What would life be without interest, enthusiasm, and achievement? Spending time on our hobbies or passions give us all of these and much more! And so, our hobbies or leisure pursuits must be made a priority in our lives.

“Easier said than done” is a response many of us would have. Our lives have our home, work, and family commitments, which leaves us with no time for art or gardening or learning something new. So, what would help us make it happen then? Here are some tips:

1.  Acknowledge to yourself that this is important to you, personally. Age, life stage and other responsibilities do not mean you cannot have a hobby.
2. Set aside time in your calendar and plan for that time to be left free. If there are other chores at that time (picking up children from school, a meeting, helping a parent with something), arrange for someone else to set aside their time for that. Look for ways around these other important chores, rather than giving up your ‘me’ time.
3. Draw others in to help you with this pursuit. Discuss with family and relevant people in your life about what support you need from them to do this. Remind them why this is important to you- and that you being happy will be good for them!
4. Choose an activity over your device. While the tv or laptop or phone screen calls out and promises some temporary relief, studies have shown that doing something hands on and more active leads us to feel better in the long run. So, try to balance out your screen time with a more constructive pursuit.
5. Don’t forget that leisure isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity for all of us. We tend to treat rest or leisure as a reward when we do some work, but leisure increases our productivity, self-esteem and improves our physical, emotional and mental health.

In case you have any trouble taking leisure seriously, think of it as nutrition. We choose to take time to eat, and eat properly, and in the same manner, it’s time we did the same with leisure.