For over 4 years, I have been a professor at Emory College’s Goizueta Enterprise College. Earlier than that, I labored within the company world at organizations like Coca-Cola and IBM.
Just lately, for work, I went to Denmark, one of many world’s happiest international locations, to show a course referred to as “Happiness Blueprint.” Whereas there, I found what many had realized earlier than me: Hobbies are integral to life in Denmark.
From biking to stitching, I watched Danes discover pleasure within the on a regular basis outdoors of labor. After I returned to the U.S., I believed hobbies could possibly be the reply to assist me take a break from my Sort-A mind. Final yr, I made a decision to place that concept to the take a look at.
I ended up making an attempt 17 hobbies over the course of 1 yr — baking, chilly plunging, collage-making, embroidery, golf, residence DIY, horseback driving, jewellery making, mahjong, decoration making, portray, pickleball, pottery, mountaineering, stitching, tennis, and woodworking.
I got here away from my experiment, stronger, braver, and extra assured. After a yr, I used to be essentially modified. Here is how:
1. I kicked my doomscrolling behavior
To create space for my passion experiment, I needed to discover time — one thing I assumed I did not have as a busy working mother. Surprisingly, there have been pockets of time in all places, notably as soon as I gave up my night behavior of watching TV whereas half-working and doomscrolling on a second display.
When your fingers are coated in flour, holding a paintbrush, or gripping a climbing wall, your telephone is solely unavailable. I spotted I had extra company and fewer stress once I was placing my vitality in the direction of studying new expertise, relatively than getting pulled beneath by an algorithm on social media.
2. I realized learn how to bookmark my pleasure for the long run
I liked woodworking, however it comes with a hefty startup value and is not appropriate with small children underfoot. So, I wrote it off. Satirically, a pal of a pal who’d heard about my experiment invited me to his woodshop, and some months later, I gave woodworking one other shot.
This time, as a substitute of feeling overwhelmed, I spotted woodworking is a “not-right-now” passion for me. I can image a future the place the children are older, we have stocked the storage with instruments, and we’re constructing bookshelves for our dream library collectively.
Attempt hobbies even when they do not suit your present season of life. You possibly can bookmark them for later.
3. I spotted that one particular person’s work is one other’s stress reduction
As a mom to 2 younger children, some of the triggering questions in my life is, “What are we consuming?” For me, something within the kitchen is taken into account work.
However once I frolicked with Sophie, a senior at Emory, I discovered that every of us finds stress reduction from completely different actions. For her, baking was the furthest factor from work. It helped her decompress from the grind of being a pupil.
Certainly, I additionally discovered baking to be methodical and soothing. The exercise was quiet in a manner that my household dinner prep was not, and my efforts led to a scrumptious deal with on the finish.
As soon as I thought of hobbies on this gentle, I understood that residence DIY was a passion for me, however it was work for others. Should you do one thing persistently and discover pleasure in it, go forward and name it a passion!
4. I modified my definition of ‘self-care’
For a very long time, I had common manicures, facials, and lash appointments. I believed self-care would make me extra balanced, however it created stress from having to be in additional locations at set instances.
There’s nothing mistaken with an occasional journey to the nail salon, however a number of months into my experiment, I spotted that relatively than make one in all these appointments in an try to appease my mind, I used to be redirecting all my vitality and free time into my hobbies.
A common rule that resonates with me is you want one passion for your mind, one passion for creativity, and one passion to maintain you in form. For me that grew to become mahjong, residence DIY, and tennis.
5. I felt much less lonely
America is dealing with a loneliness epidemic. However I am going to let you know who is not lonely: the hobbyists I met by means of my experiment.
After I was invited to attempt horseback driving, I noticed how tightly knit the barn group was. What struck me was folks of all ages had been introduced collectively by their love of horses. After I frolicked with rock-climbers, I heard how they swapped route information so different climbers could possibly be profitable.
Every group of hobbyists has a group and they’re actively forming relationships and identities outdoors of labor. My tennis workforce has about 20 mothers. Now we have one thing like 53 youngsters beneath the age of 13 between us.
Being with my teammates is all the time a reminder that I do have the time to pursue my hobbies.
6. I finished dreading small speak
Each time I requested somebody about their passion, they shocked me. I used to be as soon as chatting with Emory’s Dean of Admissions, who I knew as a no-nonsense skilled, when she shared that her weekends are crammed with aggressive sailboat racing!
As soon as folks heard about my experiment, I used to be free of making small speak. As an alternative, I discovered myself in deep dialog with others, understanding who they had been at their core, outdoors of obligations.
Because of my yr of hobbies, I really feel like I do know the folks in my life significantly better.
Getting right into a passion is the No. 1 secret to happiness and steadiness
All too typically, I hear from my former college students that they’re experiencing burnout. They inform me that as quickly as they discover steadiness at work, they’ll get right into a passion.
Sadly, steadiness would not work like that. It isn’t a shiny pebble you discover in your technique to work. If you would like steadiness, the key is to get a passion. You may naturally be compelled to outline your boundaries: as a employee, as a dad or mum, and as a person.
My experiment has come to an finish, however hobbies are nonetheless an integral a part of my life. I am on a tennis workforce, I’ve a standing Mahjong sport and I am studying golf alongside my children.
The opposite night time, whereas mendacity in mattress, my 7-year previous turned to me and mentioned, “I’ve so many hobbies.” That is once I knew, with out query, I used to be modeling one thing very proper.
Marina Cooley is an Assistant Professor within the Observe of Advertising and marketing at Emory’s Goizueta Enterprise College and a P&W 40 beneath 40 Greatest MBA Professor. She is the creator of the Substack “Professor Off Obligation.” To get extra of her insights on work/life steadiness, discover Marina on Instagram @marinacooley.
Are you prepared to purchase a home? Take Smarter by CNBC Make It is new on-line course How one can Purchase Your First House. Skilled instructors will provide help to weigh the price of renting vs. shopping for, financially put together, and confidently navigate each step of the method—from mortgage fundamentals to closing the deal. Enroll at this time and use coupon code EARLYBIRD for an introductory low cost of 30% off $97 (+taxes and charges) by means of July 15, 2025.
