Successful retirees recognize the need to plan for happiness and productivity. They evaluate what’s important and construct actions to satisfy their needs and wants. This also includes finding and participating in a hobby.

Hobbies are known to be a great stress reliever as a person does something that they enjoy. Different hobbies can provide different kinds of benefits. For example, hobbies such as fishing, bowling, or gardening increases visual perception, physical mobility, and hand-eye coordination. On the other hand, arts, literature, and music tend to improve mood and enhance cognitive function.

Ask a photographer why he/she enjoys their photographic hobby, and you will hear words such as “It helps me see the world in a different way”, “Hearing the click of my camera shutter is such a wonderful sound”, “When I’m taking pictures, time just disappears”.

To really enjoy a hobby, it’s important to choose one that fits your personality. For example, if you feel happy or proficient at creative activities, you might like drawing, painting, writing or playing music. The first thing you can do is to follow your inclinations and explore lots of activities. I encourage you to go to any hobby store and walk the aisles.

Once you have a couple of hobbies that you could potentially pursue, the next step is to decide whether it is really what you want to do. For instance, do you want to do something physical or perhaps something more mental? Another thing you could think of is whether you want to do the hobby alongside a group of people (i.e. team sports, group music or community art events).

Setting goals and creating a routine can greatly increase the benefits of your new hobby. When you set goals, you measure your progress, both of what you have gained but also what to look forward to.

Some hobbies lend themselves to providing income and may even develop into second careers. Again, the secret to finding the right hobby is your ability to thoroughly enjoy the activity.  The following is an example of some hobbies you could consider:

Genealogy                                                  Stamp or coin collecting
Oil painting                                                  Furniture refinishing
Antique collecting                                     Car restoring
Gardening

The trap of not finding the right hobby is procrastination. Though most of us realize the importance of having various interests, we sometimes tell ourselves, “I’ll start my search next month” and next month never comes. Don’t put off your search! Start checking out the fun stuff and get building your hobby interests today!