Hobbies are something that you love, that you feel passionate about, and look forward to doing in your free time. They can be just about anything – creative hobbies like crocheting, writing, or flower arranging, athletic hobbies like dance, yoga, or soccer, or intellectual hobbies like chess, puzzle solving, or playing a musical instrument.
And although we don’t typically indulge in our favorite hobbies to make money, spending time doing them can bring in extra spending money – or even create an additional full income!
5 Benefits of Having Hobbies
Hobbies are more than just a way to pass the time. They can also boost your physical and mental health.
- Improves overall well-being – Hobbies allow us to explore our creative side, which in turn gives us a sense of well-being that can carry over into other areas of our life. In fact, hobbies that allow us to be creative help to uplift us and give us a more positive outlook.
- Reduces stress levels – Spending that extra time working on our hobbies can release serotonin, boosting our mood, making us happier, and therefore less likely to feel low or depressed. It’s been shown that spending time doing something that you love can lower cortisol levels, which leaves you feeling less stressed and more relaxed.
- Promotes heart health – If your favorite hobby involves some type of physical activity, you’re helping to promote your heart health. Spending time exercising or moving your body, whether it’s a game of soccer or a dance class, can reduce your stress levels. Lower stress levels can lead to a lower blood pressure and a lower overall heart rate.
- Improves your relationships – If you can find other people who enjoy doing the same hobbies, you can gain new friendships and can also improve on existing relationships. Working alongside like-minded people can boost your communication skills and help you to feel less lonely and more connected.
- Boosts your confidence – Did you know that the time you spend on your favorite hobby can actually boost your confidence? It’s true. When you take the time to learn a new skill or improve an existing skill, you feel more confident in your abilities. That is increased when you share those skills with others.
How to Find Time for Your Hobbies
With the pressures of everyday life – work, school, kids, family – it can feel impossible to find time to indulge in your favorite hobbies. Fear not. Check out these 3 tips to discover ways to find time for your favorite hobbies.
- Find the gaps – It’s not always possible to take time out of your day to do an activity that you enjoy. The key to finding time is to find the gaps in your schedule. Look at your calendar for the next week or the next month, and search for any gaps that you can fill. Then, schedule in time during those gaps for your favorite hobby like you would anything else. Don’t worry if you can’t find time every day or even every week. All that matters is that you’ve allocated time for yourself to do something that you love.
- Take breaks – Research has shown that taking breaks during your work day can improve your mental health as well as your productivity. Use those breaks to indulge in your favorite activities, whether it’s reading a book, listening to music, or squeezing in a quick yoga session.
- Mind the clock – When you’re busy working, time can feel like it’s flying by. The same goes for the minutes and hours that pass while you’re scrolling through social media or binge watching your favorite shows. Consider how you’re really spending your time and how you can make those minutes and hours work in a new way. You may discover that your time is better spent doing those hobbies that you really enjoy.
7 Hobbies that Make Money
Once you’ve made the time for your favorite hobbies, you can find ways to turn that time into extra money. These 7 hobbies will help you make money in less time than you thought possible.
- Music – If you enjoy spending your time playing or making music, you can turn your hobby into a business. Consider recording your music and selling your own songs or albums through a website or a hosting platform. You can also turn a profit by creating beats or samples. You can then list your beats or samples to sell to musicians and artists.
- Cooking and Baking – If you love to cook or bake, you have the opportunity to perfect those skills and recipes and turn them into cash. You don’t have to be a professional chef or baker to share your food with the world. Sell your products online or at local fairs and markets or create an online platform to build your own brand and gain followers.
- Gardening – Over the last few years, with all of us spending more time at home, gardening and growing your own food has risen in popularity. Gardening not only makes you happier and healthier, it’s also an opportunity to bring in extra income. You can sell produce, flowers, or mature plants. You can also create courses or sell products to help others learn how to grow their own plants and food.
- Drawing and design – Do you love to draw, or do you dabble in graphic design? These creative skills can allow you to freelance as a graphic designer or illustrator on a contract basis. You can find many job sites that allow you to create a profile and display your work, attracting those who need your services. Or you can showcase your artistic skills and put your designs on products that you can sell.
- Crafting – If you spend your free time crafting, you can turn that time into money. Selling something that is handmade carries value. You can sell them at local markets, online on sites like Etsy, or find local businesses who will help sell your products for you in their stores. You can also teach online or in-person crafting classes, or create DIY kits for others to make them on their own.
- Photography – Whether you love snapping beautiful photos on your cell phone or own your own high-quality camera, you can use that hobby to create your own side hustle or second income. Make extra money as a freelance photographer shooting local events or family photos. You can also sell your photos as prints or to online stock photo websites.
- Writing – If you love words, and spend your free time writing or blogging, you can use that skill to build a business as a freelance writer. The potential to further your career and share your skills with others is limitless. It can quickly go beyond a hobby and lead to opportunities to share your ideas, publish your work online, and build an audience.
Starting any type of business, whether it’s big or small takes both time and commitment. But with a little hard work, you can turn a profit. This list of 7 hobbies that make money is a great place to start.
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