If you’ve been here long or ever met me in person you will hear me refer to my great love of stitching and the broader world of needle arts. Finding this passion in my own life has greatly improved my quality of life and the ability to meaningfully integrate work and life.

I'm working on some new research and searching the literature on the impact of leisure activities/hobbies on work-life integration. There is something delightful about finding valid, reliable work to support your own conclusions, of course.

And, giant spoiler alert: leisure activities are good for us.

Leisure looks different for everyone, of course. You might include sports or other physical recreation, painting, reading, needle arts, video games, etc. The point is to disconnect from the “have tos” to enjoy the “get tos”. Or, really, in some cases the “need tos.” My own life feels off kilter and less joyful when I miss my regularly scheduled time to stitch (and yes, I have this scheduled with friends multiple times a week). I am my best self when I make time for the projects that matter to me. Being my best self impacts the self I am when I show up for work, my spouse, my family, my friends, probably even my dogs (to be fair, we share the hobby of agility!).

Related to all this talk of hobbies…I have really enjoyed reading the experiences of Marina Cooley of Professor off Duty and you might, too.

What the Research Says

I am in the earliest stages of this research project, currently sifting through literature. So far, I am seeing a lot of confirmation about my own suspicions. But also of what I know to be true anecdotally from my experience, that of others with hobby dedication, and of non-academic reading.

Again, we all have our own interests and some of us thrive in a more individual hobby or a more group-based activity. As Huipeng (2023) notes, recreational activities might be individual or communal. There are many societal benefits to encouraging humans to have hobbies and to be whole people outside of work and familial responsibilities (for more on “whole people,” see: Dehler & Welsh, 2010; Duchon & Plowman, 2005; Lips-Wiersma & Mills, 2013; Lund Dean et al.,, 2008; Miller, 2007; Zinnbauer & Pargament, 2005).

Recreation is far more than mere leisure or entertainment; it represents a vital aspect of our society that contributes to individual wellbeing, social unity, cultural richness, economic prosperity, and digital inclusivity. (Huipeng, 2023, p. 65)

The chance to enjoy something or to be creative matters for who we are as humans and as people who work. Tuisku et al. (2012) underscore this in saying, “creative thinking and functioning is typically natural and unforced in leisure-time art-making and creative expression, which may serve as a primary source or channel of creative modes of thinking and functioning in other sectors of life" (p. 280). In fact, they further note, "...better creativeness at work was related to at least weekly creative hobbies, and better work engagement was related to at least weekly consumption of culture" (p. 282).

I am living this experience. It's why I create things weekly and prioritize my stitching time with others heavily on the calendar. It's why we have memberships to the Atlanta Botanical Garden, Fernbank, and High Museum. Engaging with culture and creativity fuels me as a human. And ultimately those things make being a working human more sustainable and fulfilling. Trust me, if you sit by me for a few minutes, I will probably tell you about these things or show you my latest stitching project.

Of course, there are times I have less time for my hobbies (and I feel it when I do). There is great luxury in being able to afford the occasional splurge at a favorite embroidery shop. I know that and am thankful for the chance to do it. I am overwhelmed with gratitude every time we leave our driveway to head to one of Georgia’s beautiful state parks to camp with our dogs. I delight in every agility advancement and laugh at every misstep the human part of the team makes.

But the bottom line for me (and apparently the research is this): My own experience with hobbies makes me a more grateful, fun, whole version of myself.

We all have demands in work and life. I promise, even five minutes of space to do something you enjoy can change the way you breathe, think, and engage with the world.

If you are responsible for managing others, finding ways to encourage their own interests and space to learn new things matters. Unless there’s a truly critical reason to deny a PTO request, say yes.

If you are raising mini humans, encourage them early to be curious and interested in learning new things. It really will make a difference when they have to adult.

References

Dehler, G. E., & Welsh, M. A. (2010). The experience of work: Spirituality and the new workplace. In R. A. Giacalone & C. L. Jurkiewicz (Eds.), Handbook of Workplace Spirituality and Organizational Performance (2nd ed., pp. 108-122). M. E. Sharpe.

Duchon, D., & Plowman, D. A. (2005). Nurturing the spirit at work: Impact on work unit performance. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(5), 807-833. https://doi:10.1016/j.leaqua.2005.07.008

Huipeng, Y. (2023). The evolution of recreational activities trends, impacts and future prospects. Physical Education and Sport through the Centuries, 10(2), 63–77. https://doi.org/10.5937/spes2302063H

Lips-Wiersma, M., & Mills, A. J. (2013). Understanding the basic assumptions about human nature in workplace spirituality: Beyond the critical versus positive divide. Journal of Management Inquiry, 23(2), 148-161. doi:10.1177/1056492613501227

Lund Dean, K., Fornaciari, C. J., & Safranski, S. R. (2008). The ethics of spiritual inclusion. In J. Biberman & L. Tischler (Eds.), Spirituality in business: Theory, practice, and future directions (pp. 188-202). Palgrave Macmillan.

Miller, D. (2007). God at work. Oxford University Press.

Tuisku, K., Pulkki-Råback, L., Ahola, K., Hakanen, J., & Virtanen, M. (2012). Cultural leisure activities and well-being at work: A study among health care professionals. Journal of Applied Arts & Health, 2(3), 273–287. https://doi.org/10.1386/jaah.2.3.273_1

Zinnbauer, B. J., & Pargament, K. I. (2005). Religiousness and Spirituality. In R. F. Paloutzian & C. L. Park (Eds.), Handbook of the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality (pp. 21-42). New York, NY: The Guilford Press.