Almost everyone has hobbies that they would sincerely like to pursue, but they don't have the resources - time, financial, or otherwise. Someone would like to learn to play the guitar, someone would like to write a book, someone would like to learn how to cook hundreds of different dishes, but...This article is for you if you have this “but” in your life! In it, we will tell you how to find the resources you need to make a hobby an integral part of your life. We'll also tell you how Voiset, powered by AI, can help you do just that.
Tips on how to allocate more time for hobbies with task management
Make a list of prioritized activities
Very often we postpone hobbies for later or simply cancel the hobby because we do not consider it a priority. That's why there are situations when someone needs our time, and we immediately change our plans. For example, you were going to go jogging, but a friend called you upset and you spent two hours trying to cheer him up. You feel emotionally exhausted and not ready for sports two hours later. If these situations happen often in your life, then you need to prioritize.
When you make a prioritized list, you can see that you consider taking up a hobby very important to you. Keep this list and remind yourself of it when situations arise in which unimportant and/or non-urgent tasks take up the time you want to devote to your hobbies.
Streamline your professional life
If you work strictly according to a schedule, starting and ending your day at the same time, you may well find time for a hobby. In this regard, it is most difficult for those people who have an irregular or very complicated schedule. For example, it's not easy to have productive weekends when you have a schedule that contributes to burnout. For example, if you work 12-14 hours on a 2/2 schedule, it's not surprising that you can't find the energy and desire to pursue a hobby on two weekends.
If you are in control of your schedule, that's great!
Determine your working hours and stick to them. Solve all work tasks exactly in this time interval, leaving steel time for personal matters. To increase your productivity during your working hours, use time management tips (link to an article on time management).
Allocate exactly as much time as necessary to complete tasks
Imagine there is a task that you can complete in a couple of hours, but you dedicate your entire workday to it. How long do you think it would take to complete it? Studies show that we tend to stretch tasks as long as possible. And that's exactly how we become less productive.
To use your time productively, think about the motivation to complete a task sooner rather than later. And, by the way, this motivation can be your hobby. For example, you can set yourself a goal to finish your work task before lunch so you can take a salsa class during the break.
Balancing hobbies and work: how to achieve harmony
Harmony between work and hobbies is the basis for a happy life. A hobby gives a person a replenishment of “positive hormones” - dopamine and serotonin. In other words, you simply feel happier because your personal needs are realized. Professional success allows you to engage in hobbies because almost always hobbies require certain material investments. That is, both hobbies and professional life are closely connected, so they should be in balance.
Recognize the equivalence of your professional aspirations and personal passions
One should not conflict with the other. If you have time in your schedule for a hobby, don't cancel it in favor of work. And vice versa. Of course, there are situations when your priorities lean toward work or hobbies, but in general, everything in life tends to balance. And if last month you were training hard for a marathon, paying less attention to professional growth, you can shift your focus this month, paying more attention to your career.
Make an agreement with yourself that your schedule will be the foundation of your life
When you define for yourself that, for example, you would like to run 5 km three times a week, you create a plan of action. Don't cancel it because of spontaneous situations and emotional reactions. It is in those moments when you choose to follow your schedule despite external and spontaneous factors that you create a strong foundation for balancing work and hobbies.
Small goals - big results: how to turn a hobby into a project and break it down into parts
Imagine that your hobby is a project with goals and measurable results. No matter what your hobby is, this approach is possible with any hobby. If you set a specific goal for yourself, it will be easier to systematically make time for your hobby.
For example, your hobby is Nordic walking. If you set yourself the goal of walking 15 kilometers in six months without panting, you may well experience some confusion. Why? Now it is still possible to walk only three kilometers, and what will be there in six months - it is unknown. Therefore, it is important to break down the goal into small achievable steps. For example, the goal in a month is to easily walk 5 kilometers, in two months - 7 kilometers, etc. Reward yourself for each of these achievements and smoothly move forward to success in your hobby!
Using digital task lists for creative hobbies
Many people think that creative hobbies are the most difficult to systematize and control. It is commonly thought that creativity does not tolerate the whip, that there must be a certain flight of fancy, state of mind, and so on. However, real creativity is also perseverance and investment - physical and temporal.
Remember Michelangelo's fresco “The Last Judgment” behind the altar of the Sistine Chapel. He worked on it for four years. He worked out thousands of tiny details. This is a monotonous, boring labor, in which, it would seem, not much room for a flight of fancy. But this is creativity. Any craftsman, artist, or writer will tell you that the best friends of creativity - it is organized, daily routine and diligence. In today's world, digital task lists help to build and maintain these.
What are digital task lists?
These are to-do lists that you create with digital assistants. With Voiset, for example, you prioritize your schedule by viewing all your work and personal tasks in one calendar.
Voiset will remind you of each of your tasks - both work tasks and the time you've set aside for your hobbies. And if you have trouble picking a specific date for your hobby, Voiset will analyze your schedule and tailor it to your workload and task priority.
Built on AI, Voiset will make your life more organized and convenient. You don't need to keep hundreds of things in your head: you can easily dictate them to Voiset, it will create a note from them and offer to form a task from them and add it to your schedule.
Managing a hobby is as much a necessity as managing work tasks. Regularity and commitment are essential to success. Voiset can help you find time for your hobbies even on a busy day. You will be able to organize your life so that you don't feel outnumbered. You'll find a balance between work and hobbies and you'll be able to maintain it easily because Voiset will help you do it! Try Voiset and see how much more balanced your life can be!