I started these 6 slow hobbies—and they ended up making me more productive

I never thought of myself as a “slow hobby” person. Like most of us, I used to equate productivity with speed—working faster, juggling more tasks, pushing harder. The idea of slowing down felt like laziness.

But over the past couple of years, I began experimenting with quieter, more deliberate activities.

Not because I wanted to get more done, but because I craved a break from the constant buzz of screens and deadlines.

The surprise? These slow hobbies didn’t make me less productive. They sharpened my focus, cleared my mind, and left me with more energy for the things that mattered most.

Let me share the six practices that changed the way I think about work and time.

1. Long walks

There’s something magical about walking without rushing to a destination.

At first, I used these walks to escape my desk. But soon, I realized my best ideas often came when I was moving slowly, letting my mind wander.

It’s no coincidence. A landmark series of experiments at Stanford found that participants produced 60% more creative ideas while walking than while sitting—whether on a treadmill indoors or strolling outside.

Albert Einstein once said, “The monotony and solitude of a quiet life stimulates the creative mind.”

That line resonates with me every time I walk through my neighborhood trails. The stillness around me isn’t boring—it’s fuel for creativity.

Sometimes I’ll set out with no agenda at all, just noticing the way sunlight filters through leaves or the rhythm of my own footsteps.

Other times I bring a question with me—What’s the best way to start this article? How do I frame this tricky problem? More often than not, I return home with a clear answer.

It’s ironic. Sitting at my desk and forcing myself to “figure it out” rarely works. But slowing down and walking opens up space for solutions to surface on their own.

2. Reading deeply

Scrolling headlines and skimming articles used to be my default. I convinced myself that consuming more information made me better informed.

In reality, I was training my brain to jump, skim, and never settle.

When I began setting aside time for deep reading—books, long essays, even print magazines—something shifted. My attention span lengthened. I noticed myself lingering with ideas instead of rushing past them.

That shift carried over to my work. I could concentrate for longer stretches without reaching for my phone every five minutes.

Bill Gates famously said: “Read 500 pages…every day. That’s how knowledge works. It builds up, like compound interest.”

Of course, I’m not hitting 500 pages daily—but the principle stands. Knowledge builds gradually, and patience is the currency.

These days, I’ll often curl up with a book in the evenings instead of scrolling. And when I wake up the next day, my mind feels more rested and sharper.

Reading slowly isn’t about consuming more—it’s about consuming better.

3. Gardening

At first, gardening felt like the opposite of productivity. Watching seeds sprout and grow over weeks or months requires patience that modern life doesn’t usually reward.

But tending a garden forced me to slow down and notice the small details—the texture of the soil, the way the light shifts across the leaves, the satisfaction of a bloom finally opening. Those quiet minutes outside became a mental reset.

It reminded me of something Sherry Turkle wrote: “Our brains are most productive when there is no demand that they be reactive.”

The garden doesn’t demand instant responses. It just asks you to show up consistently and trust the process.

And there’s another layer: caring for something living puts work into perspective. Deadlines and inboxes can feel overwhelming, but when you’re kneeling in the dirt, pulling weeds, you realize life moves on a bigger timeline.

The patience I’ve practiced in the garden translates to patience with projects and people.

4. Journaling by hand

Typing is fast. Too fast, sometimes. My fingers race ahead of my thoughts, and what comes out feels scattered. Picking up a pen slowed everything down.

Instead of rushing to capture every idea, journaling by hand encouraged reflection.

I started noticing the little stories hidden in my days. A frustrating conversation became a lesson. A small win became something to celebrate.

Writing slowly gave me space to process instead of react.

It’s not just about documenting life—it’s about digesting it. And that digestion has made me sharper at work.

I’m quicker to spot patterns, better at clarifying what matters, and more intentional about my time.

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed, I recommend grabbing a notebook and writing just one page a day. No judgment, no editing. Just thoughts on paper.

You might be surprised at how much clearer your mind feels afterward.

5. Cooking simple meals

Cooking has never been about gourmet recipes for me. It’s chopping vegetables, stirring soup, and letting aromas fill the kitchen.

It’s also one of the few times in my day when I’m not multitasking. Cooking demands presence. You can’t check emails while slicing onions unless you want to risk a cut.

That single-task focus has a carryover effect. After dinner, I notice I’m more willing to tackle one project at a time, instead of scattering my attention.

Productivity doesn’t come from cramming—it comes from focusing.

And there’s joy in the process. The slow rhythm of chopping and simmering reminds me that not every activity has to serve a larger purpose.

Sometimes, the purpose is simply to nourish yourself—and that’s enough.

6. Practicing mindfulness

I used to think mindfulness was too abstract. But when I began treating it like a hobby—something I practiced slowly, without expectation—it became one of the most grounding habits in my routine.

Just ten minutes of sitting quietly, paying attention to breath or sound, can change the course of my day.

I notice I’m less reactive to small stressors, more deliberate with my time, and more creative in my work.

It also ties back to a line I underlined in Rudá Iandê’s book Laughing in the Face of Chaos:

“When we let go of the need to be perfect, we free ourselves to live fully—embracing the mess, complexity, and richness of a life that's delightfully real.”

His insights reminded me that productivity isn’t about flawless performance. It’s about showing up as a whole person—focused, present, and willing to grow.

Final thoughts

Here’s the irony: the hobbies I once dismissed as “too slow” have made me faster at the things that count.

Walking sharpens my creativity. Reading stretches my focus. Gardening and cooking train my patience. Journaling clears my mind. Mindfulness keeps me grounded.

I used to think productivity was about speed, but now I see it’s about balance. When you give yourself time to slow down, you return to your work renewed, not depleted.

So maybe the question isn’t how much can I squeeze into my day? Maybe it’s what practices actually make the rest of my day better?

If you’re wondering where to begin, start small.

Take a walk, read a few pages, jot down a thought in a notebook.

Notice what shifts. The progress will come—sometimes faster than you expect.