Having a hobby helps your career

Nowadays, everything we do must have a ‘purpose’. You have to learn something, create something, produce something. Well, just start on that silly hobby today.

Because doing a quirky little task is good for your career. This is because we are merging work and private life more than ever in this time. We are always on, always online – and we do it all. Me too. When the kids are asleep, I also work through some emails. At work, we are busy with home and at home, we are busy with work. Due to that constant overlap, you have very few ‘real breaks’. That's why a hobby like crafting, fiddling, drawing, painting, or molding is so trendy right now. Because then you really have free time. You do it without any intentions, you just want to fill the time. Not thinking.

Because you really relax with such a hobby that leads nowhere, you can perform better at work again. There are countless studies that show you that spending your free time well leads to less stress and a lower blood pressure. You feel better in your skin because you occasionally don't have to do anything for yourself. The hobby you choose must meet one requirement: it must have nothing to do with your work. Only then do you let everything go, because you don't think about anything. As soon as you have chosen a hobby, you immediately feel better, according to researchers from Sheffield University. You are yourself again, and by really recharging yourself from time to time, you can perform better at the office when it is required of you.

Now I always find pottery quite intriguing. That quick spinning on that wheel and then hop, taking your own dishes home. Wonderful. I do feel more like 40 than 30, but hey, all for that boost in the career, right?

Source: Marie Claire UK