Starting a new hobby is exciting. There’s the promise of new skills, new projects and exciting new equipment to collect.

Sticking with that hobby is harder. There are setbacks and delays: materials you can’t find, equipment that breaks and skills you simply haven’t mastered yet. Simply put, it’s hard.

When you run into disappointments and challenges like this, there is a strong temptation to simply stop. It’s only a hobby, so why make life hard for yourself? This impulse is hard to resist, but if you can resist it, you’ll have the long term pride and gains to look forward to, and satisfaction of your new-found sense of mastery and accomplishment. Today we’re looking at how you can develop the discipline and resilience needed to stick with your new hobby.

Structure

The most important thing you can do is set a structure for yourself. Whether that’s a timetable for practising, hours set aside at weekends for crafting, or a set of deadlines you have to meet for performance, creating structure makes it easier for you to stick with a project because it breaks it up into smaller pieces and the end is always in sight. Rather than spending all weekend trying to play a piece of music that’s simply beyond your skills, you know you only have to practice for the next hour.

There are other ways to build structure. If your new hobby revolves around a performance like music, learning poetry or an otherwise exhibitable skill, you can host a small performance for friends or family. When people commit to coming to this, they’ll commit you to not disappointing them!

You could also set up recurring orders to set up a structure for yourself. If you opt for one of the monthly craft subscription boxes UK business are starting to offer, then you set up a structure, in which you need to finish the current project before the next arrives or the boxes will begin to stack up!

Rewards

Another key factor is a reward. If the early days of a project, when you’re still acquiring the skills necessary to practise it, aren’t reward enough in themselves, then schedule yourself some reward time as the necessary carrot to the stick of your self-discipline.

If you’re working on a fitness hobby like a new gym class or form of exercise, the early days will be tough going indeed! Allow yourself relaxation time as your fitness and stamina build: hot baths and massages can all serve as rewards that help to ease those aching muscles.