Life Hacks: How to have more fun
When I was a kid I longed to be an adult. I wanted to be in control of what I would do and when I would do it and I wouldn’t waste time doing the boring things that don’t matter. In my childhood mind, this applied to almost every chore ever invented. I would spend my time “having fun”. As an adult, I’ve found it hard to have fun. I’ve had to relearn what I find fun and then schedule in time to do it, sometimes I even have to remind myself to enjoy it as I do it. Here’s what I’ve learned in my quest to have more fun.
Why is fun important?
Fun is one of the easiest ways to build positive emotions. Emotions are data - telling you there’s something important to pay attention to. I’m naturally wired to find the negative emotions but I need to work a bit harder to find the positive ones. I heard a great analogy the other day that emotions are like the valence on a battery - you need both the positive and the negative to make the battery work and the same is true for emotions. We must experience negative and positive emotions to get the full human experience. Tapping into your positive emotions is a great way to build resilience and well-being. If, like me, you find this a bit harder, giving attention to positive emotions, by prioritising them and scheduling them in, is a great way to increase them.
What is fun for you?
Much like with resilience, what you find fun will be unique. There are a few different models of fun, or “different types” of fun. The “4 Keys 2 Fun” model is the most useful. This model was created by XEO Design and you can find more about it at www.xeodesign.com.
This model builds on our basic understanding of “fun” which can be defined as “enjoyment, amusement or light-hearted pleasure”. This definition best describes Easy Fun or the relaxation of fun. But there is also Hard Fun which presents more of a challenge, Serious Fun which builds on a sense of purpose and People Fun, connecting with others through fun. Dancing is an example which could cover all of the areas - it could be:
Easy Fun - moving to your favourite song
Hard Fun - learning a new TikTok dance
Serious Fun - performing a dance routine on stage
People Fun - dancing with someone else
This is a great time to think about what you find fun across all four keys. Below are some ideas to get you started.
Or personalise a grid and plug your “fun” into the different areas.
Have you got any gaps?
Here’s your challenge:
Take a few minutes to schedule 5 minutes of fun for the next five days. You could pick a different thing each day, or do the same thing 5 days in a row.
Do them.
Reflect on the impact this made. You could use the following prompts:
I noticed …..
I was surprised by …..
I enjoyed …..
From this learning, I might like to …….
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