當追求自己的愛好，你的工作將隨之改變

作者|Bruce Harpham

譯者|RK翔

In our work oriented culture, hobbies are often perceived to be a waste of time. If you struggle with the idea of putting time into a hobby, consider these benefits. There are many cases where working on a hobby will help you to improve your performance at your day job.

在工作至上的現代，愛好經常被看成是在浪費時間。如果你在猶豫要不要花時間在愛好上，請考慮下面幾點好處。很多時候堅持培養的愛好能幫助你提高你日常工作的表現。

1. You Will Grow Your Network

1. 你的社交半徑會擴大

Many hobbies lend themselves to growing your network and meeting other people who share your passion. One great way to get started is to do a Google search with your hobby and the words association or group (e.g. 「running club New York」 or 「creative writing association」). Building your network through a hobby is easy because you already have common ground with other people interested in the topic. Over time, you can give favors to people you meet and ask for help when you need it.

愛好的培養會擴大你的交際圈，遇見那些和你有同樣愛好的人。最直接的辦法就是「百度」搜索一下你的愛好，配上相應組織或團體（比如「紐約慢跑會」或「創意寫作團」）。通過愛好建立起社交關係是非常簡單的，因為你們已經有了相同的立場，有了相同的愛好。慢慢過程中，你能幫助所遇到的人，同時需要幫助時可以找他們。

2. You Will Manage Your Time Better

2.你可以更好地掌握時間

The challenge of fitting your hobby into your daily and weekly schedule is a challenge for many people. Jeff Sanders adopted a 5am morning routine in order to accommodate his marathon training and maintain his other responsibilities. Making the most of limited time is a great skill to develop and it applies to the working world. Not sure where to start? Learn how to starting a personal project or hobby will improve your productivity.

對於很多人來說，將自己的愛好安排進自己日常每周的日程是很有挑戰的事。Jeff Sanders每天5點就早起，為馬拉松訓練騰出時間，同時保證自己負責的其他事務不受影響。在有限時間完成最多的事情是一個非常重要的而且能運用到工作中的技能。不確定從何下手？學著如何展開個人項目或者培養愛好將會提高你的效率。

3. You Will Improve Your Mental Health

3. 你可以提高你精神力量

How well you manage your mental health and stress levels has a major impact on your work performance. Fortunately, many hobbies offer mental health benefits. CNN found that crafting is good for your brain. Scientist Dr. Jeff Brown found that running improves your mental health – he shares his findings in the book, The Runner』s Brain. When you have the ability to think clearly, you will be able to solve more problems at work and get ahead.

如何調劑自身精神狀態和受壓能力是工作中重要的一個環節。幸運的是，很多愛好可以提高精神力量。CNN發現手工藝活對大腦是有益的。科學家Jeff Brown博士發現，跑步能提高精神力量——他在《跑步者的大腦》一書中提到。當你能清晰地思考問題，你就能解決更多問題，在工作中保持領先。

4. You Will Have Better Physical Health

4. 你的身體將更健康

Like it or not, your appearance and physical health directly improve your work results. The Daily Mail reports that HR staff and companies tend to view overweight people as less productive. Consider starting a hobby that will improve your health such as a sport or healthy cooking. As you improve your physical health, you will have more energy and that will help you at work.

不管怎麼說，你的外形和身體健康直接影響到你工作效率。《每日郵報》報道HR和公司傾向認為超重的人效率低下。考慮一下運動或者健康飲食來作為你的愛好吧。當你身體健康之後，你有更多的能量，為你的工作提供助力。

5. You Will Be More Creative

5. 你會更有創造力

Developing creative solutions to problems at work is one of the best ways to set yourself apart from the rest of the pack. Actively pursuing a hobby is a great way to improve your creativity. Fast Company reports that creative hobbies such as photography and needlework improve performance at work. Simply occupying your mind with an activity beyond your regular work gives you a chance to ask new questions and new approaches to life.

工作中，有新辦法解決問題的能力，通常是突出你個人能力的辦法之一。主動培養自己的愛好是鍛煉自己創造力最好的辦法。《快公司》報道稱攝影和縫紉這類創造性的愛好能提高工作中的表現。你大腦中有除了工作外的另一種活動給予你思考問題的新思路和看待生活的新方法。

6. You Will Understand What Matters To You

6. 你會明白什麼對你更重要

Knowing yourself is essential to career advancement. By exploring a variety of hobbies, you will gain a new perspective on yourself. For instance, you may enjoy the challenge of leading a team to victory when you play basketball. That experience will help you to discover your leadership skills. As you experiment with different hobbies, you will also discover areas that are not your strength. For example, you may not like the technical aspects of digital photography. That experience will remind you to limit technical activities at your place of work.

搞清楚自己是職業晉陞必備的要素。通過探索各種愛好，你會從不同的角度了解自己。比如，也許你打籃球時，會享受帶領自己隊伍獲勝的挑戰。這種經歷會幫助你發掘自己的領導能力。當你嘗試不同種類的愛好時，你同時也會發現自己不擅長的地方。比如，你也許不喜歡數碼攝像的技術部分。這種經歷會提醒你工作中避免觸碰技術相關的事宜。

7. You Will Be More Self Reliant

7. 你可以更自律

As you pursue a hobby, you need to be self-directed. Nobody will stand over you each day and direct you to work on a hobby. It is up to you to purchase equipment, go through books and develop your skills. If you are training for a marathon, for instance, you are the one who decides whether or not to train each day. In your work, becoming more self-reliant is highly valuable skill. You will take on projects and learn new skills on your own, rather than waiting for your boss. Being self-reliant means you will be motivated to expand your job.

當你培養愛好的時候，你需要自我監督。沒人會每天監督你，催促你堅持你的愛好。一切都是你負責，要去買該買的器材，去讀該讀的書，去鍛煉該鍛煉的技能。舉個例子，如果你在鍛煉馬拉松，你才是那個決定是否需要每天鍛煉的人。工作中，高度的自律是非常有價值的技能。當你承接項目，不用等你上司催促，你就會從中自學新的技能。自律意味著你能積極地擴展你的業務。