What to do
Examine your beliefs about fun
The first step to having more fun is to identify and challenge the limiting beliefs that might be holding you back from experiencing more fun – such as the idea that fun is frivolous or an unproductive use of time. You might have formed these beliefs through years of societal conditioning, family expectations or your work culture. Reflect on the messages you’ve internalised: are they truly serving you? For instance, if you’re engaged in an activity you enjoy and you catch yourself feeling uncomfortable about not checking your email, try unpacking that reaction – why should work be more of a priority than fun in that moment? Similarly, if you feel a sense of guilt while engaging in a pleasurable form of self-care, you might want to examine why unease is being allowed to creep in while engaging in a healthy behaviour.
It might help to reframe fun as an opportunity for growth, a way to encourage a more positive outlook, and a way to find enjoyment in things you are already engaged in. Consider how fun experiences can help you develop new skills, learn more about yourself, and expand your horizons. Recognise that fun is not only about immediate pleasure, but also about creating lasting memories, building connections with others, and enhancing your overall quality of life.
At first, this may seem uncomfortable because you’re not being ‘productive’. If so, recognise this trap and lean into the initial discomfort. It’s normal to feel uneasy about changes in your behaviour, especially if you’ve been conditioned to prioritise work and responsibilities above all else. However, it’s important to remember that fun is generally not an indulgence; it’s a necessary component of a balanced and fulfilling life. If needed, reframe the time you dedicate for fun as an investment in your health and productivity, with the ensuing enjoyment simply being an amazing by-product. Remember, recharging isn’t just for our smart devices and laptops – we need breaks too!
To help you shift your mindset, try journaling about your experiences with fun and productivity. After an enjoyable activity, find a moment to write down any thoughts and feelings that arose while you were engaged in it. Note any moments of guilt or unease. This is an opportunity to challenge your negative beliefs and reframe your understanding of fun as something valuable and worthwhile.
Gradually, as you work on reshaping your beliefs around fun, you’ll begin to see the value of incorporating more enjoyable experiences into your life. You’ll start to recognise the positive impact that fun can have on your mental, physical, and emotional health, as well as your relationships and personal growth. By embracing the importance of fun, you’ll be better equipped to live a richer, more fulfilling life.
Practise activity bundling
Do you find yourself in the ‘time poor’ category (ie, you have limited available free time)? If this is you, discover ways to combine activities to make them more enjoyable – taking full advantage of the time you do have under your control. By pairing routine tasks with things that make them more fun, you can transform mundane chores into engaging experiences.
For example, you might listen to your favourite podcast while doing household chores, turning an otherwise tedious task into an opportunity to learn something new, be entertained, or both. If you prefer music, create a playlist of your favourite upbeat tunes to boost your mood as you clean or cook. Alternatively, consider engaging in friendly competition with a family member to see who can complete a task faster, making the experience more enjoyable for both of you through gamification.
Exercise is another area where activity bundling can work wonders. Instead of working out alone, invite a friend to join you for a walk, hike, or fitness class. This not only makes your workout more social and entertaining, but also provides motivation and accountability, helping you stick to your fitness goals.
Invite family and friends along to things you already want to do, such as going to a museum, attending a concert, or exploring a new locale. Sharing these experiences with loved ones allows you to create lasting memories and strengthen your relationships. Plus, having others involved can often lead to more laughter and spontaneity, making the activity even more enjoyable.
Temptation bundling is a form of activity bundling that uses fun to get the hard stuff done. The idea is to pair a challenging but ultimately rewarding behaviour (over the long term) with an immediately pleasurable indulgence. This is a great way to encourage healthy habits and make the most of your limited time. To practise temptation bundling, identify a task or habit you want to improve and pair it with something you genuinely enjoy. For example, research conducted by Erika Kirgios and her colleagues showed that providing people with ‘tempting’ content (eg, free enjoyable audiobooks) increased their gym visits compared with a control group who didn’t receive the incentive.
As you become more adept at combining activities, you’ll find it easier to maintain a healthy balance between work, leisure and self-care.
Spice things up with variety
Deliberately integrating new and novel experiences into your routine can keep life fresh and exciting. It stimulates your brain by providing a sense of novelty – naturally sparking curiosity and encouraging non-linear thinking. Engaging in novel activities is usually experienced as fun, and it helps you to break the monotony of everyday life.
