It’s normal to feel as though you’ve lost motivation and experience the intense passion you once had for a hobby dwindle. But to be able to start loving your hobbies again, you shouldn’t feel guilty about it. These ebbs and flows are a natural part of life and the human experience.
When it drags on for an extended period, that’s when you should find ways to rekindle the passion and joy you once had.
Especially considering that hobbies help you be creative, reach goals, explore aspects of your personality, are a productive use of time, and a superior stress reliever.
For most people, hobbies begin as a way to enjoy their free time, socialize, and escape from the stress of a day job. According to available data, these hobbies can stimulate dopamine in the brain, making you feel more joy and making life easier.
The reason that feeling fades over time is that your brain becomes used to it, and the activity or project isn’t as stimulating anymore. This is why losing interest in your hobbies makes sense and is rather common.
Table of Contents
Start Small
The first step to staying motivated in life is to reduce the amount of time you feel you need to spend on a hobby. If an hour is overwhelming, reduce it. Instead, begin by using some of your free time – perhaps fifteen minutes – to focus on a project. Although this is the bare minimum, the feeling of accomplishment after spending the allotted time doing what you said you would is enough to stimulate the brain and make you feel as though you’re making progress. If fifteen minutes is too much, decrease that time to as much as you can handle so you don’t feel worse for not accomplishing what you set out to do.
Make It A Habit
This is where having planning skills will be useful. Although starting small can help stimulate your brain into feeling joy, the only way to become a master of code is to develop self-discipline. Begin by scheduling the time of day and the day of the week you will participate in your hobby. Then every day at that same time, spend time on your interests. This repetitive action is enough inspiration to continue your hobby and increase the time you spend doing it.
Find A Group That Share The Same Interest
Great minds think alike, right? In this instance, however, having like-minded people around you will enhance your personal experience while holding you accountable. Having a group can also make a traditionally isolating hobby more social, helping you make new friends or strengthen existing bonds.
Reward Yourself So You Don’t Lose Motivation
Sometimes the emotional peaks of having a hobby itself are not enough to maintain the feelings of satisfaction or joy you need. If that is the case, choose to participate in a hobby when you can also reward yourself. For example, if you enjoy writing, commit to writing a certain number of words by the end of the week, if you succeed in your word count, do something relaxing to celebrate. This could be taking yourself out to dinner or having a spa day. Ensure these rewards are manageable for the amount of free time you have in the day.
Find A Designated Area Where You Can Enjoy The Moment
Think of your hobby as the ideal way to create a safe space for yourself. To do this, ensure the environment where you create or think of ideas is calming. A dedicated space like a study, guest bedroom, or even garage should help with that.
If your hobby requires the great outdoors or being in an unpredictable environment, shift your focus to something else – anything else – that may help you concentrate on your hobby and not what’s distracting you.
Tackle A Productive Hobby
Another way to feel motivated is to focus on a productive hobby. Productive hobbies should either help you learn new skills and or hone others that you may need in your daily routine or life in general.
Cooking, for instance, can be both therapeutic while being useful. You can spend hours learning new recipes, sourcing the ingredients, and making the cuisine. At the very end of this process, you get to eat what you’ve made, which is rather rewarding. Having a productive hobby like this can keep you feeling motivated and engaged for longer. But there are other productive hobbies besides cooking or baking. Some of the most productive hobbies that you should try include gardening, woodwork, reading, or improving your language skills by learning a new language.
If All Else Fails, Try A New Hobby
You may have outgrown something that once excited you. If you’ve realized this is the case, get started on something new. Create a mental list of stuff you can see yourself doing for hours; this can include stuff you already do.
You can also try one of the productive hobbies we listed previously. But if you’re finding a hobby by the process of elimination, carry out one idea at a time. The trick to finding a hobby? Focus on your past and present self.
Ask yourself what were some of the things you enjoyed doing? What do you enjoy watching people do or consider fun now? The answers to these questions could help you discover your next project.
Consider Getting Professional Help
If you still feel demotivated beyond what would be considered reasonable or normal, there may be something underlying that could be a
cause for concern. Although an online search result would not be the first place – or the best place – to find answers to questions concerning mental health or wellbeing, a professional can help you navigate these waters. To determine if your lack of motivation should culminate in seeking help from a professional, consider whether your lack of drive interferes with your daily life or whether you have started to speculate that your health isn’t where it should be. In these instances, it’s better to err on the side of caution.
If other things in life, besides your hobbies have also start being burdensome, this could also be an indication that you should get professional advice.
Consider Making Extra Cash From Your Most Productive Hobbies
What’s one thing you can’t live without?
Yes, it may seem shallow, but money is still one of the best ways to stay motivated. Think about why you go to work every day. You could enjoy your job, but you probably do it because you need to make money.
This is why earning from your hobbies can be an excellent source of inspiration in the same way a job is.
Besides, when you earn money from your hobby you are also incentivized to continue doing it, even during slumps. It’s a guaranteed way to form a habit, reward yourself, and even share your interests with others.
Before you choose to monetize any hobby, select the ones where you either have a natural talent or feel productive while participating in
it.
If the thought of monetizing your hobby is stressful, don’t think of it as starting a business. Rather, think of it as a way to improve a passion. It’s important to remember that you don’t need a website or an online store to profit from your projects. You can use social media or get your friends involved. It can even be as simple as joining a local flea market to sell your wares. If you don’t need the additional income? Choose to monetize your hobby for a good cause and donate your income to charity.
The dopamine rush you get from helping others will ensure you never lose interest in something you’re passionate about again.
Take A Break
Sometimes, all you need is some time to unwind. Hobbies, just like any other task, can be taxing. When you don’t have enough time to yourself, even the things that previously motivated you can begin feeling overwhelming.
One way to avoid this from happening is to take a break. While you can’t negate your responsibilities, you can choose to take it easy, read a book, maybe do some frivolous writing, visit friends, or play games. You can do anything, as long as it helps your mind reset. This may take some time, but the days you spend not participating in hobbies will only make you appreciate your hobbies more when you return.
Once you have reset, you’ll begin feeling more energized and excited to dive into the projects you’ve been putting on the back burner. Remember that having hobbies is crucial to living a balanced and fulfilling life. Your hobbies are responsible for helping you explore other aspects of yourself. They enable you to make friends and interact with other people. Most importantly, you can use this spare time to focus on self-reflection. Yes, your hobbies may change as you grow older and discover new elements of your personality. But when this happens, don’t shy away from change. Embrace it. Use these ebbs and flows in inspiration to launch a new career, improve your skills, travel the world, and form bonds with other people.
