If you have been told that as a perfectionist, you need to learn to loosen up and learn how to let go, then what you should do is get into hobbies that make you happy and simply enjoy the moment.

By getting into hobbies and learning new things, you will develop new interests and learn ways to relax your mind.

List of Hobbies For Perfectionists

There are many hobbies that can help you feel more relaxed, productive, and creative. In fact, the following are some of the most popular hobbies among perfectionists.

Meditate

For perfectionists, the idea of meditating might be intimidating. You think: “I need to clear my mind and focus on nothing. How am I supposed to do that?”

The good news is that meditation doesn’t require you to be completely still and silent for an hour or even ten minutes.

You can start by taking four deep breaths and then focusing on your breath for a couple of minutes before moving on with your day, and eventually work up from there.

You can start also with this ten-minute meditation for beginners.

Start a collection

You can collect anything from glassware to coins, and it’s an ideal way to learn about something you are passionate about.

Once you have your collection set up, it can serve as a soothing distraction that helps you relax if life gets stressful.

You should start by thinking about what interests you most. If you love baseball cards or old furniture, then start with those items and see how far your collecting journey takes you!

Hiking

Hiking is a great way to get out of the house and enjoy nature. It’s also a great activity that can help you relax especially if you don’t mind being sweaty and dirty afterward.

If you want to get in touch with your inner self, then hiking can be an excellent hobby, just make sure you bring water and snacks on your hikes.

Exercising

Exercise is a great way to release stress, but it’s also good for your physical health.

Exercising can help you sleep better and live longer, so even though you may not feel like going to the gym at first, keep in mind that it will pay off in the long run.

If you’re not into exercising on your own, try finding a class that fits your interests and level of expertise.

Yoga

Yoga might be one of the most perfect hobbies for a perfectionist. The practice is all about being present and focusing on the moment, which is what perfectionists struggle with most.

It can help you to reduce stress, make you more aware of your body and mind, and even improve your posture.

If you want to take it up a notch, there are plenty of online resources (like YouTube) where you can find guided workouts that will help you get started.

Cooking / Baking

Cooking is a social activity, and you can also pass it on to your children when they reach an age where they have the attention span and coordination to follow along with you.

One way to make cooking more enjoyable is by finding recipes that don’t require many ingredients.

For example, if you want to make pancakes from scratch (which I recommend), make sure that all of the ingredients are things that you already have in your kitchen.

Gardening

Gardening is a great hobby for perfectionists because it’s calming and allows you to get your hands busy while you tend to your plants.

If you enjoy growing things, then gardening will give you something productive to do when life isn’t going as planned.

It can also be a way for perfectionists to relax; after all, there is something about working with soil that just makes people feel more at ease in their own skin.

Cleaning

Cleaning is one of the most relaxing hobbies for perfectionists.

It provides a satisfying outlet for your need to do things right and in order, while also allowing you to finally get back at all those other people who make messes.

When it comes to cleaning, it’s important that everything is clean, so make sure you have plenty of paper towels and Windex on hand so that nothing interferes with your process.

Check out this house cleaning 101 tutorial.

Making Music

You can listen to music while you do other things, or even create your own. It’s also an excellent outlet for creativity, so if the idea of painting or drawing doesn’t appeal to you, but you still want to express yourself through art—this may be the hobby for you!

There are many different instruments that are easy enough for beginners but challenging enough for experts: piano, guitar, violin (and other string instruments), drums…the list goes on.

Miniature modeling

Making a miniature model can be rewarding, and there are plenty of different materials you can use to create your mini-masterpiece.

Here are some examples of the kinds of things you could make as part of this hobby:

• A scale model of your hometown’s skyline, complete with people and cars in the streets below it
• A small replica version of your favorite piece from an art museum’s collection that you’d like to display in your home
• A tiny version of yourself made out of clay or paper mache

Check out this beginner’s guide to miniature assembly and preparation.

