Prioritise your hobbies like your meetings
Every single evening, I spend time hunched over my illustrated journal, drawing pictures that capture the highlights of my day. Yesterday, my house-help said ‘Why do you do this? Do you get money, like when you write your books?’ I replied that nobody paid me to draw. She couldn’t understand why I did it then. It’s a lot of work for no money, she commented.
Indians are known for their strong work ethics globally. Studies show that India ranks seventh in the list of countries with the longest working hours, with an average of 47.7 working hours per week for an employed person. Presuming a five-day week, that is nearly nine-and-a-half hours at work. Add to that, the time taken to commute to work, a few hours for cooking, some time for exercise, family commitments and sleep, which leaves very little time for activities that one is not monetarily compensated for. When I spoke to people with flourishing careers, most admitted to having absolutely no time for their hobbies.
Even on weekends, we are time-starved as the weekends are often reserved for chores and ferrying our children to various classes. The leisure time that escapes this routine, gets gobbled up by the ever-present smartphone. Wearily we succumb to the seduction, collapsing on the sofa and scrolling away.
Countless studies show that hobbies not only relieve stress and improve our mental health, but also give us a sense of purpose. Apart from this, they are huge dopamine reservoirs. They make us feel good because of the sense of achievement we experience as we get better and more creative. The pandemic saw several people who became so good with their hobbies that they quit their lucrative jobs to pursue full-time what they love doing. Many of them ended up making even more money.
Most of us were good at something in school and college, but as life got busier the first thing that took a hit was the non-paying things we did. We must make time for our hobbies—prioritising it just like we prioritise our meetings. What if workplaces had an hour or two each Friday, where the employees must compulsorily bring in their hobbies to work? Imagine a corporate boardroom with people sitting around, chatting and laughing as they indulged in their hobby. Wouldn’t this lead to team bonding, happier and more creative employees at the workplace? It would also tremendously reduce work related stress, build a strong loyalty to the organisation, resulting in reduced attrition rates.
Perhaps I could explain then to my house-help how pursuing a hobby was ‘important work’. Doing something for the sheer joy of it, is a luxury she cannot afford.
Preeti Shenoy
Novelist, Illustrator, Speaker
Instagram: @preeti.shenoy