What can you do in your 'spare' time when your passion in life, the thing that you love doing the most, that beautiful feeling maker that started off as a hobby, becomes your business?
If you're in the same boat as me then you'll most likely feel like the proverbial pig in shit for most of your waking (and maybe sleeping) hours. You spring out of bed in the morning and you're excited about the day, you'll answer your emails, ship out your orders and work on new designs till the cows come home. But what happens when you get that niggle, what did you used to do in the evenings when you got home from your 9-5? Well, in a different life you would do what is now your full time job, but you do that all day anyway right?.....
It's been over a year now since I quit my 'normal' job and I'm noticing that from time to time I'm overrun with ideas (not a bad problem, I know), too many to see clearly however so of course I don't act on any of them!! This makes me feel a little deflated. However, there is a cure.....
Once I allowed myself a bit of hardcore hobby hour (or two) from time to time I noticed that it cleared my head and I became more focused.
I did a little research and found that having a hobby AND allowing yourself time for it has a lot of health benefits too!!
So what's my hobby? Well, I enjoy a spot of gardening but the real pull is my Xbox.
If you're in the same boat as me then you'll most likely feel like the proverbial pig in shit for most of your waking (and maybe sleeping) hours. You spring out of bed in the morning and you're excited about the day, you'll answer your emails, ship out your orders and work on new designs till the cows come home. But what happens when you get that niggle, what did you used to do in the evenings when you got home from your 9-5? Well, in a different life you would do what is now your full time job, but you do that all day anyway right?.....
It's been over a year now since I quit my 'normal' job and I'm noticing that from time to time I'm overrun with ideas (not a bad problem, I know), too many to see clearly however so of course I don't act on any of them!! This makes me feel a little deflated. However, there is a cure.....
Get a new hobby, or revive a previous love.
I did a little research and found that having a hobby AND allowing yourself time for it has a lot of health benefits too!!
- Reduces stress
- Lowers blood pressure
- Can help fight depression
- Makes you more productive
- Produces all those juicy 'feel good' chemicals
There's plenty more of course but how fantastic is it that doing something you really enjoy but sometimes feel bad about indulging in can be so beneficial?
So what's my hobby? Well, I enjoy a spot of gardening but the real pull is my Xbox. I have 'freelance zombie killer' in all of my profiles and bios so it's a pretty big part of my life, even if it was on the back burner for a while. My brother in law says I'm too old for games and yeah, he may have a point but heck, for me, nothing blows the cobwebs away better than a good slaughter session.
You may enjoy knitting, crochet, resin art, cinema, archery, jogging, flower arranging, thrifting, train spotting; whatever.
It doesn't matter what your hobby of choice is, you may even benefit from a small side project from time to time too. But I can guarantee you that once you let yourself have that guilt free pleasure you will become more productive, have more happy chemicals and gain more clarity in the rest of your pursuits too!!
I'd love to know what your hobbies or side projects are (maybe I'll pinch a few ideas) and how they affect the rest of your work so please share in the comments below ☺
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