Time in Hobbies is Not Wasted
You don’t need to be productive all the time. Time for yourself is not wasted
The lives of modern Americans are very busy! Most of our time is spent at work, school, then when we are not there we are moving to other activities, second or third jobs, and also trying to keep up with housework. Adding social activities or hobbies onto this over packed schedule can feel near impossible to do.
To add even more challenges to our hobbies often when we take up a hobby those in our lives start to ask us if we will be selling our work, or building it into a side hustle. While the intention behind such statements is kind, the pressure to always be preforming and making things that are productive is not. It can also take away the joy you might feel for your hobby.
We all need time to relax and recharge. Spending time in your hobby weather that be crafting, reading, hiking, or drawing is important just for the respit it can give you. We have limited energy and time the act of taking time for yourself to do something that is just for you is greatly important. Through taking such actions we communicate to ourselves that we are worth spending time on. We can do things that we enjoy without the pressure of make them productive.
Often our minds can get in the way of us taking time to engage in our hobbies. The mind can have a never ending list of shoulds and needs. Sometimes that is valid, we do need to make dinner, or pick someone up from somewhere. Often though it is an odd form of procrastination where we are procrastinating on self-care.
If you are struggling with taking care of yourself and prioritizing your hobbies ask yourself the following:
What is getting in my way?
This might be you are too tired, or you did not use the time you set aside for the task and instead gave it to something else. You might also be having a very difficult time finding time to do your hobby. If your schedule is so busy you cannot enjoy a hobby the way you would like take some time and see what if anything can fall away. Often we are spending over an hour scrolling through applications on our phones, and it might be that is the time that you can redirect towards your hobby.
Do I actually WANT to do this hobby?
Many times we take up hobbies that we feel like should be a good fit for us but they might not be. Or perhaps in the past they were good hobbies but no longer are. If you want to pain but continue to not make time to do so, ask if you really do want to paint or if you want to be someone who paints. We can judge ourselves harshly for enjoying different things in our lives. We might not like the terms that are associated with our desired hobby (grandma-core comes to mind here!). Find out what it is that you actually want to do for your hobby and see if giving yourself permission to do that activity equates to taking action.
What would I do with my day if all my chores and work were taken care of?
This question can help you better identify where your actual desires are if you are struggling to find time to engage in your hobby. Imagining a day where you can determine the activity for yourself can greatly help with identifying a possible good hobby for yourself.
If you know the hobby you want to engage in but still struggle to make time for your hobby consider joining a group. Using pages such as meetup.com can help you find a community of others who enjoy your hobby. Going to events with others can also help you feel more accountable for your hobby and to help ensure that you make the time to engage. Many local libraries also host a wide variety of events and activities around hobbies that might fit your needs.
Spending time in your hobby is not wasted. Time for yourself to rest and recover is vital. Also spending time in enjoyable activities can help give you that extra boost to get through some of the less fun activities that you have to do in your daily life.
If you are looking for good places to start with finding a hobby check your local library, craft store, or maker space for introductory classes so you can try something before committing yourself fully. Now go, take time for yourself and enjoy a hobby!
