7 Hobbies You Can Start Right Now
As women in business, we live by the work hard, play hard mentality. That is until we forget to make time for playing hard and only work hard. When we’re out there chasing our careers, it’s tough to force ourselves, or even allow ourselves, to take a break, but it’s instrumental if we’re going to succeed. We need outlets beyond our work life to express ourselves. We need hobbies.
And no, you cannot call painting your hobby if you turn it into a side hustle and open an Etsy shop. This hobby needs to be something you do that’s just for you.
Here’s a list of hobbies you can explore to get started.
A List of Hobbies You Can Start Today
1. Play a Musical Instrument
Always wanted to join the band but never had time because you had too many academic classes? Learn to play a musical instrument!
There’s so many instruments to choose from. Whether you want to go with a bassoon, theremin, or ukulele, there are no wrong answers.
You could get lessons from a local, or you can teach yourself! There’s so many how-to books, YouTube videos, and online classes like Skillshare to help you learn on your own.
Music is a great avenue for creative self-expression. And you never have to perform in front of others if you don’t want to. You never have to put pressure on yourself to be good enough to put on a concert or perform at bars.
If you enjoy playing the oboe, it doesn’t matter how good you are at it. Sound like a dying duck if you want to. Make music simply for the sake of making music.
2. Perform Martial Arts
Want something to focus your mind on and expel energy with? Try out martial arts!
There’s a bunch of different types to choose from, and they all focus on different fighting styles and skills. Here are just a few variations to try:
- Karate
- Aikido
- Judo
- Jiu Jitsu
- MMA
- Krav Maga
- Taekwondo
They all have a rich cultural history, so not only are they a great workout, but you get the opportunity to experience new cultures or dive deeper into your own heritage if you are a part of those cultures.
Look online to see if there are any in-person classes in your area. An in-person class gives you the chance to meet new people and make more friends. You can also learn from the comfort of your home with online classes as well.
If you choose to learn from home, spend some time cleaning a safe area for you to practice in front of your TV or laptop so you don’t break anything or hurt yourself!
3. Make Arts and Crafts
There are practically infinite types of arts and crafts to explore. If you aren’t sure where to start, go on Pinterest and look up different art forms and crafting techniques. If you see a piece of art you like, look up the technique used to make it. Try that technique out!
Here are just a few of the unlimited options when it comes to crafting:
- Scrapbooking
- Needlepoint
- Sublimation printing
- Graphic design
- Origami
- Sketching
- Painting
- Jewelry-making
- Beading
- Paper making
- Carving
- Floral arranging and wreath making
- Knitting and crocheting
- Macrame
And those are just the tip of the iceberg. Find a creative hobby that plays to your strengths. If you love learning more about your family tree, make a scrapbooking album detailing your lineage. Or if you’re really detail-oriented, you’ll be able to follow a complicated embroidery pattern. If you like adding a physical element to creating, get a big canvas, fill balloons with paint, pin them to the canvas, and throw darts. There are no wrong answers!
Do not turn this into an Etsy side hustle! Focus only on crafting for the sake of creating. If you find you end up with two many pieces of art, donate them or give them to friends. Once you monetize it, you can no longer call it a hobby and you need to go find another one.
4. Start a Blog
We know what you’re thinking; no, you may not turn this into a writing portfolio. Start a blog on something you love, not something that will have high traffic value or will turn a profit with ad revenue.
What do you love to talk about more than anything else in the universe?
Write about that.
Don’t worry about marketing the material to other people. And don’t worry about perfecting your SEO. (At least not yet – we’re here to help you with that later!)
Also, don’t focus on anything other than writing out your thoughts on whatever makes you happy. And if you aren’t web design savvy, don’t stress yourself out. You can just as easily make a blog on a Tumblr account.
If you’re lucky, other people who are just as nerdy about this topic will read your work and leave comments. You can start a little community of nerds who appreciate the same things you do.
5. Go Camping
There are so many different types of activities you can do while camping. It’s the perfect opportunity to shut off your phone and learn new skills.
When you’re out getting fresh air, you’ll find that the things you spend a lot of time worrying about don’t matter as much. When you look out on a huge, mighty mountain, you’ll learn to develop a bit of a new perspective.
Here are some of the different activities and hobbies you can practice while camping.
- Photography
- Metal detecting
- Hiking
- Bird watching
- Campfire cooking
- Card games
- Foraging
- Journaling
- Geocaching
- Fishing
- Kayaking
- Mountain biking
- Rock climbing
When you turn off your phone and just spend time in the wilderness, you’ll have a lot of time to try a new, great hobby.
6. Play Video Games
Despite what you may think, video games are for everyone. There is such a wide variety of game types, story lines, and consoles that there’s something out there for every type of person. You can get as simple as downloading Tetris on your phone to outfitting your house with a VR driving simulator set-up.
My husband is a big fan of video games, and I instructed him to find me video games that I would like. I have difficulty turning my brain off and relaxing, so I wanted him to find me something mindless and not too difficult.
Personally, I play Goat Simulator, Fall Guys, and Lego Star Wars and I love them. And I also really enjoy watching him play story-based games. I’m a big fan of watching The Last of Us 1 and 2 and Horizon Zero Dawn.
If you don’t have someone in your house who plays video games that you can watch, check out different streamers on Twitch or watch YouTube videos of people doing play-thoughs. Some video game storylines are just as good as books, and it’s awesome to feel like you’re a part of that story.
7. Putting Together Puzzles and Models
If you like tasks where you can focus on following directions and completing repetitive tasks, you could work on building and collecting intricate models.
There are a lot of different types of models to make that can span across almost every interest. You could complete complicated Lego sets based on your favorite movies, you could articulate a ship inside a bottle, or you could collect and assemble model trains.
Depending on how rare the models are, finding and collecting them can be their own hobby. Checking out message boards or placing bids of specific pieces can be just as exciting as putting them together.
You can get as creative (or follow the rules as closely) as you’d like. It’s completely up to you if you want to make a historically accurate model of a village with a simple train running through.
It’s also up to you if you want to craft a crossover scene between a Lego Millennium Falcon, a model of the Black Pearl in a bottle, and Thomas the Tank Engine in your basement. We applaud and support you in your ventures.
You Don’t Have to Be Good at Your Hobbies
It’s hard to turn off our perfectionist mindset, but our high-achieving goals need to stay in the office. When it comes to your hobbies, you need to choose things that make you happy, regardless of whether or not you’re good at them.
Your hobbies are your outlet. They shouldn’t be a side hustle or a source of stress. Don’t pick something you hate just because you think it will make you more well-rounded. Be selfish when choosing your hobby; pick whatever fun hobby will make you happy.
Author, Artist, Photographer.
Sarah Margaret is an artist who expresses her love for feminism, equality, and justice through a variety of mediums: photography, filmmaking, poetry, illustration, song, acting, and of course, writing.
She owns Still Poetry Photography, a company that showcases her passion for capturing poetic moments in time. Instead of poetry in motion, she captures visual poetry in fractions of a second, making cherished keepsakes of unforgettable moments.
She is the artist behind the Still Poetry Etsy shop, which houses her illustrations and bespoke, handmade items. She is the author of intricacies are just cracks in the wall, a narrative poetry anthology that follows a young woman discovering herself as she emerges from an abusive relationship.
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