5 tips on how to make more time for your hobbies

When I was a kid, I often felt like there weren’t enough hours in a day. I was always excited for the next day. Every day felt new and special, and I was always looking forward to the weekend, a holiday, and birthdays. Now that I’m older, I don’t really feel that way anymore. Often, I’m just happy to finally lie in bed and officially “end” the day. Throughout the (work)week, every day tends to feel the same and it seems like there’s a never-ending to-do list. How to change this? In my experience, it’s important to make time for your hobbies, or whatever you like to do in your free time that lets you unwind. In this article, I will give you 5 tips that might help you with this.

Tip 1: Find a hobby

First of all, why is it important to have hobbies? There are few studies on the possible benefits of hobbies on people, but some studies conclude that having hobbies can be beneficial to your health (source) and lead to a more positive mood and less stress (source).

But what is a hobby? According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of a hobby is:

a pursuit outside one’s regular occupation engaged in, especially for relaxation (source)

Furthermore, a hobby can be really anything you enjoy doing and that makes you relax. If you’re an introvert, you might enjoy hobbies you can do alone and/or in the privacy of your own home. If you’re more extroverted, you might want to do more group-based activities with others. The one thing that’s important to remember, is that you should never feel ashamed of your hobby. For example: when I started with jigsaw puzzles, I worried that others might think I was boring or lead a sedentary lifestyle. In reality, it doesn’t matter at all what someone else thinks. If you enjoy something, don’t let anyone spoil the fun for you.

Tip 2: Plan a set time/day in the week for your hobby

I know it’s difficult to make time for your hobby when you work, have to cook, clean your house, meet friends and family, do sports and on top of that, make time for your hobby. My advice: plan a set time or day in the week to spend on your hobby.

Even if it’s just an hour, it might help you to clear your mind and relax. It might be beneficial to plan your hobby in the evening before you go to bed, so you have some time to get your mind off work. Or you could try to not plan anything on every Sunday morning to spend on your hobby.

Tip 3: Try to avoid any distractions

When you finally make time for your hobby, it can be tempting to spend your time multitasking: checking your phone/e-mails, calling someone, watching a movie on the side, etcetera. My advice is: to try to really focus on the thing that you’re doing.

If it helps, you can put your phone on silent, or place it out of sight. Sometimes it can be relaxing to put on music or a podcast if you’re hiking, for example, but I would recommend not checking your texts in the meantime. It can very easily take you out of the moment, and the whole point of hobbies is to relax.

Tip 4: Make a (mental) list of things you want to do each day

Another reason why I often wouldn’t make time for my hobbies is because I felt like I had too much to do in a day. What helped me was making a mental list of things I wanted to do on a single day. For example, work, cook, clean, go for a walk and work on my jigsaw puzzle before bed. Then, when the day was over and I would go to bed, I would be content that I had done everything that I wanted to do. Sure, there are always more things to do, but it can help to make your task list more manageable. Try to be content when you’ve done everything, balance is what’s most important.

Tip 5: Enjoy!

And finally, try to enjoy yourself. It’s easy these days to be overwhelmed by the news, things in your personal life, problems at work, etcetera. For most things, there isn’t an easy solution and it doesn’t help the situation if you keep worrying about it at home, in your free time. Sometimes it might even help to not think about it for a while, the solution might suddenly come to you.

The beauty of hobbies is that it doesn’t have to be meaningful, make you money or help your career. It doesn’t even have to be something that you share with others, it can also be just for you. It’s your moment to be a bit selfish, so don’t forget to be grateful and enjoy yourself.

Featured image by Mohamed Nohassi on Unsplash