Hobbies can give us such a wonderful balance in life. We spend so much time working that it can be tempting to retreat into your home and binge Netflix or scroll through social media to unwind. However, hobbies are activities you can use to fill your time and be productive while also feeling fulfilled by doing something you love. They can even increase your productivity in the workplace because you feel more refreshed after completing them!

It can be intimidating to find or start a new hobby later in life, but it’s not impossible (or unusual). Plenty of people try new hobbies later in life! The real struggle is finding one that you’ll enjoy AND sticking with it.

Check out the recommended tips below to learn how you can start a new hobby later in life and stick with it!

Explore Options

The first thing that may be stopping you from starting a hobby later in life is not knowing what to do. If you’re struggling to think of something interesting (or maybe you have too many to choose from) start off by exploring your options. Look up what classes or communities are located within your area for that hobby and go from there.

“If you’re overwhelmed or simply stuck in the process of trying to think of ideas of what you could do, start looking around your area,” says Boye Fajinmi, Co-Founder & President of TheFutureParty. “Look up community websites, Facebook groups, and businesses that may provide outlets to explore new hobbies. In this exploration, you’ll probably start to get an idea of price points and time commitments as well.”

Think About What You Love

What types of activities did you do as a child? Did you love dance or music? Maybe art was more your thing. You could start off by re-exploring some activities you know you’ve enjoyed in the past. You also may be inspired to commit to something you’ve tried in the past but never took the time to fully commit to it, like baking or woodworking.

“Finding a new hobby may be as simple as thinking about things you’ve enjoyed but never explored past the initial experience,” says Brad Neathery, CMO at Oak & Eden. “These activities are often things you simply never put the time into pursuing because of other obligations or even a lack of knowledge in how to advance. Pursuing that activity as a hobby could be a great experience!”

Try The One That Got Away

Maybe there’s nothing you’ve tried before that’s sparking inspiration to continue or explore as a hobby. That’s okay! Find something that brings you joy and allows you to recharge. As you’re exploring things to do in your area, think about those activities you’ve always wanted to try but never got around to.

“I think we all have that one activity that we regret not pursuing at some point in our lives,” says Michael Van, CEO of Furnishr. “Maybe you’ve always regretted not taking that pottery or gardening class that was available in high school - this could be a great opportunity to explore just that! It’s never too late to explore something that’s going to bring you joy.”

Research The Hobby

Before you start buying materials or signing up for classes, do a bit of research into the hobby. Picking a hobby may have been the easy part for you, but a lot of people struggle to stick with something long-term. Do some research to make sure you understand what the hobby will look like as you pursue it.

“Look up videos on YouTube and check out some websites about the hobby,” says Cole Steverson, COO of Hybrid2Go. “Learn what to expect and whether it will be something that you can reasonably afford in terms of time and monetary commitment.”

Find a Friend

While not a mandatory part of starting a new hobby, it can definitely make it more fun! Having a friend start a new hobby with you can also act as a bit of an accountability situation. You can encourage each other through tough or frustrating times as you learn something new.

“It can be intimidating to start something new,” says Mehdi Marrakchi, CEO of Mob Hookah. Finding a friend that already pursues that hobby or who’s interested in trying something new too can help you stay motivated to stick with it and make it less scary to jump into it.”

Start Slow

While it can be great to get excited about a new hobby, start slow. One reason a lot of people give up on hobbies is that they try something too advanced before they’re ready and they become discouraged. Start slow and allow yourself to enjoy learning the basics.

“It’s tempting to start working on that cool project you saw on Pinterest or YouTube right away, but pacing yourself and learning to enjoy the process of doing the hobby is very important,” says Brett Estep, COO of Insured Nomads. “Once you’ve learned the basics, the more advanced parts will come more naturally and with less frustration. Remember, this is a leisure activity, not a race or a graded activity.”

Set Goals

As you pursue a new hobby, you’ll want to pace yourself appropriately while setting goals to keep yourself motivated. These goals can be set based on a long-term goal or a general goal of growth. Whatever your goals may be, learn to appreciate the progress you’re making.

“Goal-setting is critical to any activity that you want to pursue long-term,” says Jorge Vivar, Creative Director of mode. “If you’re starting a hobby later in life, you may be tempted to give up and go back to your old routine. Having goals and reaching milestones can help you stay motivated to continue.”

Don’t Expect Perfection

This is probably one of the hardest things to do as you go into a new hobby. You’ll want to succeed quickly, but you can’t go in expecting yourself to be a professional. That is one way to discourage yourself from continuing.

“Starting a hobby late in life can leave you feeling pressured to be good at the activity quickly because you’re older,” says Chris Vaughn, CEO of Emjay. “You have to allow yourself to fail and learn from those experiences without being too hard on yourself. Hobbies aren’t meant to be a competition or something you become a professional at.”

Conclusion

Hobbies are a great thing to fill the time and gain new skills, experiences, and enjoyment in life. However, it’s not always the easiest thing to do if you’re starting late in life. Between the time commitment and pressure we tend to put on ourselves, it can be hard to stick with a hobby.

Instead of expecting perfection, try setting goals, find a friend to join you, and learn to appreciate the process of learning a new hobby.

Hopefully, this has inspired you to research and explore those hobbies you haven’t been able to try and the advice helps motivate you to stick with it, even if you are starting a new hobby later in life.