Do you have a passion or hobby you would like to pursue but might be having difficulties finding the time or energy for? Sometimes the amount of work or school assignments we have going on can make us feel like there’s no free time for anything extra at all.
It is not uncommon that it can be difficult to find and arrange a time for activities or hobbies besides everyday duties. This might be due to overworking, stress or a lack of energy after we are done with our work. Here are a few tips on how you can try to make time for the hobbies you find important; whether it’s sports, a creative project or a calm moment with a good book.
Check your priorities
When starting with prioritizing our time better it is important to look into our values and true priorities first. How important would the hobby be for you? What does it give to you that makes it so valuable? To really motivate yourself to find the time and energy for the hobby or activity, focus on why you want to spend more time with it.
Cut out what you can
After checking your values, find out whether it’s realistic to cut out something from your weekly agenda to make time for the hobby. What things you can or can’t take away from your agenda? Is spending time online or doing some extra work stopping you from pursuing your hobby? Look closely if there’s a way to divide or share some of your weekly duties or assignments to have more time.
Make a clear & realistic plan
A good way of making your dream about the hobby more concrete is making a realistic plan for it. Make a clear plan of how often you want to pursue the hobby, what time is the best for you and how will you stay consistent with it. Avoid being too demanding on yourself when making the plan or finding the right pace for the hobby.
Stick to your plan
Stick to your plan or a schedule for the hobby as often as you can but avoid being hard on yourself about it. It is understandable to slip from your plan every now and then. If one week you just can’t make it, it doesn’t mean you have to give up on the whole plan. Be compassionate towards yourself and remember that sometimes things are just out of our control no matter how well they were planned earlier. It’s good to bear in mind that you can always get back to the plan even after a “fallout”.
Remember to check in with yourself
It’s also healthy to check in regularly with yourself whether the hobby is still giving you what you want. If sticking to the plan or a new hobby becomes too challenging besides everything else, you might want to quit it for a while. Most important is that you get enough rest and feel alright with what you are doing. Trying to do more at once can be challenging so remember to keep track of your well-being and to have breaks in your plan if it’s needed.