Tips For Starting — And Sticking With — A New Hobby

Tips For Starting — And Sticking With — A New Hobby

Decades of research has confirmed the benefits to be derived from pursuing a hobby, including lower blood pressure and enhanced self-esteem and interpersonal relations. Sure, we all have to go to work but for many of us it’s the hobbies that make that 9-to-5 commitment bearable.

Whether your hobby is stamp collecting, practicing yoga or fly fishing, you have no doubt encountered challenges squeezing it in to your hectic schedule. Simply put, time constraints have a way of frustrating our best intentions, with the result that many people let their hobbies slide. If you’re in that situation, here are five steps you can take to reignite your interest in and/or identify a new hobby.

One Step At a Time: Starting or returning to a hobby can seem a daunting task initially, particularly if doing so requires sizable chunks of money and time. The answer is to take it slow and break the process down into a few essential steps. Write down those you believe you will need to follow and concentrate on one thing at a time. Know that once you learn how to do each step, you will know it for life and be able call upon it as needed.

Get in the Habit: It’s no secret that people develop expertise through repetition — if you want to play the guitar well, you’re going to have to practice a lot. It can be helpful to set aside a specific time in your day for your hobby, which will help you enhance your skills, consistently reap important health and social-emotional benefits and reduce the chances you will drop the pastime. If you want to develop a hobby, the more consistent you are with it, the longer you will stick to it.

Partner Up: Strength in numbers is a powerful thing. Try finding someone else who wants to purse the same passion as you. Alternatively, you may want an accountability partner that you meet with regularly. Knowing you will have to talk about your progress and take responsibility is motivating.

Have Fun: Make sure you enjoy what you’re doing, at least most of the time. You need to be excited about the activity and not dread it. One thing to ask yourself is whether this activity is something you are legitimately interested in or whether it’s something you feel like you should do because of other people. Remember, this is about doing what you really love. Be sure to pursue your own passion and not someone else’s.

Reconnection: There are going to be days where you just don’t feel up to doing anything with your hobby, but you must fight that impulse. Think about the end goal or even how pursuing the hobby will be able to help you. It will remind you that what you’re doing is important.