Owning and operating an Etsy shop can be all-consuming. In general, being an entrepreneur often feels this way. Because of how consuming our work can be, it’s important to maintain a healthy work-life balance. It is SO easy to work around the clock, answering DMs, packaging products, creating new products, and working on your Etsy SEO. Today we’re diving into why it’s vital that you have a hobby outside of Etsy. One that allows you to do something you enjoy and disconnect from the constant busyness that comes from running a business.
I’m too busy for a hobby outside of Etsy
If you ask an Etsy seller what they love to do, you’ll often hear about their shop and what they create. This is AMAZING! How incredible is it to have built a business around something you love doing? The problem that can often creep in is that when we turn something we love into our income, it then becomes just work.
There are always going to be stressors that naturally come along with this. Suddenly, where you once just loved to create your particular product as a hobby outside of Etsy, you now have buyers asking all kinds of questions. You’re concerned that your listings are being buried in what can feel like the vast ocean of Etsy. You have pressure to constantly create new products and add them to your shop. What was once just a hobby is now a business and so the question is this: what are your current hobbies?
Why you NEED a hobby outside of Etsy…or several
Having an outlet that helps to disconnect you from work is a fantastic way to actually increase productivity. When we’re motivated to get through our work because we have something fun scheduled, we tend to accomplish what we need in a more timely manner. Having an hour a day designated to do something you enjoy, or even a few hours a week, can help you feel inspired!
Allowing your brain to disconnect from work will help you feel even more motivated when you come back to work. Working constantly and not allowing yourself to shut that part of your brain down will very quickly lead to burnout, which you should avoid at all costs. This is an important form of self-care that is absolutely vital to a healthy mental state.
It’s an investment in your business
Look at it as an investment in your business if you need to! Investing in things that allow you to pause or provide you with other outlets will only help your business in the long run. Try your very best to schedule in these hobbies just like you do other work. Don’t let excuses like “Oh, I’ll have time for that when the kids are out of the house,” or “I’ll do that when my busy season is over,” stop you from starting asap. We can always carve out time for things that are important.
A hobby can help you reach flow
As a creative entrepreneur, learning to tap into what psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi calls “flow activities” is vital! This is where you are so absorbed in what you love that you lose all sense of time and self-consciousness disappears. You’re completely immersed in what is in front of you.
Let’s face it, there is a time and place to veg out and binge-watch a show. There are times to get lost in the rabbit hole that can be YouTube. However, doing this ALL the time isn’t healthy and will not help your brain activity to increase. Doing something you love that also stretches your skills and brain so you enter that state of flow will help you so much in your creative life.
Creating connections through your hobby outside of Etsy
If you choose a hobby that is more social, this is a fantastic way to create connections with others who are interested in the same thing! Especially if you work from home (as many Etsy sellers do) it’s always great to found a way to still connect with others. So many studies have found that when we make social connections with others it increases our happiness. It helps create meaning in life. Who knows, your new best friend might be waiting in that book club you’ve been thinking about joining! Or they could be at the pottery class you’ve thought about attending!
Final thoughts
No matter how you look at it, hobbies will enrich your life. They will also help you lead a more balanced, fulfilled life in general. Do you have some current hobbies that are completely separate from your business? If so, what do you enjoy doing and how have you found they changed your life once you found them? Let us know in the comments below!
