Discover the joy of pursuing a hobby for pure pleasure, not profit. Let's delve into the art of cultivating interests that enrich our lives, rather than adding to our income. Embrace the freedom of a true hobby, devoid of the pressures of a side hustle.
The next time you reach for your smartphone or tablet out of habit – or boredom – consider a more fulfilling alternative: find a hobby, or an activity that you do purely for pleasure and relaxation, not for work or necessity.
According to the 2019 Bureau of Labor and Statistics Survey, Americans have roughly five hours of leisure hours per day that they use to socialize, relax, or engage in activities.
Escape the glow of the screen
Many of us are tethered to computers for work as well as in our downtime, racking up a total of 10.5 hours on screens per day for the average American
- Screen time has been linked to depression and anxiety
- By putting the phone aside and engaging in active, or outdoor, hobbies like bird watching, ballroom dancing, or hiking, we can improve engagement in a hobby
Get out of town – or your building, or your job, or the country
Changing your location or routine can be a great time to develop a new hobby
- A different culture might be a crucial element to inspiring the pursuit of leisure activities
- Although Americans report that they want to incorporate more leisure into their lives, most end up running errands in their free time
- In Turkey, leisure activities are more “embedded” in people’s routines
- Hope Reese is a writer based in Louisville, Kentucky, currently living in Budapest.
Ignore that “fantasy self” you might aspire to
One of the first mistakes people make when starting a hobby is choosing something aspirational rather than something they’ll actually enjoy
- Find something that works for you
- Stay true to what you enjoy: If you already like cooking, try taking your skills up a notch, and sign up for a basic pastry class
- If you enjoy writing, try a fiction workshop
- Start small, measured steps
Do it for the joy it brings
Having a hobby that’s totally disconnected from your career will likely still improve your work life
- Jackie Alvarez sees hobbies as a way to not only bring a sense of engagement to the leisure task but to contribute to a more productive and engaged work life
