, confidence, and much more.

So what’s stopping you?

There could be a million things in your life that hold you back. Time is always an issue, especially if you have a family to take care of. Laziness is also a good one. Let’s face it, after eight or more hours of work, you kind of just want to veg out on the couch while binging Netflix. Or maybe you just don’t have the motivation. It’s hard to pick up something when there’s no obvious reward for it.

I get that. But you’ve done the research, you clearly know that hobbies can improve your life. Why not try it out? Make the commitment. Don’t just passively read the articles or watch other people online do the things you love. You can being doing too.

I’m going to break it down for you. It’s mostly about time management, but maybe you need more than that. You need the encouragement. That’s why I’m going to give you plenty of ways to tackle this new hobby and actually stick with it.

FIRST OFF, PICK SOMETHING YOUR PASSIONATE ABOUT.

This is going to be your BIGGEST motivation. You have to find something you actually like to do, or else there isn’t going to be any incentive. Now, that doesn’t mean you have to be good at it. You just need to have an interest. If you love the cooking channel, why not try out new recipes every week? If you used to play basketball in high school, why not take up a sport?

When all else fails, look up some hobbies online, or ask around. Pick the one that sounds most exciting to you. Even if the first one isn’t right, you can always try again. The great part about having a hobby is that it belongs to you, which means you get to take control of it.

FIND THE TIME THAT WORKS FOR YOU, DON’T WAIT FOR IT TO HAPPEN.

If you don’t make the time, it’s never going to happen. Write down your daily schedule – is there a block of time in there you’re willing to give up? Nobody is saying you have to cut out that TV time; realistically, we all need to shut off our brains. It’s just about limiting the screen time so you don’t feel like you’ve wasted your entire night at the end of the day. You’re making room for something that’s important to you, and that feels good.

You don’t need dedicate a ton of time to your hobby either, especially not in the beginning. It’s important to start slow and realistically. Maybe you want to do half an hour, two times a week. As your hobby grows, you can up the time and frequency. Again – you’re calling the shots here.

PARTNER WITH A FRIEND OR JOIN A CLASS.

There’s a reason people look for business partners. Sometimes it’s hard to get the ball rolling by yourself. Choose a friend or family member who has the same interests as you. There’s nothing like partner work to make you feel more encouraged. You’ve got the support to keep on going. Plus, you’re getting some quality social time (and if you’re introvert, this doesn’t mean you have to actually talk).

If you don’t know someone who’s interested, that’s ok. There are a ton of groups all around the world that you can join. Check out MeetUp or Facebook. You can just google what you’re looking for too. There are definitely people out there who love to do similar things. Taking a class or joining a group is especially motivating you because you are surrounded by people who have the same passions. It also gives you can excuse to show up every time.

SET SOME GOALS.

Goals are a staple of happiness. Your hobby should be bringing you joy (and if it’s not – please find a new one). Goals aren’t mean to stress you out. They are just a way to set milestones for yourself so that you can look back at what you’ve accomplished. You want to measure the small wins when you take on a hobby. There’s no end game here, so you need to learn how to be proud of every progression.

By setting up some goals for yourself, you’re declaring that this hobby is important to you. You care about putting in the time and effort. Whether you meet your goal in one week or one month, you kept going – and that’s what counts.

FOCUS ON THE FEELING, NOT THE RESULT.

Many of us have a perfectionist hiding out in our minds. I’m here to tell you to IGNORE IT. Your hobby isn’t about producing something flawless. It’s about having fun, getting creative, and taking some time for yourself. The outcome here really doesn’t matter. No body is grading you or writing up a job performance summary. This is your chance to try something in a stress-free zone, and that opportunity in life is rare.

So you’ve got the proof, the motivation, and the steps to keep your hobby going. There are no excuses now – it’s time to start! Pick something you love and stick with it. If you don’t love it, change it up. Fix up that schedule, set some goals, and pick ways to keep yourself going. Happy Hobbying!