Synergistic Hobbies: A New Way to Pick a Hobby

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I love a good board game, playing guitar, and cooking. If I had all the time in the world, then I’d try every hobby out there.

Reality check: We don’t have an endless supply of time, but many of us still have a lot of hobbies. So what do we do? How can we find the time to pursue the things we love and make the most out of our time? Two words: Synergistic Hobbies.

A Logical Connection

I recently began picking hobbies based on how well they complement each other. For example, if you like mountain biking and photography, then doing them together is a great idea. Mountain biking will give you lots of beautiful scenery for taking pictures. Another logical combination might be reading and writing. I quickly realized that if I spend a lot of time reading good books, my writing gets better. Exposure to good writing is a natural way to train your brain to produce better writing.

Synergistic Hobbies in a Nutshell

The core of synergistic hobbies is working at two hobbies that involve overlapping skills. This results in getting better at both hobbies without putting in quite as much work. Sure, you’ll have to work hard to become a great photographer or writer. There’s no way to avoid hard work for crafts that involve skill. But if you’re an active camper or traveler, then you’ll get hundreds, if not thousands, of opportunities to craft your skills in photography. The relationship works both ways too. If you really enjoy photography, then you’ll be more motivated to go camping or traveling. It’s a win-win.

Picking Your Hobbies

This doesn’t have to be an exact science, but for those that like directions, here’s a rough explanation of how you can pick some synergistic hobbies. First, list every single hobby that you think you might enjoy. These don’t have to be current hobbies. It’s okay to try new things too. I suggest creating the list with good old paper and pen so you can draw lines to connect complementing hobbies. One good source of ideas might be your Joy List.

Then, when you’re done listing, look at all the hobbies you have listed and draw lines between ones that you think might complement each other well. When you finally decide on a set of hobbies that you’d like to pursue, circle them! After you’re done, just tape that sheet of paper up somewhere as a reminder of the hobbies that you’re going to focus on. Feel free to come back later and modify this sheet if you find that you’re not enjoying what you’re doing. Hobbies should be fun!

In case you need some more examples, here’s a short list (off the top of my head) of hobbies that I think would work well together:

• Photography and an outdoor activity like biking or hiking (outdoor activities involve lots of great subjects to practice shooting)
• Reading and writing (obvious connection)
• Cooking and traveling (traveling can involve tasting authentic foreign cuisine, which might inspire some of your own recipes)
• Listening to new music and playing in a band (another obvious connection)
• Website design and interior decorating (both of these train your eyes and mind for recognizing good design)
• Working out and ballroom dancing (working out strengthens your muscles where dancing improves coordination and balance)

Common Sense?

Now, if you like to do something, there’s a good chance that you might pick a complementary hobby anyways. But by consciously deciding to pursue hobbies that complement each other well, you can get better at both and have a more fulfilling experience because you’re short-cutting some of the work.

Some people All of us have busy schedules, but we all want to make time for pursuing some of our passions and hobbies. When you’re juggling several hobbies at once, it’s important to try to maximize your time so you can enjoy them more. Picking synergistic or complementary hobbies is just one way to maximize your “quality of (hobby) life.”