Side projects and hobbies are important

Being proficient in many things or having an interest in diverse areas can be a distraction, making it difficult to decide which area to focus on. Focusing on one means leaving the others behind, and abandoning them completely might be tempting.

My key takeaway from this chapter is that this shouldn’t be the case. The author advises against leaving anything behind, introducing the concept of productive procrastination, a term I’ve encountered for the first time.

The word procrastination has negative connotations. Leaving for tomorrow what you can do today means you are falling behind. What if you feel stuck in one project and have another meaningful project to pivot to? That means instead of wasting time being stuck, you are making progress somewhere else. This is what productive procrastination is about.

You have side projects and hobbies. Any time you feel bored, stuck, or spinning wheels, simply switch to your hobby or that meaningful project you are working on, based on another area of your interest.

Please note that this is not for employees in an office environment.

Let’s say you’re a programmer who loves songwriting and playing musical instruments. You are writing codes, and after long hours of coding, you feel stuck. Temporarily, you can’t seem to figure out what to do to make progress. You feel bored and tired, and the day is still young. Rather than keep going around in circles, you can simply walk away from the computer. Go to your guitar and start playing or write new songs. By the time you return to your coding, your mind is clear, and you can progress from where you stopped.

What ends up happening is that you become a better guitar player, a better songwriter, and a better programmer. Your songwriting and guitar-playing skills activate a certain part of your brain that helps you become more analytical and better at writing code. You end up getting better in all aspects of your life.

This is a big plus compared to a programmer who only codes and has no other creative outlet. Consequently, having side projects and hobbies is important in becoming more of who you are. They become an outlet for relieving stress and making you more creative.

The same can be said of a writer who also paints or draws, or a teacher who does karate or dances salsa. The list goes on and on.

I’ve abandoned many parts of myself in the quest to focus on achieving what I want. That has created room for boredom and a disposition for distraction each time I’m not making progress. I have gone back to my abandoned projects and worked on them during my downtime. If I’m not in the frame of mind to write, I simply leave the computer and go do something else. While doing something else, the inspiration comes back.

Meanwhile, you have no clue what will happen if you work consistently on your side projects and hobbies. You might even find ways to integrate your side projects into your main work and create something that is uniquely you.

It all boils down to the freedom to be you.