Embracing novelty and adventure is also a healthy way to combat boredom. To fill free time, many of us turn to ‘passive’ leisure, such as mindlessly watching television or browsing social media. While these things might provide temporary relief, they often have little to no benefit for mental health or, worse, a potential negative impact. Instead, try incorporating new ‘active’ leisure experiences that actively engage your mind and body, such as learning a new instrument, taking up a new sport, or exploring a new city.
One of the benefits of more active leisure is that you will tend to remember the experience in richer detail. Relatedly, encoding new experiences and participating in mastering new skills has been shown to not only increase life satisfaction, but also help prevent cognitive decline by increasing your brain’s cognitive reserve.
To integrate more variety into your life, start by setting aside time each week to try something new. This could be as simple as visiting a new park or cooking a new recipe. Alternatively, you could take on more ambitious challenges, such as learning a new language or signing up for a dance class.
Another way to embrace novelty is by seeking out unfamiliar social experiences. For instance, attend local events, join clubs or organisations, and find ways to meet new people. These encounters can lead to new friendships, a deeper sense of community, and a richer understanding of the world around you.
When planning your weekends or vacations, consider adding a mix of familiar and novel activities. This balance ensures that you enjoy the comfort of your favourite pastimes, while also creating opportunities for new experiences that enhance your perspective.
Explore your options and commit to them
When you proactively think about and create options for fun, you set yourself up for success. You enhance your sense of autonomy and increase your choices, which increases the probability that you’ll actually engage in enjoyable experiences.
Begin by getting curious about the world around you, and exploring the multitude of options you have available for fun. The more you explore, the more likely you are to find activities and experiences that truly resonate with you. If you get stuck coming up with your own ideas, think back to when you’ve felt FOMO (fear of missing out) in the past and consider if the activity that triggered the FOMO is something you would really like to try.
Once you’ve identified some enticing options, it’s time to commit to them by scheduling them. Using the behavioural strategy of precommitment, you increase the odds that these fun options will actually happen. This strategy is as easy as it sounds: start by making plans and setting specific dates for each activity. Put these plans on your calendar, ensuring that you allocate enough time for both preparation, as well as thoroughly enjoying the event or activity when its time comes. Inviting others to join you in the fun can further strengthen your commitment to these plans. When you involve friends and family, it creates a sense of accountability that becomes hard to undo.
To keep your options fresh and exciting once you have come up with them, consider creating a ‘fun jar’ or a ‘fun file’. Write each option on a slip of paper and place them in the jar or on your list. When you’re looking for something new to do, simply draw a slip from the jar or pick an item from your list. This adds an element of premeditation to your leisure time, ensuring that you always have something fun to look forward to.
In addition to precommitting to specific activities, it’s also important to maintain a healthy balance between work and leisure. Establish boundaries that protect your personal time so you can take advantage of your new options. This can range from something as simple as turning off work-related notifications during evenings and weekends, to scheduling regular ‘fun breaks’ throughout your day.
Practise grateful reminiscing
Another evidence-based strategy for increasing joy in your life is practising gratitude. Gratefully reminiscing about fond memories is like gratitude on steroids, and a great way to extend the value of the fun you’ve already had. By taking the time to reflect on your positive experiences, as well as the people in your life who made them possible, you can cultivate a deeper appreciation for the good things in your life, strengthen your connections to others, and boost your overall sense of contentment.
To practise grateful reminiscing, routinely set aside a few minutes to think about past experiences that brought you joy. Consider the people, places, activities and events that contributed to these moments and try to relive the emotions you felt at the time. You might find it helpful to keep a gratitude journal, where you can record these memories and express your appreciation for them. There’s no set prescription for this practice; do it at a cadence that feels right for you.
As you develop your habit of grateful reminiscing, you’ll likely notice an increase in positive emotions, such as happiness, contentment and appreciation. Studies have shown that the benefits of this type of dispositional gratitude include improved mental and emotional health, stronger relationships and increased life satisfaction.
In addition to reflecting as a solitary exercise, consider reminiscing with others, too. Reach out to friends and family members and exchange memories about the good times you’ve shared. This can help to strengthen your bonds, promote feelings of closeness, and create a shared sense of appreciation for the happy moments in your lives. At its best, this strategy can be a welcome nudge to get another get-together on the books to make new memories.
Fun is far from a frivolous pursuit; it is a vital component of a life well lived. As you work through these five steps, you’ll discover the transformative power of fun for yourself. With some practice, the journey towards your fun habit will not only bring you more happiness and satisfaction, but also improve your relationships, enhance your productivity, and support good health both psychologically and physiologically.
