How creative hobbies and side projects make us better in all
Productivity / / December 23, 2019
We would like to tell you a story Kevin LeeWho believes that the creative hobbies and side projects most beneficial effect on the work process.
It is not shirking from routine work tasks. You can not imagine how a third-party projects can boost your performance.
Every time when I have time, I'm starting a side project
This may be a new blog, micro-blog on Tumblr, a new book or some booklet. Sometimes I try to create a WordPress theme. At other times, I'm taking pictures. I like to do side projects that allow me to get better.
Here is an example of Gmail - a million-dollar project, which is now used by millions of people, and he started, by the way, just as a side project.
There is good news: in order to start your own side project, you do not necessarily have in my pocket a million dollars.
If you spend time in this way, you will be happier and your work results will pleasantly surprise you.
Psychology of third-party projects
When Google introduced its famous rule of 20% (each employee could spend 20% of their time please him side projects), resulting in the remaining time employees work more productive and creative. Side projects to increase productivity.
Here is a study devoted to this phenomenon.
Professor of psychology at San Francisco Kevin Eshelman and his colleagues investigated the effect of creative hobbies. In the experiment, was attended by more than 400 employees, who were divided into two groups: the first group was to evaluate the influence of their own creative hobbies, a second group was evaluated Colleagues. As a result, creative projects a positive effect on the work process, to the tasks employees approached with greater creativity stakes.
In addition, the positive impact of creativity affects not only the work, but also on people's daily lives: they felt more satisfied and unfettered happening around.
The study shows that companies can benefit by giving their employees creative freedom. Creative hobbies help to gain invaluable experience, the employees learn to cope with emerging challenges, which leads to increased productivity and better results.
Kevin Eshelman
Eshelman their study proves the necessity of creativity in the working process. also in a European magazineDedicated work and organizational psychology, are some of the factors influencing the creative hobbies (or lack of them) on the staff:
From the point of view of psychology, people to better engage in activities in which they could solve problems and apply their skills in practice. Obviously, this applies to the work: the experience is positively correlated with the human psyche. Nevertheless, in our society, leisure is seen as a kind of escape from work. In this sense, the "flight" means that people in their leisure time tend not to engage in any meaningful activity, and just want to take a break from the routine and working problems. This pastime is often equated to a passive and boring way of life, which, in turn, leads to apathy and depression.
Boston College professor Juliet Schor describes the phenomenon of interdependence of work and costs. We work to spend, and to spend, we need to work. And the more we spend, the harder we have to work.
Creative hobbies and side projects can interrupt this endlessly repeating cycle, allowing people more usefully spend their time.
Small risk, no pressure and love - three rules of third-party projects
It goes without saying that the project, which the person is engaged on their own, different from the work projects. But what exactly? Creating a website can be a job for you and just a hobby for me. Playing the piano can also be for someone a way to earn a living, and for someone - just pleasant and favorite hobby.
In one of the blog posts Medium employees Hiut Denim Co describe how they have affected the third-party projects. They are convinced that a third-party projects must meet three basic rules:
- You should not rely on the fact that with the help of third-party projects, you will be able to earn a living. You will need something to buy food if your designs will fail.
- Such projects do not have deadlines. The absence of deadlines allows you to experiment and not be afraid not to have time.
- It's your favorite thing. That is, you love what you are doing. You are wasting their time because you really like to do this. Precisely because of this, you constantly go back to the project, trying to improve it.
Small risk, no pressure and love - these concepts can not always be applied to the projects, which we are engaged at work. Many of the working draft lacks two (if not all three) of these components. High risks and deadlines - that usually carry with them the work projects. By working in this manner, employees will quickly lose interest in their work. Side projects can help to avoid this.
In addition, they are able to motivate people to develop in different directions. Blog Busy Building Things describes it as follows:
Sometimes it is important to stay in the skin of his client and participate in side projects, which will allow you to develop new skills that will give room for creativity and allow to realize their ideas.
What to choose: a side project, a creative hobby or both
When we talk about side projects and creative hobbies, do we mean the same thing? Not really. Here are some differences between them:
- The parties of the project there is always the end result (in the end it may be a finished product).
- Creative hobby - it's a long-term occupation that does not require instant results.
Here is an example: musicians often participate in third-party projects. These projects may be the result of experiments with creative hobbies - mastering new tools and cutting-edge music technology. Thus, the hobby is the first step in the project.
I like to write. Someday I'll turn your favorite hobby into a project - to start writing a book.
You can do side projects and at the same time not forget about their hobbies. You can choose absolutely anything that you like, everything that interests you, or anything that you would like to explore.
You do not need to know everything about their hobbies or fully understand the area in which you want to create the project. Go beyond the "I can": choose what you admire and strikes, then what you want to learn. Here are a few options to get you started:
- learn to draw;
- learn how to code;
- get experience of online sales;
- write a book;
- Start your own blog;
- sign up for courses;
- Try yourself in volunteering.
What can you add to this list?
How not to let third-party projects and creative hobbies to chance
You have learned about the benefits that can give you a third-party projects and creative hobbies. Start a project - this is the first and important step, but in any way, as we know, is not without obstacles. Here are a few tips to help you avoid common mistakes and do not let your project or hobby to chance:
- Set a meaningful goal. It must be so important to you because of it found at the time of the project or hobby.
- Focus on what you need to do now, not on the result that you get. You do it because you like to do it, not because you need as soon as possible to achieve fantastic results.
- Divide the project into parts. This rule is generally applied to a work project, and is applicable to project outside. Move to the target gradually - eventually it will allow you to achieve the best results.
- Mix and match their interests. Sometimes it seems difficult to start a project, because we feel that we do not have the necessary skills, or the scope of our interests lies in another, albeit contiguous, area. But this is not a reason to abandon the project. Try to develop their skills in breadth. For example, if you love to write, try to write in new genres, for you it will be much easier than, say, study design and programming from scratch.
If you start to engage in third-party projects, or you will have creative hobbies, it will positively impact all areas of your life and especially your work. Try to find something that will bring you pleasure, what you will do with love. And then you can be sure: it's really your project or your favorite hobby, which will help you get better in everything.
How creative hobbies and side projects impact on your work and life in general? Share in the comments.