Let’s be honest. No matter how much you love your job, the idea that you can make work fun is always enticing. And what if I told you that there are proven benefits to bringing fun into the workplace? Sounds too good to be true, and yet it is indeed true.
As a mother of two who works from home, I am fully aware that ‘fun in the workplace’ will look vastly different for someone who works from home as opposed to someone who works in an office. But never-the-less, I’m confident that the tactics in this blog can bring fun into your day regardless of whether your work acquaintances have fur, wear nappies, or are fully grown adults.
Why Is It Important to Make Work Fun?
Firstly, of course, we all want to have more fun at work. It’s not very enticing to picture a workplace that doesn’t bring joy or lightness into your life, especially considering the average person can anticipate spending roughly 92,000 hours of their life working.
When you think of it like that, you might agree with me that fun in the workplace isn’t a luxury, it’s an absolute necessity. The good news is that having fun at work isn’t a recipe for low productivity or negative impacts on a business as we might have assumed. Studies are revealing that it actually packs quite a punch of advantages.
This month, we’re focusing a lot of our content around one of CAFE Life’s values “always the student.” This value speaks to the importance of keeping an open, growth mindset. The eyes of the student see everything as new and curious. They seek to understand, with the attitude of expecting great things ahead. Imagine how good it could be to combine this value with the intention of making work more fun? Suddenly you have the recipe for a vibrant, innovative, and exciting workplace.
The Benefits Of Making Work Fun
Not only will fun increase your levels of work satisfaction, but according to research “it has a positive impact on engagement, creativity, and purpose – increasing employee retention and reducing turnover.” A workplace means more productivity and purpose-driven work. It means you’re feeling more positive about being at work, and therefore, about doing work too.
So set your concerns aside. Here are a few ways that it can benefit you if you make work fun:
1) Having frequent bursts of fun can boost productivity by 12-20%
2) Improves levels of engagement
3) Increased comradery between colleagues
4) Increases job satisfaction
5) Boosts creativity
6) Contributes to a healthy workplace culture
7) Encourages healthy work-life balance
How To Add More Fun To Your Workplace
Now that you know why it’s important to have fun at work, it begs the question, how do you inject your day with fun and light-heartedness? Perhaps you’ve been like me and found that working from home calls for a greater level of creativity towards getting work done and fostering motivation.
After the numerous lockdowns that rendered most of us ‘workers from home’, we’ve even seen organisations make more effort to create alternative ways to connect and cultivate comradery with their team. Rightfully so, because we all know having digital conversations just aren’t the same as having a face-to-face one.
This has even been a major reason for us being called into workplaces. We’ve come in to encourage a healthy workplace culture regardless of the challenge and changes that have occurred to our work environments in the last few years.
I know fun means something different to all of us, but hopefully, you’ll find some of the practices we have listed here helpful in your quest for finding fun. Let’s explore these techniques:
1. First, adopt the mindset of a student.
One that is curious, eager to understand and sees the world through optimistic eyes. Let this mindset become your framework for finding fun, lightness, and ease within your day. This mindset is powerful in every area of your life. If you haven’t yet, I suggest you read our last blog on ‘how to become a student of life’.
The first step:
The most important thing to remember when trying to adopt the student mentality is to encourage a ‘growth mindset’, one that sees challenges as an opportunity to grow and improve. Carol Dweck is a psychologist that has done many years of research around growth and fixed mindsets and the impacts they have on our success.
2. Adjust your perspective.
Your perspective is the window from which you view the world. Choose to look through one that sees delight in all you do. Perhaps you can turn your to-do list into a game where you receive rewards every time you achieve a task. Or maybe you introduce different activities within your breaks that encourage fun. It might even be as small as changing your dialogue from, “I have to…” to, “I get to…”
Perspective is also a key, fundamental pillar within building resilience, which is something all of us need. It also plays a vital role in creating and maintaining a healthy balance in life.
The first step:
Never underestimate the power of shifting your perspective or asking power questions. Some great ones are, “what else am I needing to see here?”, or “how might this look if I were the other person?”
