The Importance of Hobbies

It’s 6:30 p.m. on a Sunday, and your homework somehow got finished before 8 - Other than scrolling on social media, what are you doing? Well, let me advocate for something you want to keep up with as you start another school year - your hobbies, whatever they may be. • Drawing? Spend a little time doodling after class lets out or, for the unskilled like me, finding something simple and easy to copy and color it in if you so choose, and enjoy what you just created! • Running? Find a buddy to take a run with you, whatever time of day you want (I give you a big thumbs up for finding something that keeps you in shape plus if it doubles as a hobby!) • Listening to music? Keep some instrumental or classical on while you study (it can help you focus better on your work - maybe you’ll get done faster!) and turn on some tunes as you chill on your phone, clean up your dorm room, or work on some other hobby. • Reading? Find a book from the library, grab one from home next time you visit, or check out an ebook and read a few pages (or chapters) before you go to bed. Before you know it, you’ll have finished the book, and have scheduled some reading time into your busy schedule. It also gives your brain some much needed down time to relax from all the studying you have to do. • Love looking at clothes or outfit ideas? Schedule some time after class or before bed devoted to just that - look for some ideas you can do with some of your wardrobe (you did bring more than just t-shirts to college, right?) • Video gaming? Get your homework done first, and then play for an hour or two if you don’t have a meeting to run to, and get some relaxing time in while playing Fortnite, Super Smash Bros, or Call of Duty • Journaling? Block out some time before class, after dinner, or between classes to keep up with your pages and pen. Bullet journaling has taken off in the last couple of years, and there’s a ton of different spreads you can experiment with (try looking on Pinterest for some inspiration!) • Learning a new hobby! I’ve been super interested in hand lettering lately, so I’ve been thinking of some quotes or words to try out when I get some spare time and I can grab a marker or pen and some scratch paper If none of these are your hobbies (I’m sure there’s a lot of them that I’m missing), go ahead and spend some time doing that! If you’re out of ideas or don’t have any current hobbies, try: • Spending a few minutes straightening things up • Double checking that you’ve got all your work done, and reviewing what you think you might get tested on • Watch a movie or a few episodes of a show you want to catch up with (Notice I don’t say binge - unless it’s Friday night and you’ve got the weekend to work on your homework and want to relax for a night) • Put together a few outfits for the week ahead (and if the clothes you want to wear are dirty, see if you need to do some laundry before the week starts) • Take a walk outside while it’s still nice - winter can be a refreshing walk, but it quickly turns to icy fingers and feet if you aren’t careful! • See if anyone on your floor in your dorm, or some of your friends, want to play some boardgames, watch a movie, make some snacks, or just hang out! Have a great first semester, and I hope you can keep up with your hobbies in addition to all of your schoolwork!