The Harvard Business Review may have uncovered the key to work-life balance. Ready for it? Get a hobby. It turns out that a hobby is the one thing that allows successful CEOs to completely check out and recharge, which is good for their work life and their home life.
In “Why CEOs Devote So Much Time to Their Hobbies,” the Harvard Business Review identified and analyzed 50+ S&P 500 CEOs who seriously pursue a leisure activity in their free time. These leisure activities range from hobbies like training for a marathon or learning how to fly a plane to passion projects like volunteering for a meaningful cause.
You can probably already tell that these hobbies are no small commitment. (Getting a pilot’s license?! Running a marathon?!) It almost sounds like these activities would bring on more stress! But they actually do the opposite, according to interviews with some of these ambitious CEOs. The hobby provides total detachment from the workplace which is exactly what an overwhelmed employee needs at the end of the day. It’s safe to say that learning to fly would require your full and complete attention! No time to think about your remaining to-do list back at work.
A hobby is also a good practice in personal development. With time and commitment, you get better and better. It’s good inspiration and motivation to take back to your workplace. But it also provides the opposite learning opportunity: sometimes you suck at something. And that’s ok. You can’t be good at everything, which is a humbling experience for any leader or employee.
Read the rest of the article over at the Harvard Business Review.
Image via christoph habel/Flickr.
Spectrum Brands Careers Blog 
January 17, 2019
Career Advice