Why Having A “Hobby” Can Significantly Help Your Career

It may seem counter-intuitive to find a "hobby" when you're already overwhelmed with the daily grind of "must-do's." I can relate. I mean, after all, we're barely hanging on as it is.

However, the art of having a hobby has huge benefits for you--both personally and professionally.

Have you ever met someone who has a narrow scope of life? Whether it's with a co-worker or someone you meet out with friends, it's hard to carry on a conversation, isn't it?

When we allow ourselves to go years and years without learning anything new, we start to stagnate and feel we don't have any fertile ground from which to pull new ideas--whether that's in conversation or to fuel creative approaches in our work. Now more than ever it's crucial to "stay green." If you feel you've stagnated in your work or life, simply learning something new can be a game-changer.

Having a hobby can also be an excellent stress reliever. How? By keeping you engaged in an activity that pull your focus and that you enjoy, it takes your mind off of the life stressors we all face every day. Engaging in your hobby almost becomes meditative, and we certainly have learned the benefits that can come from practicing mindfulness.

Learning something new means you have to be okay with not being good at something immediately. That can be helpful in your career when you feel stuck and need to learn a new way of thinking of being. When we're kids, everything is new. It takes time to learn. And that's okay.

Bonus? There are so many hobbies to choose from. Whether you tend to enjoy creative endeavors like me or you want something more physically active, there's something for everyone. Here's a few ideas in a couple of different categories:

Active Hobbies: Try gardening, cycling, ghost hunting, fencing, axe throwing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, or even beekeeping.

Nerdy Hobbies (yay!): What about board games, cosplaying, video games, writing fanfiction, or trying your hand at your own amateur magic show?

Creative Hobbies: Photography, woodworking, welding, knife-making, knitting, flower arranging, calligraphy, candle making, writing, or painting.

Miscellaneous Hobbies: What about learning a new language, meditating, juggling, adult coloring books, or getting really, really into loose-leaf tea or become a cigar aficionado?

Bottom line? Almost anything can be a hobby, if you enjoy it. Find something new outside of your normal rut of basic activities and watch your world get bigger.