8 Easy Ways To Make Time For Hobbies

Can’t find the time to do what you love? It starts with setting priorities and building habits. Here are my tips for making time for your hobbies.

I once had a basket filled with blue yarn ready for a quiet night of knitting with a podcast. But that quiet night never happened. And looking at that basket only reminded me I should make more time for my hobbies.

Didn’t I like knitting? Why wasn’t I doing more of it?

Then I realized knitting just wasn’t happening. I moved my basket into a cupboard and never looked back.

Maybe I’m missing out on a beautiful world of knitwear. But feeling guilty about it was just taking up my time.

And I thought about all of my other hobbies and everything I’d love to do with my free time.

The list was endless: yoga, meditation, reading, journaling, painting, watercolors, hiking, weight lifting.

And there was the paraphernalia to go along with those aspirations: weights, sets of colored pens, pastels, stacks of notebooks and unread novels. It only made me feel guilty to have all these things laying around reminding me of wasted time and ill-spent money.

So just like with an overflowing garage, I started clearing out my hobby clutter. I asked myself: can I narrow it down to just a few hobbies that would be priorities? I don’t have time to do everything, but I would love do at least a few things – instead of nothing.

Because it’s better to take small steps than to concoct ambitious plans with too many options that only leave you overwhelmed.

I narrowed my hobbies down to reading, writing and meditation. These are the non-negotiables that add the most meaning to my life.

Then I scheduled them in as I would anything else. When my list became shorter it began to feel more manageable too.

Penciling hobbies into a calendar makes them feel like a plan, not like a pleasure to indulge in whenever you’re not too tired.

It’s important to keep our expectations realistic and not beat ourselves up over not doing enough.

And it’s just as important to do nothing at all – without feeling guilty about it.

A curated and edited list of a few favorite hobbies helps us avoid overwhelm and reinforces the importance of those activities in our lives.

Because it’s not always a case of not having enough time. We often expect too much from our time and overestimate how much we can pack into a day.

And did I really want to knit anyways?

Narrowing my hobbies down opened up space that I used to spend feeling guilty about doing too little.

After all, it’s that guilt that often stops us from taking action.

We tell ourselves we’re just not the kind to exercise in the mornings, or that we’re too tired to pick up a thick Victorian novel on a Monday.

And if we do cross-cardio for a week, we then give up after missing a few days. We get down on ourselves and wonder why it’s so difficult and why we always fail.

What if we just did a few stretches in the morning?

What if we prioritized what’s most important and then made space for it by letting go of our unrealistic expectations?

Instead of feeling bad for not reading enough, why not read just one chapter before bed?

Instead of feeling guilty about not meditating regularly, why not try a guided meditation on our headphones during our commute?

Taking small steps is infinitely better than doing nothing.

Small steps empower us by reminding us how great it feels to do what we love. And then we want more of that in our lives.

If you just can’t seem to make time for what you love, here are some tactics to help.

8 Ways to make more time for doing what you love:

1. Write a list

From yoga to water polo to baking, or anything else you’re passionate about, write a list of everything you’d love to do in your free time.

2. Narrow your list down to a few priorities

In the same way you’d declutter a wardrobe, ask yourself what really brings you joy. Is there anything on your list that feels more like an obligation?

3. Make space

Once you’ve picked a few priorities, get rid of any clutter related to the activities that aren’t that important right now.

Donate the golf equipment, or take the dusty yarn to a charity shop.

4. Put the items needed for your priority hobbies in visible areas

If you’d love to read more, put a novel on your nightstand or download an audiobook.

5. Schedule in your hobbies

Let go of any non-essentials and activities you do out of obligation. Free up some time to make your passions happen.

6. Get some accountability

Join a book club in real life or on Goodreads. Meet up with a friend for a weekend run in the park.

7. Turn your hobbies into habits

Mark down on your calendar the days you’ve made time for your hobby. Then aim for at least a one-week streak. Seeing a streak on your calendar will make you less likely to abandon a new habit.

8. Don’t be hard on yourself if you fall short

Re-evaluate your expectations and cut them down to make them more manageable.

Getting the most of your free time, and finally making space to pursue what you love, starts with small steps that turn into habits. By decluttering your hobbies, you’re making time for what’s most important.

Read more about living intentionally in What is Slow Living?

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