Traveling

If you’re a perfectionist, chances are you’re not the type of person who likes to waste time.

It may sound like traveling is the opposite of being productive, but it can actually be an amazing hobby for someone striving for perfection in life.

Traveling allows you to meet new people and make connections all over the world.

If your goal is always to be working toward something bigger in your career or personal life, then making friends will be important.

Make Stop-Motion Movies

Stop-motion movies are animated by taking photographs and moving an object slightly between each shot.

There’s so much room for creativity in this hobby. You can make stop-motion films with almost anything: puppets or dolls made from clay or paper; action figures; stuffed animals; Lego characters—you name it.

You can even do it digitally with apps like Animation Desk and Stop Motion Studio, which lets you create stop-motion animations using your smartphone camera (or tablet).

Scrapbooking

Scrapbooking is a great hobby for perfectionists because it allows you to add color and texture to your life. It’s also a great way for you to preserve memories and organize your life.

You can use the scrapbooking supplies you already have or buy new ones, depending on what kind of album or page layout you want to create.

You can choose from a wide variety of papers and embellishments, including stickers, ribbons, flowers, and more. The possibilities are endless.

Calligraphy

Calligraphy is a hobby that’s perfect for perfectionists. Calligraphy is the art of beautiful writing. It’s a meditative practice that can help you relax and get into the flow.

It’s an activity that demands precision and attention to detail, and it allows you to express yourself through the careful customization of words.

If you’re interested in learning calligraphy but don’t know where to start, there are some great online guides out there that will help you get started.

Calligraphy & Hand Lettering for Beginners is one example of an online guide that teaches calligraphy in an easy-to-follow way.

Lego

You can create the most intricate and beautiful buildings, spaceships, and models with Legos, and then destroy them in a fight between your Lego friends.

You probably already know that Legos are fun because they let you build whatever you want, and then rebuild it over and over again until it’s perfect.

And if something isn’t quite right? It’s no big deal because you can just rebuild the whole thing from scratch.

RC cars

If you’re the type who needs to be doing something productive at all times, then RC cars might be a great hobby for you.

RC cars are a great hobby that requires attention to detail. You have to know how to build, maintain and repair your RC car, which means you have to be able to focus on all the little things that make up a car.

If you’ve ever played with RC cars, you know that the feeling of getting it right, that moment when you get the car to go exactly where you want it to go, is pretty much unbeatable.

Drone Flying

If you’re the kind of person who wants to be in complete control, drone flying is a hobby that’s perfect for you.

Drone flying will take your mind off of the stress of everyday life, and also push you to learn and grow.

Drones are all about precision, they have to be flown precisely in order to maintain a stable hover or fly smoothly through the air.

Chess

Chess is a great way to both pass the time and challenge yourself. It’s also a great way to improve your concentration, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills, all things that perfectionists need!

It also helps to improve your math skills and attention to detail because it involves studying your opponent’s moves before making yours.

If you haven’t played online chess before, I highly recommend it. There are tons of different sites where you can play against other players from around the world.

Follow a Podcast

If you’re a perfectionist who likes to learn everything about something before you start doing it, then podcasts are an amazing opportunity for that kind of deep dive into knowledge.

If you’re looking for something that will help you relax, try listening to a podcast about meditation or yoga.

If you’re into science, try listening to something about space or physics. If you want to learn about current events, there are plenty of news-related podcasts out there.

Podcasts are a great way to learn about new topics and get exposed to different ideas.

Solve Jigsaw Puzzles

Jigsaw puzzles give you the opportunity to work on something that is challenging but not impossible, so you can feel like you’re making progress without getting overwhelmed by the project.

You can find jigsaw puzzles in all shapes and sizes, from simple wooden pieces to more complex cardboard pieces.

If you want something really challenging, try going for an incredibly large puzzle.

Wrapping Up

I hope this list of hobbies for perfectionists has given you some good ideas for how to relax and enjoy life.