Here’s a short video from us on perspective-taking.
3. Start your day right.
“Winning is a feeling before it is an outcome.” If you start your day with that feeling, it’ll be carried through your day and automatically lightens the load, starts a flow, and makes it easier to have fun. Start your day off by achieving something important that you tend to put off – such as a workout, journaling, meditation, reading, or working on an important project.
The first step:
Always try to prepare for this task the day before. Make it easy to start by prepping anything you might need, such as a yoga mat, running shoes, a book, or setting an alarm. The secret here is to make it as easy as possible to start – the rest will follow.
4. Welcome laughter into your day.
“Those who laugh together can work together.” Never underestimate the power of laughter. Not only does it have various health benefits, but it’s incredibly healthy for your relationships and mental health, too.
The first step:
I love the story that Ben and Ros Zander share in their book The Art Of Possibility. They talk about what they call “Rule No. 6”, which translates into the timeless motto, “don’t take yourself so seriously.” Every time you find yourself slipping into the inevitable mode of seriousness and sombreness, remind yourself of Rule No. 6.
5. Bring music into your day.
More often than not, music accompanies happy moments. It only makes sense then, that it should entice feelings of happiness and fun. Whether it’s incorporated into your breaks, group brainstorm sessions, or to pump you up for the day ahead, music definitely deserves its spot on this list.
The first step:
Why don’t you take a page from our book and make yourself a ‘comeback playlist’? This playlist is all about collecting those songs that really move, motivate, and liven you up. You can use this playlist to pump you up for a presentation, centre yourself after a hard day, or reset your energy.
6. Take intentional breaks.
When you set an intention for your time-out moments, you get the most out of them. Perhaps it’s a chance to do some deep breathing – or go for a walk. Or maybe it’s your moment to have a good conversation with a friend or do a crossword puzzle. Taking breaks, even short ones, will help you avoid burnout and keep you functioning at your best. It also gives you time to do something that you find fun!
The first step:
Write a list of things you consider fun that can be done within the timeframe of your breaks. Keep this list handy to remind yourself and set intentions at the beginning of the day so you know what activity you’re going to engage in that day.
7. Shake it up a bit.
Routine is great. But every now and then, it deserves a little shake up. When you feel yourself being slumped down with the feeling of monotony, it’s a sure sign you need some freshening up in your day.
The first step:
Is there a way you can start your day differently? Or perhaps there’s a different flow you can use within your workday? Or maybe it’s as little as writing your to-do list on post-it notes or adding a vibrant object to your desk.
8. Change your environment.
This is a powerful fun-booster. Almost daily, I find myself moving from my desk to the couch, to the outside table, to the standing desk. It’s a great way to add some variety to your day, encourage creativity, and keep your mind fresh. Couple this with intentional breaks and you’ve got a fresh and interesting day ahead!
The first step:
If you work from home, prep and clear up a variety of spots to make them appealing for you to work in. If you work in an office, take a walk around the building and find some pleasant spots where you can seat yourself for a while. Make an effort to pick up your laptop and move to those destinations.
What Are The Key Take-Aways To Make Work Fun?
While I’m aware that fun means something different to everyone, we’ve considered quite a number of tactics in this blog and I’m sure that if you have the right mindset, you can find a number of them that work for you. Some days will have more fun, others less.
So….
– Become a student of life
– Stay conscious of broadening your perspective
– Start your day right
– Welcome laughter into your day
– include music and melody
– Take intentional breaks
– Shake up the routine
– Change your environment
It’s important you remember there’s an ebb and flow to all that we do, and you need to allow space for this. But whenever it’s in your control, bring fun into your day and liven up your work life. We only live once, and I’d hate to live just for the weekend when every day can be a joy.
It's Time To Become Playfully Engaged With The World Around You .
CAFE Life’s published book Playfully Engaged rekindles a curiosity and positivity in your heart, allowing you to approach both life and work with a lightness in your step.
