A new start doesn’t have to be a life-changing decision, it can be as simple as picking up a new hobby: How you spend your leisure time has a direct impact on your health, quality of living, and career. Having enjoyable activities that give you a reason to wake up excited leads to less stress, more happiness, more sleep, better physical health, and more friends, according to a 2010 study by a team of researchers from universities in Kansas, Pittsburgh and Texas, reported on by the New York Times. A hobby also affects a person’s overall work performance, with a San Francisco State University study finding that employees who had creative outlets outside of the office were better at creative problem-solving on the job as it increased their sense of control and in some cases challenged them to learn new skills that were transferable to work.

Not sure what your hobby could be? If you’re not sure what you would enjoy doing, try to think back to your childhood. What did you love doing as a child that could translate into something as an adult, suggests Bustle. Finger painting? Take an art class. Climbing trees? Try rock climbing. Giving lessons to your stuffed animals? Try teaching. Taking this approach could push you into channeling that wild and free mindset of little you. Another indication of what your ideal hobby might be is to look at what you buy as a guilty pleasure. Whether it's candles, clothes, food, plants or paintings, each could be a chance to invest time into putting your hands to work making or taking care of them. While all this might be a starting point, you should also try a couple of ideas you think could work. Don’t be afraid to join workshops or attend classes because you don’t know anyone or because you’re not sure you’ll be good at it. You don’t have to be good at your hobby — you just need to enjoy it.

Need a bit more help? We try to put forth a variety of activities every day in our PM edition from workshops to concerts to classes. Check out our recommendations and push yourself to attend something that catches your eye. The first step is always the hardest. You can also check out this list of 40 hobbies by Future Learn and pick out a few to try out.

Alright. I’m convinced, but I just don’t have the time: With work, Cairene traffic, and familial responsibilities, it often feels like the time you do have to yourself needs to be spent just relaxing. But it's important to be able to benefit from that time as well, in a way that adds happiness to your life and gives you a better sense of self. First step to making the time is realizing you do have time, especially if you think of it in terms of weeks instead of days. If you work 40 hours and sleep eight hours each night, that still leaves 72 hours every week. If you’re shrugging off our math, then do your own with this “freetime calculator”. It might seem crazy that while you have so much leisure time, it doesn’t always seem that way, and Laura Vanderkam, a writer and speaker on work-life balance, explains that it has to do with people not being mindful of their time and spending a lot of it on social media or on TV.