Day 7: Make Time for Fun

I’m a hard worker. I take on lots of responsibility. I get up early to write novels (or this blog), I’ve trained for marathons, and you know what? All work and no play is detrimental to my well-being. Always being on the go and never stopping to have fun not only isn’t healthy, but it makes me a party pooper! Here are some ways to overcome that.

Make Time for Fun

Each spring, my family and I have a “pink confetti party.” We have a cherry blossom tree on our front lawn and invite some friends over for a barbecue. We’ll get everyone on the front lawn, we share something that we’re happy about and then shake the tree so that the cherry blossoms fall all over everyone.

It’s a lot of fun.

Over the years, we’ve added some fun things to the party. My favorite is buying some color powder packs, giving out white t-shirts, and then having a free-for-all color fight.

We got the idea of doing the color packs after having participated in a 5k Color Run a few years back. Thousands of people came out for the race, and at the end, you have a color powder fight with thousands of people. Not only did the kids have a blast, but my wife and I did as well.

The family that plays together, stays together.

Games, Games and More Games

I love playing games. Growing up, I played Dungeons & Dragons, Atari video games and lots of board games (Clue, Monopoly, etc.). Now that are kids are older, we can finally play more complex games (not that there's anything wrong with Candyland, but I did get tired of it).

If you’re looking for a great game to play with friends or family, I highly recommend Settlers of Catan. I love that game and there are lots of expansions with it. You try to build settlements on a map and trade with players for resources (sheep, wheat, ore, wood, and brick).

You’ll have hours of fun over the years in playing the game—though you might get into some tense battles over people who refuse to trade with you. Personality clashes might happen, so be warned!

If you don’t have a lot of money or want to play a game right now, then give the card game Goop! a try. Many, many years ago (the article I wrote about the game is from 2002!), friends of ours taught us this card game. The best way I can describe it is by saying that it’s like solitaire that you play with other people. All you need are at least four people and a decks of cards for each person.

Get Outside and Enjoy

If games and having a party isn’t your thing, then why not get outside? Being an introvert, I find that running on my own is a great way for me to deal with stress and my problems. I run without music and like to just be outside. The good news is that the sport is pretty inexpensive. All you need are some good running sneakers and some comfortable running clothes and that’s it. (Seriously, be sure to get fitted at a store so that you get the right type of sneaker. If you’re serious about running, get a half size larger than normal as your feet swell during a long run.)

And if you’re not into running, then go for a long walk. I love walking on a beach or going for a hike. If you can’t get away from the city, then just get out and walk. I recommend bringing no music with you and keeping your phone off. Sometimes fun doesn’t have to be loud and with other people. Enjoying yourself can be simply that—spending time with your thoughts and enjoying the world around you.

Read and Sneak in a Nap

Grab a book and read. Or better yet, write books as I do! For me, there’s nothing better than going to read up in bed. I’ll tell my kids that I’m “going to read” and I’ll do so for a few minutes and then take a nap. Since I am up so early each day, a nice 20-30 minute nap in the middle of the day not only makes me less cranky, but I get to chill out and relax.

Nearly a quarter of Americans don’t read books. I find that to be amazing. Still, reading isn’t for everyone. But if you’re not really into reading books, then I’d recommend trying out an audiobook. If you don’t have time to read, then you can do other things while listening.

Spontaneous Fun

In need of some ideas, to help you have some fun? Start a spontaneous water fight in the summer or have an indoor “snowball” fight if it’s cold outside.

Play charades with your friends. Or if it’s just your adult friends hanging out, take the cards from Cards Against Humanity and play Pictionary with them (seriously, Cards Against Humanity is not for the timid and definitely not for kids).

Or one of my favorite times I’ve had is having friends over and breaking up into two teams and holding an Iron Chef like cook-off. You’ll have a lot of fun with friends, and it’ll be a blast.

There are some many things to do to have fun. If we work so hard and don’t take time to relax, then we’ll just be miserable (and no one will want to be around us).

So, take some time to play with your kids or your family. No matter if it’s a card or video game, cooking together, or spending time on your own to watch a movie or going on a bike ride, there’s a whole range of fun activities to take part in.

What are you waiting for?


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