As the parent of four young children, I have the unique pleasure of being surrounded by people who spend the vast majority of their wakeful hours playing.
My simple observation is that playing looks like a lot of fun and that it would be a shame if we compressed it all into the first 10 years of our lives.
Adults should play, too.
A 2019 study in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships demonstrated that play isn’t just good fun—it’s good for you. Daily play improves mood and helps us cope with the ordinary stressors of life, especially when done with a friend.
If you’re the kind of person who takes life seriously or ends the day with tension in your muscles, adding play to your life could be a real and positive change.
It doesn’t have to be complicated.
Being too intentional with your play could strip the fun away and leave you with just another item on your to-do list. Don’t get me wrong, any new habit takes a bit of effort, but one of the keys to play is to release your inhibitions and tap into the impulsive, improvisational side of yourself.
6 Ways to Add Play Back Into Your Life
The list I’m about to share is a mix of ways to simply add more fun into your life—and make the things you normally do more playful. It’s quite personal to me, but I’m hoping it inspires you to think along new lines.I could easily make a list that only consists of fun hobbies and say “Go do more of these things,” but in adult life, there are countless things to get done—so learning to do these activities with a spirit of playfulness is a great skill to develop.
1. Adopt an Attitude of Exploration and Experimentation
More than anything, play is a mindset. It’s one driven by curiosity and interest—trumping the desire to be productive or develop yourself. A good first step is to learn to recognize when something draws your interest and make space to follow that impulse as far as it will go. Perk up when you hear someone talk about something interesting and seek out more about it.2. Spice Up Your Day With Spontaneous Exercise
Who says the only way to be healthy is to schedule a workout and grind it out? My regular fitness routine consists of a long daily walk, which I love, and sets of pushups sprinkled in throughout the day—wherever I feel inspired. Sometimes, I’ll even finish my walk with a few minutes of running with no other goal than the enjoyment of moving faster.3. Challenge Your Task Efficiency
Gamification is the act of adding rules and structure to normal activities so that they feel more like playing a game. Sometimes, I’ll set a timer and try to reply to every email in my inbox during that time. Or I'll set a timer and see if I can clean the whole kitchen before it goes off. Adding a small element of challenge to an activity keeps it from being mundane.4. Wait for It
Kids love doing “work-like” tasks when it’s their idea. I see it all the time with my children—they will get the idea to clean up a room, organize a closet, or surprise their parents by doing a chore. But ask these kids to do those tasks and it’s like pulling teeth to get them to follow through.It’s possible to tap into this effect of acting on ideas as an adult by not over-structuring your day. Making a long list can suddenly feel like too much work. Instead, wait for the inspiration to hit, then jump right in and make progress on whatever looks interesting at that moment.