How to Make Room for Hobbies (Even When Life Is Full)
TL;DR
4 strategies to make time for your hobbies
Put it on the calendar (seriously, like an appointment.)
Make it routine (so you’re not constantly negotiating for the time)
Figure out the logistics (Do you need childcare? Can it happen at home?)
Use a forcing function (external commitment can help you stick with it)
The Whole Shebang:
If you’re waiting for free time to magically appear so you can finally crochet, garden, tinker, or take a ceramics class, it’s probably not going to happen (at least until retirement).
There’s always another work email.
Another pile of laundry.
Another form to be filled out.
But here’s the thing: your joy matters.
And if your hobbies bring you joy, they deserve space on your calendar as much as (or more than!) the things like meetings, doctor’s appointments, and dishes (which don’t bring that same level of joy, to say the least.
So how do you actually make time for a hobby in your busy, over-scheduled, real life?
1. Add it to your calendar
I promise scheduling it won’t drain the fun out of it.
Since you can’t just wait for the perfect pocket of time to appear. Because it won’t.
What you can do is when that hobby time happens and then treat it like any other commitment. (It’s just that this time, it’s a commitment to yourself!)
Adding it to your calendar doesn’t make you a rigid bore.
It just means you take your commitment to fun seriously.
2. Routine-ize it!
If your hobby takes you out of the house, and you have caregiving duties, making it regular can make it easier to get the care covered.
That way:
You’re not asking for the time every week.
No one feels surprised.
You can plan around it, meaning fewer “just this time” exceptions.
If you’re partnered, and you’re not sure your partner will be on board, suggest a recurring time trade
You get a couple of hours each week for you time.
They get a couple of hours of them time.
Nobody gets resentful, and everyone gets a break.
3. Use different strategies for different hobbies
Not all hobbies are created equal (at least logistically).
Some hobbies can be done at home with minimal set up (like knitting, painting, etc.).
Some hobbies decidedly can’t (like rock climbing, or group classes).
Once you’re clear on what your hobby needs, you can better plan for it.
For instance: When my kids were little, I mostly crocheted and knitted, things I could do while sitting next to a kid playing on the floor.
Now that they’re older, I go to the pottery studio regularly. And it’s on my calendar (see strategy #1 :) )
4. Use forcing functions
If you’re struggling to follow through, try a forcing function:
Sign up for a class
Join a group
Do it with a friend
Make it hard to bail (since you’ll be out money, or letting someone down if you do.)
I know you want more joy. Who doesn’t?!
So don’t fool yourself into believing you don’t have to prioritize it to make it happen.
