I find it frustrating sometimes that I don’t have anything tangible to show for my work. I help people sort out problems, but I’m not building anything or making a mark on the world in a physical way and it’s hard to mark your success and contribution when it’s not visible.

I have recently become far more satisfied in my hobbies than in my work because I have developed hobbies that generate a tangible outcome. Making something is a way to mark your progress. It is a touchable, feelable, measurable way to mark your time in the world and distinguish one day from the next. I find comfort in creating order from chaos and from the patient, step-by-step process of building or making a thing.

There are plenty of small yet satisfying ways to do or make something to help with the feeling of accomplishment that is sometimes hard to come by in the working world.

1. Puzzles. It’s perhaps a silly thing, but there is little more satisfying to me than creating the order of a completed jigsaw puzzle from the chaos of a pile of pieces. I like this especially because it isn’t a time-intensive or time-sensitive pastime. A puzzle can be done while listening or chatting with others, it can be put away or left and restarted quite easily, and it is easy to share and rotate puzzles with friends and neighbors.
2. Gardening. I have gone deep down the rabbit-hole of gardening in the last year. There is little more satisfying to me than the magic of flowers sprouting where you once put a seed. It is that much better when you watch bees and birds enjoy the fruits of your labor. I find it centering when I have connected with the earth in such a way and getting to see the colors and shapes of the flowers I have created. This is another way to build connection with others. The number of people that walk by and remark on our flowers is worth all the sweat and time and investment. The side benefit is that I am outside and building muscle and collecting seeds for future use.
3. Refinishing Furniture. I have recently learned to refinish and paint used furniture. It is very satisfying to take something outdated or damaged and give it a facelift. I find it incredible to fix and change something unwanted to something lovely.
4. Sewing/Knitting/Crocheting. I am not this kind of creative. But I have watched so many friends and family find a zen state with their knitting. The loving gifts they create and share are prized by the recipients.

There are plenty of these kinds of things but the similarities are that they require some level of personal effort and investment and the satisfying outcome is a tangible one. The grounding impact of an activity that makes some measurable thing is something we have gone away from in our smart-society and one that is worth seeking. Find something that satisfies you. Something you can build or create and see.