3 research-backed reasons why having hobbies makes you better at your job

I hadn’t pulled an all-nighter since college. But there I was, burning the midnight oil, nearly two decades into being a business owner. My company had a design issue and the solution kept evading us. I was becoming overtired and demoralized. Still, we couldn’t give up. “Relent” is not in the entrepreneurial vocabulary.

Then I remembered something a mentor once told me: When two things push against each other and neither gives way, sometimes you need to take a step back. When you pause, the tension subsides and then you can move forward. Maybe it was the exhaustion speaking, but I decided that this was the right strategy. We all took a breather.

The next day, I went to the gym and spent the afternoon at the park with my kids. That night, my wife and I cooked a new recipe. I returned to the office with a rested mind and a fresh outlook. We managed to rise above the trees and see the whole forest. We finally found our solution.

When it comes to rebooting your energy, rest is one side of the coin. Engaging in hobbies is the other. I’m a firm believer in the power of creative outlets and regularly communicate to our employees that they should carve out time for them. When hiring, I’m always looking for candidates with rich lives outside of their work. Here’s why having hobbies is so important.

Hobbies boost your confidence

Allowing your mind to wander freely can deliver a surprisingly powerful boost to your confidence. That’s what Drexel University researchers found in a study looking at the impact 45 minutes of creating art has on people. Participants ages 18 to 59 were given free rein to use markers, modeling clay, and collage materials to create whatever they wished. Afterward, they reported increases in self-efficacy—their confidence in themselves and their ability to complete tasks.

Researchers attributed the increase to the supportive, nonjudgmental, creative space—exactly the kind of space that hobbies offer. While offices are often fraught with performance anxiety, hobbies release the pressure valve. Instead, you create for the sake of creating. Whether I’m learning a skill, like playing the guitar, or improvising in the kitchen, I always return to work feeling just a bit more confident in my ability to tackle new challenges.

Hobbies promote out-of-the-box thinking

Hobbies require creative thinking. They flex a part of your brain that might otherwise be dormant. For example, dancing, music, and theater have been found to strengthen executive function. Strategic games like chess can improve neuroplasticity.

More surprising, however, is that engaging in hobbies also leads to more creative thinking once you’re back on the job (not to mention, a more positive attitude). That was the finding of a study published in the Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, which looked at the impact of creative hobbies on job performance. The researchers concluded that organizations may benefit from encouraging employees to take up creative activities outside of work.

I wholeheartedly support this approach and try to model the behavior I’d like to see in our organization. I often write about my hobbies, like olive picking on my family farm in Turkey, and discuss them regularly with colleagues. I make it a point to ask my coworkers about their hobbies and extracurricular activities, whether it’s books they’re reading or concerts they’ve recently attended. Formally promoting hobbies, through wellness programs or incorporating creative activities into team-building activities, can be effective. But I’ve found that simply showing interest in your employees’ creative endeavors and signaling your support can be a powerful motivator.

Getting into a flow state

Hungarian American psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi first described flow state as when you’re involved in the process of creating something new and you’re so absorbed that you lose awareness of your body and surroundings. You feel part of something larger. And you become painlessly productive when you are doing something for its own sake.

Research by Csikszentmihalyi and others has found that achieving flow is a secret ingredient to happiness. The question is how to put as much everyday life as possible into the flow state. Hobbies are one way to get there.

At work, countless distractions steal our focus. But when engaging in a creative hobby, we have the opportunity to escape these distractions and immerse ourselves in the present. It’s worth considering which hobbies wholly capture your attention, whether it’s painting, crafting, poetry, or baking. Unlike passive activities like watching television, where engagement is minimal and often interrupted by distractions like social media, creative hobbies require our full focus.

Some pastimes deplete your energy and motivation. Others leave you happier and more creative professionally. Embracing this kind of hobby can help improve both your personal, and professional, life.