Are you a night shift worker looking for hobbies to do while working?
You have just landed in the right place. Let us face it.
Work can be boring if there are no activities to break that monotony.
So, What Are Some Good Hobbies for Night Shift Workers?
Nowadays social media can be one of the best hobbies for those on the graveyard shift. But there is more including weight training, chessboard, dominoes, board games just to name a few. The list is long.
This article will focus on ideal hobbies for night shift workers and how to prepare for them.
Nine Ideal Hobbies for Night Shift Workers
1. Board Games
If you are looking for an excellent brain tease and workout, a board game is a suitable hobby.
Some of the skills you will master through board games include:
- Critical thinking
- Resource management
- Proper Training
Board games are becoming more diversified these days.
You can play with your co-workers at night .
2. Social Media
Perhaps you had no idea social media can be an enriching hobby.
There are many options where you can access lots of information regarding trending issues and more.
A major concern on this, however, is addiction. More people are becoming social media maniacs.
Therefore you should limit your time on social media. It can compromise your productivity.
3. Weight Training
If you are a night shift worker who spends a lot of time on the phone, you might want to do a weight training exercise as a hobby.
One thing about weight training is that you can do it simultaneously with other tasks.
If you are allowed to have a barbell in the office, you can take it along with you.
If you cannot find a barbell or if it is prohibited in the office, there is no doubt you will find something else to use.
As long as it can help you build some resistance, anything can e used for weight training.
4. Play Chess
The night can be too long with not much to do.
You need something to keep your mind active.
Chess games can help you attain a high level of brain alertness.
With online chess games now available, you can simply play them on your computer in between office tasks.
Chess becomes even more interesting if you have a co-worker to play with.
The good thing is that if you are playing it on your computer or smartphone, you can always pause it to attend office duties.
Later, you can pick up where you left.
5. Poker
If you love poker, you can do it at your place of work. Be sure to play it responsibly and do it only for fun.
Poker will help you build self-confidence and patience.
Also, play your poker for a small amount of time. It can be very addictive.
Hobbies should not make you drift away from your office work.
They are meant to give you little breaks and maintain your activity of the body and brain.
6. Darts
If you work in a hotel, there is every chance you are facing long, boring nights.
You need something to keep you alert all night.
Dart can can help a great deal. They are available in different sizes and types.
7. Dominoes
Dominos can help you stay active throughout the night.
You will find that dominos is an interesting and easy game to play.
Simply get a set of domino tiles and a friend to play with.
8. Yo-yoing
Are you are looking for a fun hobby to take you through the night?
If you already know a thing about yo-yoing, you can add more skills through tones of online tutorials.
Do not worry if you have no experience at this.
You can start everything from scratch and within a couple of nights, you will be a top-notch expert.
9. Meditation
You can also spare some time to plunge into deep meditation at night.
And if you thought it is merely about staring blankly out of your office windows, you are in for a huge surprise.
Gazing at the skies, sinking into nature and the bustling metropolitan life around you can help regain your strength.
It will keep you alert while equally building a sense of self-awareness.
Meditation is a cool way of building critical thinking skills.
How Can You Prepare for Your Night Hobbies?
Here are a few tricks and hacks to get everything up and running for the night.
1. Gather The Necessary Materials
Be it a board game or darts, make sure you have the necessary materials somewhere in your bag when you get out for work.
It would be a sad night if you get to work only to realize that you forget your dartboards. So, arm yourself in advance.
2. Inform Your Co-Worker in Advance
If you intend to play a game through the night with your co-worker, make sure they get notified.
It prepares them for it as well.
Remind them via a call, text, or email that you will be participating in a particular hobby.
3. Have A Schedule
Do not forget that you are on call to work.
Hobbies are only meant to keep you sober and engaged throughout the night.
It is, therefore, a prudent idea to have a schedule on when to take breaks and participate in your favorite hobby.
You want to make sure that you do not compromise your productivity at the workplace.
4. Restrain Yourself from Addictive Hobbies
Some hobbies like social media can be so addictive.
You have to be particularly careful not to get overwhelmed by such hobbies to the point you can not control yourself.
Too much of something can have adverse consequences on your work.
It will potentially ruin your work reputation. Worse still, you risk getting fired.
Of course, if you underperform, you risk losing your job. That is the last thing you expect.
Shun from certain hobbies should you find that they are hampering your work performance.
If you can control them, well and well. Or simply learn how to put a pause no matter how interesting that part is.
This gives you ample time to attend to your most important work issues.
Final Words
Hobbies help to break the monotony at work.
They also equip you with new skills like critical thinking.
Night shift workers must battle the temptation to sleep and boredom.
Finding a hobby to inject into your night schedule at work is a great idea to boost your brain activity and overall productivity.