Life gets hectic, and people grow busy as classes progress. Students have assignments to finish for multiple classes, projects to start planning, essays to outline and write and presentations to prepare, and the endless list goes on. That is school work alone; now add all other non-school work related activities — work, clubs, career fairs, etc. 

When this occurs, it is easy for us to put aside our hobbies and the little things that keep us sane because we feel as if there are not enough hours in the day to do it all. I think many people can understand — student or not.

We have all probably heard this piece of advice before at one point or another. We have all been advised by those around us to pick up our old hobbies or at least to make time for them, even if it is only for a few minutes a day. Despite this seemingly unimportant piece of advice that we get told constantly, we continue to ignore it on a daily basis.

The thing is, we know we should make time for our hobbies, but we choose not to. How can we make time for our hobbies when there is such little time in the day with so many other things to do first? Hobbies are for relaxing, and we can’t exactly relax when we have a million deadlines to check off of our to-do list before the end of the day creeps up on us along with the ticking clock of a due date.

Despite all this and knowing it might sound annoying to repeat what every other human has said to another at some point in time: make time for your hobbies. If you don’t have one, find one. Try something you have always wanted to try. There is always something new to check out. Pull off something from Pinterest to spark some interest. Don’t use “I am not creative” as an excuse to not try out something new.

You don’t need to change who you are in order to try new things. Even if you feel as if you are restricted by fear, don’t let it stop you. Challenge yourself with something new. Getting out of your comfort zone shouldn’t be looked at as a bad thing if it is something that could possibly help you gain a new hobby or learn something new about yourself. For all you know, you might be more skilled in doing something than you think yourself to be. Don’t underestimate yourself and your undiscovered gifts.

In addition to making time for your hobbies, there are many benefits of having a hobby or challenging yourself with a new one. Obvious benefits are things like reducing stress and evolving your creativity. Not to mention that having one has been proven to help one’s overall health. Other benefits could be providing additional income from your hobby, helping aid you in your career and improving self-confidence.

Of course, finding a new hobby or picking up old ones doesn’t change all the other work you have to do in your life, but it still should be considered as part of your to-do list at some point during the week. Do what you can at whatever pace you can accomplish it and simply add in a few minutes of you-time to try some hobbies.

If your days during the week are in fact too packed to try something new, perhaps creating a little bit of time during the weekend could work. Like mentioned earlier, don’t make excuses. Find time at some point to do something for yourself. Your hobbies are what make you, you. Don’t let your hobbies and creativity be dulled by a busy routine.