This week’s theme is all about fun, and how to have more of it. 

It’s easy to think of fun as a “nice to have,” but here at focused space we honestly think it is essential. On our own team, we weave fun into all of the projects we do — whether that’s creating these weekly themes, designing sessions for you, or even building the app.

Far from being a distraction, fun helps us stay motivated, get creative, and also connect with one another! We hope that some of our internal culture of fun comes across in what we bring to you, too 😊

Aside from the benefits that having fun has on productivity… it’s also one of the most beneficial things we can do for our mind, body, and spirit.

The physical and psychological benefits we gain from living a joyful life include: reduced stress, improved immune function, and having more energy throughout the day. All great things.

One thing we strongly believe here at focused: we are more than just workers or cogs in a machine, and we deserve to experience all the joy that the world offers. Especially so when things feel hard or scary. Having fun is a gift you can give yourself, and the people around you, too. 

Drawing from research in Catherine Price’s book called “The Power of Fun," we're bringing you insights you can use to make the week ahead feel a lot more joyful.

First, examine your beliefs

I want to start by highlighting that you don’t need to wait until things are a certain way before you allow yourself to have fun. 

It doesn’t have to be dependent on what’s happening around us. Rather, it’s an internal energy shift — a way of moving through the world that’s not so dependent on external circumstances.

Before we get into strategies to have more fun, I encourage you to examine your beliefs about fun. 

Do you have any preconceived notions about having fun? Do you feel like you can only have fun when certain conditions are met? Do you feel like you deserve to have fun?

These might feel like heavy questions, but we think they are worth exploring.

Here are a few ways to shift your mindset to have more fun:

• Be open to new experiences: Say yes to unexpected opportunities for fun 🤡

• Find joy in the ordinary: Look for fun in everyday activities, such as turning tasks or chores into a game 🎯

• Practice Gratitude: Take a moment each day to find one thing, no matter how small you are grateful for ❣️

• Surround yourself with people who make you feel good and help you shine your light brighter 💡
  
  

Invite Playfulness

Playfulness isn’t about playing games. It’s more like a quality of lightheartedness that allows you to do things in everyday life just for the pleasure of it. 

Studies show that playfulness can be stimulated by simply looking for ways to be more playful, and that playful people are better at managing stress.

Playfulness is that spirit of lightheartedness and freedom, where you’re not thinking so much about everyday responsibilities, but instead fully engaged in whatever you’re doing.

Ideas to invite more playfulness:

• Play with paint 🎨

• Explore the forest or nature in some way 🌲

• Cook something new 🧑‍🍳

• Make a playlist with your favorite songs and have a daily dance break 🎶

• Throw a frisbee around 🔴

• Go for a bike ride 🚲

• Skip throughout your house 🏡

• Sing to your favorite song 🧑‍🎤

The specifics of what brings you joy will be highly individual. We all have different places, people, and activities or common factors that spark us up — so if nothing on this list inspires you, we suggest you create a list of your own!

As you move throughout your day today, here’s a question: what’s one way you can invite in a bit more lightheartedness, and do something just for the pleasure of it?

Find Connection

Connection is about having a shared experience with another person or thing. It could be a connection to nature, an activity you love (like drawing), an animal, or another person. 

Connection happens when a person “joins together with someone (or something) while at the same time feeling totally themselves.”

When is the last time you felt connected to someone else, or something you were doing? What are some ways that you like to tap in and feel connected? 

A few ways to tap into connection: 

• Practice Mindfulness: Mindfulness can help you reconnect with your body and mind and improve awareness of your surroundings 😌 Here is a blog post that our host Darya wrote recently about mindfulness if you’d like more inspiration about that.

• Be present and be yourself: Practice active listening and give your full attention during conversations 👂

• Express Gratitude: Regularly express appreciation to yourself and those around you 💗

• Find activities you enjoy: Engage in activities that both you and others enjoy, fostering mutual interests and stronger connections 🚲

• Open Up: Be willing to share your thoughts and feelings, creating a deeper emotional connection 👐
  
  

Find Your Flow and Break Routine

Flow describes the state of being fully engaged and focused, often to the point that you lose track of time. 

It’s important to note that flow is an active state.

The hypnotized daze we fall into when we binge-watch Netflix or go on our phones doesn’t count. (In fact, researchers call mindless absorbing activities “junk” flow.) Not that these activities don’t sometimes soothe us. We aren’t trying to phone-shame here! We do it too!

But when we’re talking flow, we’re thinking more like… an athlete in the midst of a game, or a moment in which you were totally focused on a craft, or absorbed in a conversation with someone you care about.

To find your flow this week, we suggest choosing an activity that you find intrinsically rewarding that you become immersed in, as this is the most likely to trigger the flow state. Some examples could be cooking, gardening, hiking, running, swimming, gaming, yoga, painting, and crafts.

How to get into flow state

• Choose an activity you enjoy: You're more likely to achieve flow if you’re doing something you enjoy

• Avoid multitasking: Multitasking can make you less productive and cause mistakes, so focus on a single task

• Reduce distractions: Put your phone in the other room if you can do without it  ✨

• Break routine: Challenge yourself to make sure you are in a state of stimulation and not boredom. For example, take a different route on a walk, or pay a compliment to a stranger when you might normally stay quiet — invite a little low-stakes, playful chaos into your life to stay engaged 😜 
  
  

Put fun on your calendar

First, find your “fun” magnets. Identify the activities, settings, and people that often generate fun for you. 

Once you know that…we suggest putting fun on your calendar — it can be hard to plan for fun, because fun is an emotional experience that can’t be forced.

It is possible, however, to make fun more likely to occur by carving out time for it. For instance, I know that I have a great time when I play music with a particular group of friends, so I make time for it.

And our last idea: find fun in small doses, aka “microdosing” on fun.

If you’re home alone and feeling stumped, ask yourself whether there’s anything you’ve always said you wanted to do or learn but didn’t have time for. There are lots of great tutorials on YouTube! And that can actually be a pretty nourishing way to use your phone time 😜

Remember that fun is all about releasing our attachment to the outcome! What is something you can do today just for fun? 

I hope you enjoyed this post, and I look forward to seeing you around some of our sessions this week!

— Megan, focused space host