A Guide to Creating Leisure Content on Pinterest

Something I enjoy indulging into deeply during the months in the dead of winter is curating and renovating my Pinterest boards. I have many hobbies and interests surrounding a variety of topics and I’ve always been the type of person who wants to arrange and organize my ideas, dreams, and goals. I thought, why not extend an invitation to join me in the process I use to set goals in a fun and productive way, by dreaming up leisurely goals for 2024 in a way that inspires me to set theses dreams into motion.

Pinterest is my favorite social media platform for a couple of reasons, but the ability to build a feeling out of a lifestyle is the aspect that is most appealing. Travel, cozy comfort, and creativity are huge parts of my life; both in my work and in my personal life. I build boards collecting photos and ideas that encompass these traits and find joy in the excitement it brings. But taking on Pinterest from a creative business and hospitality perspective has made the process even more enjoyable. I have found that by engaging in my Pinterest account for leisure, I have set myself up for accomplishing long-term goals, habits, and productivity in all aspects of my life. Which is precisely why I thought this would make an interesting blog post, who doesn’t love when their interests and hobbies can bleed into their daily lives and positively affects their careers, wellness, and lifestyle.

As I started to break down what this process looks like for me, I recognized I could fit my Leisurely Pinterest habits into four parts that build the foundation of my new dreams, goals, and interests.

Step 1: Establish your theme.

Reflect on your goals and visions for 2024. Do you want to renovate a space by reorganizing or streamlining the appearance of your living space? Maybe you are starting or learning a new hobby, or planning for an event like hosting a gathering or planning a trip. What is the theme, the vibe, the vision, or the dream? Basically, what does this look like for you? Make sure you include a piece of this in your title. For example, if you’re planning a vacation to the lakeside, title your research board or vision board for the trip something that will encourage excitement and motivation, like, ‘June: Lakeside Edition’ or ‘Shoreline Living’ or ‘The Larsons and the Lake’. You get the idea, give a ring to it so that the research, planning and routine that it requires has a stronger appeal to you.

Step 2: Dream up your focus.

Start visualizing what it looks like to you, realistically. This can be the hardest part and the downfall of social media like Pinterest, sometimes the inspo you find is just unachievable given what you already have, your space or time, or your budget. Keep this in mind as you start to collect your images, and consider that there might be bits and pieces or specific details in each photo you find that you focus on, rather than getting in over your head and trying to emulate the entire piece. A perfect example of this coming from me is redecorating a room, let’s say a bedroom. I fall in love with photos of bedrooms on Pinterest so easily because the photos have the perfect accumulation of large windows, an accent wall, a slanted ceiling, etc. But I don’t have the slanted ceiling, or the large window panes taking up a whole wall. Identifying the aspects of the inspiration that simply are not my reality makes room for me to start thinking outside the box, what other ways can I incorporate lighting into my room, or create a similar cozy feeling that a slanted low ceiling provides? I also can the start stripping the photo down to realize what other aspects of it do I like? Do I like the way the way the room is organized, the color scheme, the bedding style? Maybe I like NONE of it, only the aspects of the room itself like the ceiling, walls, and window. Then I can move on and appreciate the photo for what it is but choose not to pin it because it will only reinforce unrealistic expectations and muddy up my other pinned ideas that are more achievable.

Step 3: Collect your ideas.

Once you have narrowed down the type of expectations you have in mind for your focus, start browsing! This is my favorite part, and for anyone who finds themselves constantly online shopping, this is a great habit substitute and allows you to focus on action steps instead of dreaming of buying a new outfit, furniture set, or décor item that will only clutter your space while you are trying to reimagine how you want your space to look. Instead, by focusing that energy into what your long term interests, tastes, and goals are, you can decide later on what is really worth putting money towards. Determining your focus will save you money in the long run, and what you do choose to buy will likely last you longer because you won’t get tired of it, you will have but the time and thought into what you really like, and not just what is trending, what someone else wants, or what you should want. Another unique aspect of browsing for inspiration is that you can identify what you can do yourself. Maybe repurpose something old, create something from scratch, or combine something new with something old to make it unique to yourself. Dream big, while keeping your theme, focus, and realistic abilities in mind.

Step 4: Curate how you will bring them to fruition.

So once you have started to accumulate a small collection, you can start to analyze the common and reoccurring themes, details, or specifics you keep returning to, and start to bring these aspects to life. For example, perhaps a vision you have for yourself in 2024 is reading 50 books. Pay attention to what kind of book content you find yourself being drawn towards, like first off, fiction or nonfiction? Are you reading for pleasure or to learn something new? Do you hope to partake in a book club and find like-minded people to discuss reading with? Or it could be that you just want the freedom to read whatever you want whenever you want to. Are you interested in reading popular books circulating the mainstream, or are you searching for something lesser known? There are so many possibilities, and a number of factors that can help you determine- not just the books themselves. Where are you reading? Are you cozied up on the couch or sitting at a table in the library? When are you reading, during the day or at night, are you eating or drinking anything during your reading experience or buckling down with no distractions? You’d be surprised how much about yourself can be revealed.

I hope that sharing these steps to my leisurely Pinterest process is helpful, inspiring, and motivating. I really believe that this process can help impact your day to day life and help you plan to achieve your dreams- no matter how big or small. Good luck and happy pinning!

Be sure to follow us on Pinterest to see what I'm working on.