Welcome, 2024!
Entering a new year is like hitting the reset button on your life—a time to let go of bad habits and embrace new ones that will make you healthier and happier. Perhaps it's my journey through my 30s or my career transition that feels more like navigating a traffic jam on the 405, but I believe 2024 is the year of significant personal growth. And, if I haven't convinced you yet, do yourself a favor and jump on the hobby train. What better time than now to welcome a hobby into your life that provides a purpose beyond your job?
Still overwhelmed by the endless possibilities? Don't worry; I can relate! That's why I've compiled a few helpful tips to jumpstart your way into a new hobby. Let's begin.
Vision Boards
Every new year, people create a list of the resolutions they want to commit to. Whether or not those commitments last is another story.
We've all made plenty of resolutions that get left behind for a million reasons. Since life inevitably gets busy, we need something to remind us of our long-term goals to stay on track. That's where vision boards come in.
A vision board serves as a visual reference to all your goals and aspirations for the year. For it to work its magic, the board needs to be easily visible to you. Similar to that instrument inconveniently placed at the back of your closet that you've been meaning to learn – if it's out of sight, it's out of mind.
After attending a vision board party, I learned there are a few routes you can take to create your personalized board. Consider the medium you'll use. If you're feeling artsy, creating a physical collage or painting on a board or canvas will get you well acquainted with your goals. If creating an image-heavy piece seems daunting, cut out words from a magazine or write your goals on a poster board. Once you're done, hang your board somewhere you will see it every day like your bedroom, office, or refrigerator.
Another option is to create a digital vision board on a site like Canva. Canva is a digital design site where you can make a vision board using its library of templates, images, text styles, etc. It's also free to use (yay!). I created the one above as an example. This was super simple to make using Canva's drag-and-drop design tools. As per the philosophy of vision boards, I made this image my desktop background so I can see it every day. However, don't make yours vertical like I did. It won't fit your horizontal desktop and you will be very annoyed...
Discounts on Classes
Every new year, businesses offer discounted classes in anticipation of people looking to fulfill their New Year's resolutions. If you're interested in trying out a new hobby but want to avoid a big hit to your wallet, search for classes you like and check for any New Year's deals.
Gather your Friends
I'm a huge advocate for hobbying with friends. They will hold you accountable for the commitments you made and motivate you to keep going. Everyone can use a hype man!
While I have plenty of creative and cognitive hobbies, I've been lacking in the physical hobby department. Every new year, I fully intend to get healthier and fitter but I never stick with my plans. My struggles stem from a lack of self-motivation when it comes to working out. Without someone to push me through the pain or correct my form, I tend to fall out of practice quickly. Luckily, I have a very supportive husband who is there to remind me of the goals I made for myself.
To fulfill my desire to get healthier, my husband and I finally decided to commit to weight-lifting and cardio 4 times a week. We're only in our second week of this resolution, but I am more motivated than ever to stick to a workout plan because I've got a buddy to keep me in check.
Realistic Expectations
Above all, keep your expectations realistic. Remember that starting small is key to making a hobby a habit. If you bite off more than you can chew by starting multiple hobbies all at once or expecting to dedicate more hours to them than you can keep up with, you may start to view your hobbies as chores.
Focusing on one hobby at a time for the first month or two of the new year and scheduling manageable hobby time will create lasting habits.
Conclusion
Now that you've got all the information you need, go make that vision board and set your intentions for this year!
For hobby inspiration and ideas, check out my post What Makes a Hobby a Hobby? . Don't be afraid to try something new, friends. When you open yourself up to new opportunities and experiences, you might surprise yourself.
I'll leave you with a mantra passed down from my mom that I always keep in mind: "Try something new and you'll live a day longer".
Follow my blog for even more helpful posts on how to find your perfect hobby and more.
-Julie C.
I think the most important thing here is making sure your new hobby is manageable, and something you think you can stick with. Totally agree about needing to choose something bite sized!