Hobbies Which Will Make You More Productive
We’re all looking for new ways to be productive. Every single one of us (sorry for generalizing) thinks that they can be more productive, work harder, and do better work. It’s actually a great way to look at everything – in a way where you want to improve. Now, we strongly believe that everyone needs a hobby. However, they are very rarely considered productive. So, what are some of the best hobbies to make you more productive and smarter?
We’re all looking for new ways to be productive. Every single one of us (sorry for generalizing) thinks that they can be more productive, work harder, and do better work.
It’s actually a great way to look at everything – in a way where you want to improve. Now, we strongly believe that everyone needs a hobby. However, they are very rarely considered productive. So, what are some of the best hobbies to make you more productive and smarter?
We’ve listed our top picks, that we have tried and tested to work. They’re a little on the unusual side, but that gives you all the more reason to try them out.
Here they are:
1. Origami
You know, where you fold up bits of paper and create something truly beautiful? Like a swan? It’s super fun, and learning this great art can be something that you look forward to every day.
So, what are some of the benefits? It develops hand-eye coordination, math reasoning, memory, spatial skills, and sequencing talents. It also helps you to improve your patience (you will need a lot of it) and your attention skills.
Improving your attention skills is super important for productivity – it’ll help you stop ending up on your phone when you should be working.
Origami has also been shown to help develop fine motor skills and mental concentration. All in all, a great hobby to have.
2. Photography
We believe that hobbies should be the least stressful part of your day or week. They should act as tiny escapism from the world. Photography can do just that – we’ve found it to be one of the best stress-relievers.
Better yet, photography can inspire your imagination, allowing you to document your journey as you go along. So many of us forget to pause for a second and record the stages in our life.
Honestly, any hobby where you ‘create’ something is super beneficial, for your productivity, and your mind. It helps us feel fulfilled, allowing us to remember why we should be productive at all.
You might be surprised at the beauty you can find in the world.
3. Yoga
You might have been expecting this one. Obviously, yoga can help ground us all – enabling us to feel more at peace and carry on with our day. That’s a big benefit to having this as a hobby.
However, the benefits of yoga, when linked to productivity, span a little further than that. The link between emotional and spiritual well-being is an important one to have, and it helps us to be more prepared for the future.
With yoga, your entire mind is focused directly on your body, including your spiritual wellbeing. This break from the day will allow you to establish boundaries, necessary for life.
Give it a try.
4. Cross stitching
We tried our hand at cross stitching when we saw super cool posts on Instagram. They had sassy slogans written across them, and they just looked amazing. We thought it would be a fun hobby to get involved with, we didn’t realize it would become our productivity creator.
Giving your brain something to concentrate on, not to worry, and focus direct attention on is really useful. It’s something we should all consider. We even found reports that cross stitching has helped people out of dark times in their life.
Why not cross stitch a motivational message? Hang it up on your wall, and remind yourself of your potential every day. You’ve got this.
5. Cooking
Everybody should try their hand at cooking. Not only are the outcomes (most of the time) really great, but it also encourages productivity.
What cooking requires is:
- Planning ahead
- Focusing on the task at the moment
- Creativity (especially with baking)
Not to mention, being well-fed will help you stay alert and productive throughout the day.
We also found that cooking helps us to prepare our meals in advance. This saves us time in those moments when we really need an extra few minutes here and there. It’s a win-win situation for everybody involved.
We also search around on Pinterest for our latest recipes – we try and find the most obscure and challenging. Hobbies are supposed to push you, after all.
6. Hiking
Ah, hiking. You were probably expecting to see this on the list too, right? Yes, we agree with everything people say about hiking “getting you out into the fresh air” and “experiencing the beauty of nature,” but did you know it also benefits our brains?
It stops our minds from focusing on the negative – which, we all know, can be a real issue with productivity. It also boosts creative problem solving, and helps us to stay focused.
It’s so simple too – hiking doesn’t have to be anywhere crazy, just take a trip to your local parks, and disconnect from the world.
7. Playing video games
Did you know this was a hobby? It can actually seem like one of the worst productivity killers around. Well, taking a bit of time out to play video games can actually help you.
Let us introduce you to the concept of gamification. It’s where you take the typical elements of game playing and apply them to real life. Things like, say, point scoring, leveling up, and competition. These are all super helpful in productivity in real life. When you’re done, there are plenty of places where you can sell video games that you have finished. So you get a life lesson and a little money back just by picking up a game controller.
This technique can make the less enjoyable moments in your day, a lot more enjoyable.
8. Writing
You don’t have to be a professional writer – just pouring your thoughts out onto a paper (or a screen) can help you immensely. It can help you to gather your thoughts and put everything into perspective.
It doesn’t matter what you write. It can be a diary, scripts, articles, or fictional stories. Unlocking your creative side in this way will only do amazing things for your productivity.
Writing is one of the easiest hobbies to get into too, especially when the majority of us have a computer or smartphone. You can make journal entries into your notes, or on a blog. It could be the kickstart to creativity that you need.
9. Gardening
Just like with yoga, gardening is just super relaxing. It will help you tune out, and unwind from the stress of the day. This is essential for productivity, as it helps you to reduce the risk of burnout.
Not only that, focusing your attention on your plants can boost your problem-solving skills. Managing different projects, following schedules, and keeping up with requirements are all necessary when gardening.
Who knew gardening could inform us so much about work life?
Side note: why not grow your own fruit, vegetables, and herbs for when you decide to cook? That gives you two hobbies to focus on, at the least.
10. Live through LARP
Here is one more hobby to consider. From the costume to the interaction, a lot of thought is put into live-action role playing, or LARP. It is a highly creative pursuit that pushes the limits of your imagination, and it is fulfilling to see the outcome of your efforts. Start here to get yourself in character.
Conclusion
We hope our unique set of hobbies helped your productivity. We know they helped ours too.
Our list includes the easiest hobbies to get involved with too – there’s no need for any fancy equipment, or classes (if you don’t want to), you can get stuck into these comfortably.
Let us know if you have any other hobbies that have made you more productive. We’re always looking for new, fun ways to benefit our lives.
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