Hooked on Crocheting: Artistic hobbies, such as crochet, improve time management and mental health

Sitting on my bed, I squint to loop a needle around the fluffy, green yarn wrapped around my hand. As I crochet the leaves of a miniature plant, my phone lights up with a notification from Instagram: You have one new message.

I wince as the notification has broken my concentration from crocheting but continue to stitch anyway. Instagram will have to wait, I’ll check later.

Three weeks before picking up a crochet hook and some yarn, I would’ve immediately gotten on my phone and fallen into an hour-long doom scroll on Instagram. Not only would I have completely lost my motivation to continue crocheting, but I would’ve yet again surrendered all my time to my phone.

Artistic hobbies, like crocheting, can be outlets to promote positive mental health and improve time management. Crocheting has become my outlet to decompress and increase productivity after a strenuous track workout or grueling math test. 

Two hours and 24 minutes. That’s how long I spent watching Instagram reels each day prior to spring break. Don’t get me wrong, I knew I needed to stop but I never knew how. I tried all the cliche tips: don’t get on your phone in the morning or set screen time reminders, but none of them actually stuck with me. 

That is, until I picked up the simple craft of crocheting.

A 15-minute YouTube video retaught me the basics of crochet, as my mom had originally taught me in third grade, and I had my first fuzzy crimson, tiny octopus cranked out in 30 minutes. Since the completion of my first creation, I’ve made a towel, headband and miniature plant. All in two weeks. Oh, and my daily Instagram screen time? 29 minutes.

The decrease in screen time, specifically Instagram, I found directly correlates to my productivity. Now, when I get assigned a long-term project I work on it that same night instead of waiting until the day before it’s due. The thought of being able to crochet another 10 rows of my octopus or miniature plant motivates me to finish my work. 

The beauty of crochet is the repetitive motion. I get to sit back and let my hands go on auto-pilot while I plan my outfits for the next week or contemplate upcoming club meetings — crocheting is basically my free therapist. 

Crocheting, and all textile crafts, can bring joy to people to clear their minds and fuel their creativity through one fun task. Since picking up crocheting, I can stay focused for longer and stay in a calm mindset even after I finish the next couple of rows on my octopus or towel. 

And I’m not alone in the positive effects I’ve seen from my new hobby, or other kinds of hands-on crafts. According to a 2024 study by Harvard Health Publishing, hobbies that “involve creativity, sensory engagement, self-expression, relaxation and cognitive stimulation are linked to good mental health and well-being.” These feelings of productivity and mental clarity aren’t some fabrication of my mind — they’re scientifically based.

It’s important for me to find a hobby such as crocheting in high school because I won’t do sports forever. I see myself quitting my current “hobbies” like cross country and track shortly after high school, but I’m convinced I won’t quit crocheting. It’s easy to bring my hook and yarn anywhere with me and the activity is inexpensive compared to $250 running shoes.

I could pick up a ball of yarn and a hook sitting in a rocking chair as a 98-year-old woman or on the sidelines of my child’s soccer game. I can’t say the same about running a 3.1-mile cross country course. 

The action of staying dedicated to an artistic hobby for long periods of time helps to build positive mental health through releasing built-up emotions in the repeated task. 

Crocheting isn’t the only hobby that can reap the benefits of mental health and time management. Pick up cross knitting or collage-making on the side, either way, it’s time we all focus on our creative sides and begin an artistic hobby.