4 Hobbies That Can Inspire Business Creativity

Finding moments of inspiration and foresight can be hard. It can be easy to put yourself under huge amounts of pressure if you feel like you have run out of ideas. Here is some advice: take a break. Hobbies are not just great ways to unwind. Taking part in activities that stimulate your mind, give you space to think, and put you back in touch with nature and your own place in the world actually help you develop your ability to think creatively. Here are some hobbies that, as well as being extremely enjoyable, can positively influence your business brain. 

Chess

No board game is more famous for developing critical reasoning and strategic creativity than chess. Chess has been around since the 8th Century and has been an incredibly positive influence on millions of minds. Studies have shown that chess increases the capacity for creativity and the ability to pass theory of mind tests in humans. 

Chess teaches you to think about long-term strategy, stay cool under pressure, and utilize your emotional intelligence when in an adversarial situation – All things that come in pretty handy when negotiating the business world. 

Circuit Building

Circuits dominate our digital world. Understanding what goes on in the heart of electronic devices is a great way of provoking business ideas while learning something really fascinating and fun. Start simple by building circuits that power lights or alarms. Before long, you’ll be creating your own Arduino-powered robots. Building your own circuits will help you develop an analytical sharpness. So then, what are you waiting for? Find an electronic parts distributor, download some schematics and get tinkering!  

Tinkering with electronic and mechanical objects has historically been a route to invention. Still, you don’t need to make something completely new in order for circuit building to have a positive effect on your creativity. The learning structures and reasoning methods associated with creating circuitry will benefit you no matter how advanced you become. 

Cooking

Cooking is a hobby that allows you to literally taste the fruits of your hard work. It is high in both discipline and creativity. Many professional chefs start out as hobbyists, dipping their toes into part-time entrepreneurship whilst they hone their craft. As Daphne Demetry pointed out last year in the Harvard Business Review, the culinary industry is one area of business where hobbyists regularly turn their passion into a career over the course of several years. 

Fishing

Fishing is a strange pastime indeed. Fiddly equipment, long hours of waiting, and the potential for nothing to happen whatsoever. Fishing, however, is great for inspiring moments of creativity. It provides a meditative space and a close relationship to nature. These things are hard to find in modern life and can allow your thoughts to flow more freely than they do during the daily grind. Fishing also combines the time to think with real skill and perceptive elements. It can improve your timing, forethought, and appreciation for natural processes; all good for inspiring business creativity.