Post # 28 - The 10-Minute Hobby That Brings Me Back to Myself

Posted under: Creativity, Joy, or Expression | The Full Life Edit

I used to believe hobbies had to be big commitments. You needed to be skilled, consistent, and serious about them for them to “count.” Painting meant art classes. Baking meant elaborate recipes. Photography meant expensive cameras.

Somewhere along the way, I stopped doing hobbies because I felt I wasn’t doing them “well enough.” Free time got swallowed up by work, chores, or scrolling. And yet — I felt a dull ache, like I was missing something simple and joyful.

The turning point came when I realized I didn’t need an afternoon, a studio, or talent to have a hobby. I just needed 10 minutes.

🌿 The Beauty of 10 Minutes

Ten minutes doesn’t sound like much. It’s the time it takes to boil pasta, scroll through social media, or sit in traffic. But when I started giving those 10 minutes to something playful, something creative, something that was just for me — it was enough to shift my entire mood.

Ten minutes is long enough to:

• Doodle a page in a notebook.
• Knit a few rows of a scarf.
• Bake a quick batch of cookies or mix bread dough to rise later.
• Snap photos of the way light hits the kitchen counter.
• Write three sentences in a journal.

The magic isn’t in the outcome — it’s in the act of showing up for yourself.

🎨 The Hobbies That Reconnected Me

Here are a few of the small, 10-minute hobbies that have brought me back to myself:

1. Doodling Without Rules

I keep a sketchbook that no one sees. I draw shapes, messy flowers, random patterns. Some pages look like nothing. Others surprise me. The point isn’t beauty — it’s freedom.

2. Knitting Slowly

I learned to knit years ago, but I always thought I had to finish a scarf quickly or make something impressive. Now I just knit when I have 10 minutes. The rhythm of looping yarn over needles is meditative, and progress is slow but steady.

3. Baking Simple Things

Baking used to stress me — the measuring, the waiting, the perfect results. Now, I give myself permission to make simple things: banana bread, brownies, cookies. Even mixing ingredients for 10 minutes feels grounding, and the smell that fills the kitchen lingers long after.

4. Photography with My Phone

I used to think photography required expensive gear. Now, I use my phone to capture small things: shadows, textures, colors. It’s not about posting or perfecting — it’s about noticing.

Each of these hobbies reconnects me with the part of myself that isn’t defined by productivity. They remind me that I’m allowed to do things simply because I enjoy them.

🧠 Why Small Hobbies Matter

Hobbies don’t just fill time — they feed parts of us that work, obligations, and responsibilities can’t. They:

• Lower stress by shifting focus away from worries.
• Spark creativity that spills into other areas of life.
• Reclaim presence by anchoring us in the moment.
• Remind us who we are beyond roles like employee, parent, partner.

When I sit down for 10 minutes to doodle, bake, or snap a photo, I’m telling myself: you deserve joy that isn’t measured or monetized.

💡 Removing the Pressure

The biggest obstacle to hobbies is pressure. We think they must lead to improvement, mastery, or productivity. But what if hobbies were allowed to be bad?

My doodles are messy. My knitting has uneven rows. My cookies sometimes burn. And yet — every attempt is still worth it.

By removing the expectation of “good,” I finally found my way back to fun.

🌸 What I’ve Learned

Ten minutes of a hobby doesn’t solve every problem, but it softens the edges of my days. It makes me more playful, less rigid. It reconnects me to the childlike part of me that just liked colors, movement, and making things with my hands.

Most importantly, it’s a reminder that I don’t need hours or perfection to enjoy life. I only need willingness.

🌿 A Gentle Invitation

If you’ve been missing yourself lately, here’s a simple place to start: give yourself 10 minutes.

• Pick a hobby that once made you smile.
• Let go of the need to be good at it.
• Do it just for you, just for today.

Because sometimes, 10 minutes of joy is enough to bring you back to who you really are.

💬 Tell me: What’s your 10-minute hobby? Or is there one you’d like to try again? Share it in the comments — I’d love to hear what brings you back to yourself.

– M.E