The fourth popular New Year’s resolution in our series is about doing something fun or productive with your spare time. “Get a life” is one of the top ten popular New Year’s resolutions—whether it involves learning a new hobby, picking up an old one, or just spending more time with friends and family. Whatever your passion is, here are some tips that will help you hold steadfast (or reaffirm) that New Year’s resolution for your free time.
Make an appointment with yourself. Hobbies, volunteer activities and social outings tend to take a back seat to life’s day-to-day tasks. If you have to go to the bank, hair salon, or dentist you make sure to schedule an appointment or carve out the time in your hectic life to accomplish these tasks. So, why not set your hobby on the same level of importance? Keep a planner and schedule time for what you enjoy doing. And, don’t stand yourself up! Treat the appointment just like a business meeting or a doctor’s appointment. Only something really important should prevent you from doing what you love.
Make sure you have the space you need. If your hobby requires a working space, make sure you have a designated area for your passion—painting, woodworking, sewing, paper crafts, or whatever you are interested in. Need to organize your home? Check out our post about getting organized. You may need to put some seasonal items in self-storage to make room. If you have to clean your work area every time you want to enjoy your hobby, it will stop being a fun and relaxing activity.
Make sure you have the equipment you need. Your hobby may be something outdoorsy or extreme like ATV riding, mountain biking, motocross, motorcycling, boating, jet skiing or even amateur racing. But, if you don’t have a way to get your boat to water or recreational vehicle to the mountains or track, you’ll never get to enjoy your passion. Make sure you have the right hitch, rack or trailer for your vehicle. Check out our previous post about finding the right hitch for your vehicle. U-Haul is the largest provider of aftermarket hitch installations and hitch products. Plus, they rent trailers for most any need.
Use a buddy system. Even if your hobby is something you have to do on your own, like crafting, join a group that meets regularly so that you can showcase your work, get tips, or just be held accountable for your productivity. Remember…this is your passion, it should be fun to show off what you’re doing or get ideas from others. Plus, you’ll make new friends with similar interests. Looking for a group in your area? Try checking out “Meetup.” There are groups on there for whatever interests you.
Don’t forget to put yourself first and have fun in your spare time. There are only 1,440 minutes in a day. If you spend eight hours sleeping, there are only 960 minutes left. So, make sure you spend some of that precious free time doing what you love.
Good luck with your 2012 recreational goals—whatever they may be!