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April 26, 2019 Go Home Early and Spend Some Time on Your Hobbies When we don’t make time for our hobbies, our professional lives pay a price. Why? Three reasons. First, hobbies awaken our creativity. It’s hard to come up with new ideas at work when our brains are filled with targets and deadlines. A creative hobby pulls you out of that by giving you a blank canvas and mental space to make connections. Second, hobbies provide a fresh perspective. Part of coming up with ideas is imagining how people (say, customers) will react to them. If you write, paint, or make music, you’re probably used to thinking about how a reader or listener will experience your work. Bring that mentality to your job, too. Lastly, hobbies bolster confidence. When a tough project has you feeling discouraged, taking an hour for a hobby can boost your confidence and mood. Use that boost to tackle the project with fresh resolve. Adapted from “Why You Should Work Less and Spend More Time on Hobbies,” by Gaetano DiNardi

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