Top 15 Productive Hobbies to Improve Your Life

Most of you probably don’t think of writing as a hobby.

Well, writing can be good for the soul. Just try it today. Whenever you have thoughts, take a pen and paper (or your phone’s notebook – thanks to technology!) and just write down what’s on your mind. You can pour out all the anger or emotions in your notebook instead of venting your frustration on people – at least the notebook won't judge you.

Baking is especially a useful skill to have, and you can take to making cakes, cookies, muffins, or anything else you fancy. You might even start a baking business and take advantage of the lockdowns to deliver freshly done pastries straight to your clients' doors.

The thing about cooking is that it will teach you how to plan ahead for meals – a skill that can make you more productive at work.

While exercising focuses on your physical fitness, yoga and meditation focus on your mind, spiritual well-being, and memory. Yoga is good for stretching those sore muscles, and it teaches you how to focus your mind on one thing.

Meditation, on the other hand, helps to improve your focus, and it will leave you energetic throughout the day. Meditating for a few minutes a day also helps to calm your thoughts and gives you positive energy.

You must have taken hundreds of pictures using your phone just for fun. If you like photos a lot, then you probably should turn that hobby into a side hustle and start taking photos of amazing and unique things like landscapes, the sea, your dog or cat, etc.

The good thing about photos is that you don’t have to limit yourself. You can start learning slowly and see where it takes you. We promise it will be worth your time.

You can hone your skills for free via Canva , which provides an easy guide for beginners who want to learn about graphic design online. As you progress and start to think about monetizing your skills, Sketch and Adobe Illustrator are some of the best applications to use.

The best part about making graphic design your hobby is that you can do it at home on a freelance contract.

From bookshelves to foldable tables, you will find almost everything you can think of and how-to guides for building it. Plus, you can make amazing pieces that you can sell to make some extra cash.

You can take up other crafts like metalworking, knitting, and sewing. One thing that all these crafts have in common is that they enhance your planning skills and teach you to be creative.

You entertain yourself and, at the same time, acquire new skills. A good book will always be relevant, and it is said that reading can relieve stress, boost happiness, and improve your general health.

It is always a great feeling to be one with nature, and if you spend most of your hours in the office, exploring nature whenever you get the chance will give you time to clear and refresh your mind.

If you have a thing for long treks, love nature, and want to enjoy its raw beauty, then hiking might be one of those quintessential weekend hobbies for you.

Gardening allows you to grow the plants you love, such as mint, thyme, chamomile, and other useful herbs, or design your front or back yard with a beautiful landscape full of flowers.

Gardening teaches you how to manage projects and boosts your creativity. Plus, you can grow fruits and vegetables and sell them to your neighbors or at the local market.

Take the bold step and start learning today. It has been said that playing a musical instrument makes you smarter  and even raises your IQ by up to seven points.

Additionally, playing an instrument requires a lot of eye-hand coordination, which can help increase cognitive development.

If you own a pet, you know how happy they can make you feel. Pets have many benefits, petting your pet can help reduce blood pressure. You see, when you interact with your pet, you create a bond that triggers your brain to release increased levels of oxytocin  (the love hormone), making you happier. 

Volunteering is all about helping, and it is always a good feeling knowing that you helped someone in need. 

You can offer food items or clothes to the less fortunate or educate them, or you can join a community of volunteers who participate in activities like cleaning up the neighborhood and so on. 

What's more, volunteering gives you a chance to learn new experiences and skills that can be useful on your resume.

Participating in a new sport or a sport you love is beneficial not only to your brain but also to your muscles. Sports teach you various skills, including coordination, and with practice, you will be able to enhance your response time.

More importantly, when you engage in sports you like, you will feel more relaxed, and at the end of it, you’ll be able to think more clearly.