Fit More Fun Into Your Day

“The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct.” – Carl Jungr
Our days are filled with productivity, and this can sometimes sap us out of leisure and playfulness and lead us farm from the spontaneity we had as children. Although the weekend is our outlet after a full week, fun doesn’t always have to wait until Friday evening. There are many ways to anticipate short breaks in your day where pleasurable activities can be worked in.
The idea here is to schedule these acts just as seriously as you would a lunchtime meeting or a doctor’s appointment. Once you get the hang of it, you will see how, magically, fun is no longer elusive but always attainable.

1. Short breaks, five minutes or less:

Plan a lunch dater
Rest your eyesr
Daydream a short adventure or idealized vacationr
Plan something fun for the weekendr
Stand up through your next phone callr
Listen to musicr
Take your shoes off and wiggle your toesr
Make a quick call to your kids at the babysitterr
Go out of your way to compliment or praise a colleaguer
Browse an online art magaziner
Look at travel sitesr
Walk up and down several flights of stairs at workr
Invest in some of those desk toys you see in the moviesr
Practice your best joke on someoner
Splash some water on your neck and face

2. Breaks of up to 30 minutes:

Organize a treat for a loved one: flowers, a love note to be slipped into a pocket, or a phone call instead of a textr
Browse through a local bookstorer
Picnic in a parkr
Browse online for small gifts for friendsr
Walk up and down all the hallways at work
Have breakfast with someone before workr
Ride double on a biker
Read a great book for just half an hourr
Rearrange the furniture in your roomr
Start a blog about something you cherishr
Take the long way home so you can appreciate the sceneryr
Explore a new hobby that requires very little time investment: knitting, Smartphone games, etc.
Take a walk in the park during lunchr
Subscribe to a well-written magaziner
Learn a new language at a relaxed pace

3. Weekday evenings often have pockets of up to 2 hours of time just waiting to be taken advantage of:

Take a walk in the woodsr
Watch the sunsetr
Trade amateur masseuse skills with your familyr
Test drive an expensive sports carr
Perfect a cooking techniquer
Join a club that meets weeklyr
Eat a breakfast meal for dinnerr
The next time you put something off, do it nowr
Get a salon makeoverr
Prepare brand new, ethnic recipesr
Invest in board gamesr
Learn to scrapbookr
Make a bucket listr
Work at an animal shelter walking dogsr
Plan a weekend getawayr
Get back in touch with old friendsr
Play a round of Mad-libs

Just a little creative planning can infuse your week with pockets of cheer!