Hobbies are not only great fun, they can help your professional life as well. Having a hobby has been shown to benefit your health, job performance and satisfaction, and important to achieve a work/life balance.
Here are our ideas for hobbies that can benefit your career.
Learn a language
Learning a language has many benefits. It improves your memory, thinking skills and ability to multi-task, all of which you can help you in your day job. It’s also a great to add to your resume to make yourself stand out, and make you an appealing candidate for global companies and working in diverse communities.
Painting
Painting has been shown to improve memory and problem-solving skills. It’s also a great way to wind down and incorporate creativity into your regular routine, and you get to create a work of art to keep! There are many types of painting to try – if you haven’t painted much before but are looking to start, check out our further tips here.
The written word
If written and verbal communication are important in your job, why not give creative writing a go? It can help not only your grammar and expression, but improve your overall communication skills. Reading is also a great way to escape and relax from the comfort of your home or on your commute. And if you love reading and discussing books, why not start or join a book group? You could even start a work-based book group which is a great way to network and connect with others.
Relax and refresh
Incorporating regular exercise into your routine, such as Tai Chi, can have health benefits but can also benefit your productivity. Tai Chi is devoted to improving physical and mental wellbeing, and has been shown to improve mood and stress levels – a definite plus for winding down after work or starting the day right.
Looking to start a new hobby or take your current hobby further? Check out Painting: Intro, Express Yourself Through Painting, Beginning Creative Writing, Novel Writing, Tai Chi Yang: Beginners or our extensive range of Language courses. Or find out more about our Book Groups program.