It’s 3 pm on Sunday and I’m sitting in a room with a group of people that I don’t know. The host is talking about camera lenses and it’s going way over my head and I’m thinking, what am I doing here. My good friend Danny organised for both of us to go on a photography walk shooting portraiture. We were shooting a professional model in different surroundings. I hadn’t used my camera in a long time and I thought I would be surprised if I can get any good shots. Nevertheless, I saw it as a good refresher of my photography skills.
I started taking some photos after making some adjustments with my camera and realised how much I had missed picking up my camera and how much I had missed learning about a new hobby. The whole session lasted for 3 hours and I enjoyed every minute of it.
It seems as though we are working more smarter and efficiently which should create more free time right? Yes, it does create free time, but we use that time to work longer and harder, which doesn’t give us time to pursue hobbies or learn new things, things that we have always wanted to learn. There are many benefits to take time away from your busy work schedule and try new things or pursue hobbies.
Benefits of Hobbies
- Restore your mind and energy as your mind is taken away from the work and daily grind. This can lead to more productivity when you do return to work. The best ideas have come to me while my mind is in a relaxed state, not thinking about work. That’s why people sometimes have an idea come to them at 3 am or when they are in the shower as the mind is usually in a relaxed state.
- It usually improves your mood. When you are focusing your energy on something you love doing, your mood will naturally improve as it’s joyful doing the things you want to do, otherwise it’s not a hobby.
- Usually, you can get inspiration from doing a task that’s unrelated to your work because you can look at familiar things in new ways.
When picking a hobby, make sure you select an activity that you genuinely enjoy, as that will help you continue the hobby.
It’s not easy to make time so you need to ask yourself, when was the last time you were so engrossed in something that you forgot to eat? Doing something solely for fun may even make us feel guilty however it’s precisely this type of non-work activity that can help become better in our careers. With restored energy and a greater perspective, we are in a better position to hustle hard and innovate.
“Information is not knowledge.” – Albert Einstein
Thank you for reading
