I can bet that most people have said a phrase similar to this one: "There aren't enough hours in the day to get everything done!" It seems like you're always racing the clock to complete tasks, be it a project deadline, meetings, getting the kids ready for school...the list goes on. How can you possibly make time for a personal hobby when you struggle to finish the essential tasks in your life? In my previous blog post, I said hobbies are vital for your mind, body, and soul. Those 3 factors are so important to your well-being as a human.
Our Workaholic Culture
So why do we always seem to place our mind, body, and soul on the back burner? Well, we can thank our workaholic culture for that. As Arthur C. Brooks observes in his article, The Difference Between Workaholism and Mental Health, "The culture sees working harder as a positive thing and people are rewarded for this behavior." While workaholism is revered, people view leisure time as indulgent.
As a teacher, I never thought I was doing enough and always felt guilty when I took a day off. On top of that, seeing endless "funny" teacher memes about how we're overworked and underpaid made me feel angry yet proud to be thought of as a hard worker. In hindsight, I was in a toxic relationship with my job.
Workaholism is an Addiction
Contrary to what your employer may believe, workaholism is like any other addiction: a destructive habit. Brooks cited a 2016 study from the scientific journal PLOS One, which stated that workaholism may be the product of ongoing mental health issues such as depression or anxiety. Workaholism acts as a coping mechanism for problems that you want to escape from. But at some point, that dependency catches up with you.
But I'm Exhausted!
After a hard day of work, it's easy to fall into the routine of spending the rest of your day on your phone or in front of the TV. While these activities aren't inherently bad, they become an issue when they hinder your time to be creative, active, or challenge your mind. Just as getting nutrients from a variety of food promotes a well-balanced diet, allocating time for hobbies is necessary for a well-balanced life.
Dismantling Workaholism
I know this topic is getting heavy, so here are some solutions. The #1 way to address underlying issues of mental health is therapy. Therapy helps you better understand your problems and gives you healthy ways of coping with them. This being a hobby blog though, I want to discuss the #2 way to strengthen your overall health. Yes, you guessed it, hobbies! Having hobbies will give you purpose, confidence, and happiness.
How to Make Time
Now that we've got the why covered, here is a list of how to make time for hobbies:
1. Calendars and Reminders
Be it physical or digital, calendars and reminders help you plan time in your busy schedule for hobbies.
Pros: Free of cost. You can turn on notifications for mobile calendars and reminders in case you forget to check your schedule.
Con: Easy to ignore your scheduled hobby time if you struggle with self-motivation.
2. App Blockers
Do you pick up your phone to check the time and end up scrolling through social media or emails instead? Me too. With app blockers, you can schedule time throughout the day to restrict apps that are time-suckers. Most of these app blockers give you the option to make the app lock-out as lenient or strict as you need it to be. AppBlock, Flipd, Freedom, and SelfControl are some top-rated options.
Pros: Perfect for people who need a push to be more self-accountable. Some have free versions (premium versions enable more features). Available on mobile or desktop.
Con: Most of these apps do have small monthly or yearly subscription fees.
3. Focus apps
Apps such as Pomodoro or Forest allow you to set timers to focus on the task at hand. These apps use gamification to make focusing fun with incentives and weekly reports. On the Forest app, for example, you plant a virtual tree whenever you want to stay focused. When you stick to your focus timer, your tree grows but if you leave the app, your tree will begin to die. Perfect for my fellow millennials who were proud Tamagotchi parents in the 90's!
Pros: Free of cost (premium versions enable more features). Available on mobile or desktop. Has a blocklist feature to block distracting apps or websites.
Con: Easy to ignore if you struggle with self-motivation.
4. Friendly Accountability
Can't seem to motivate yourself to stick to your scheduled hobby time? Include a friend! Find a hobby to do with a friend (or two!) who will hold you accountable for committing to your hobby weekly. It's also a great excuse to reconnect with a loved one regularly. That's a win-win situation. There are many hobbies to do with others such as playing sports or games, painting, making music, etc.
Pro: You'll have a companion with you to navigate your new hobby.
Con: You might find difficulty aligning schedules with your friends.
5. Enroll in a class or join a club
Signing up for a class or club is another great way of motivating you to stay consistent with your hobbies. Weekly classes and clubs give you a solid time to commit to your hobby. You'll learn a new skill and may even make some new friends along the way.
Pros: Classes and clubs will guide you through your new hobby. You will meet people with similar interests.
Con: There is usually a class or club fee.
Give Yourself Grace
Breaking any addiction is difficult. It takes time, patience, and persistence to make big changes to your lifestyle. In order to find balance, you must remember that work is not supposed to consume your life. Give yourself the grace you deserve by addressing the issues holding you back from happiness. If you can't find the self-motivation to start a hobby you love, find a person or a group of people who can help you. Although it sometimes may not feel like it, there is always time to better yourself.
Do you feel like you don't have time for hobbies? Do you think my tips will help you commit to a hobby? Have you tried any of these tips? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this subject!
Follow my blog for more helpful posts on how to find your perfect hobby and more.
-Julie C.
What a great read! Reading your blog posts have turned into my hobby lol. I love the way you laid out 5 different ways of making time and putting an effort into a hobby. It really just takes a bit of dedication and self motivation. The app sounds like a cool idea, I want to keep a tree alive :p And wow, get me that 35 year old ladies anti ageing cream asap!