When was the last time someone asked you what you do for fun? Not what you do for work. Not what you do to stay healthy. Not what you do to advance your career. What you do … just for fun? If you can’t remember, try these tips for how to find time for fun as a lawyer this summer.
Somewhere Along the Way in Our Busy Lives, Fun Became Optional
We work. We handle our responsibilities. We exercise because we should. We spend time with loved ones. We network because it’s good for business. We read to learn. Even our hobbies often come with a goal attached — run a race, knit a sweater, finish a painting.
There’s nothing wrong with being productive. The problem is that many of us have become so focused on responsibilities and goals that we’ve forgotten how to have fun.
Some of us (me included) can readily admit that we don’t have as much fun as we used to, even though we recognize that having more fun would make our lives better. Even if you feel like you have plenty of fun, it’s worth asking yourself a few questions to determine if you are more fun-deprived than you think.
- Can you remember the last time you completely lost track of time doing something you enjoyed?
- Do most of your activities have a purpose attached to them?
- Do you feel guilty or like you are wasting time when you’re not being productive?
- Have you ever described yourself as bored, restless or stuck, even though things in your life are generally going well?
If you answered yes to any of those questions, you may be fun-deprived.
5 Ways to Find Time for Fun as a Lawyer
Fun plays an important role in our well-being.
For those of us constantly handling work that requires responsibility, analysis, and risk management, the mental break that fun provides is important for our well-being. Research has linked enjoyable recreational activities to lower stress levels, improved mood, stronger social connections, and greater resilience. Fun gives our brains a chance to focus on something other than solving problems, managing deadlines, and meeting expectations.
Here are five ways to add a little more fun to your life this summer.
1. Revisit Something You Loved as a Kid
Before law school, before careers, before never-ending responsibilities, most of us had activities we enjoyed simply because they were enjoyable. Think back to your childhood. Did you like riding your bike? Drawing? Dancing? Acting? Playing sports? Building things? Exploring the woods?
Children don’t ask whether an activity is productive. They do things because they are interesting, exciting, or enjoyable. As adults, we often abandon those interests in favor of activities that seem more practical.
This summer, revisit something you once loved and maybe you’ll discover it still brings you the same joy.
2. Give Yourself Permission to Be Bad at Something
We spend much of our professional lives trying to avoid mistakes and be competent, prepared, and knowledgeable. That’s really important for our work, but when it comes to fun, it can make it difficult to try new things. Because many of us like to avoid looking foolish or inexperienced, we avoid activities we might enjoy because we’re concerned about how we’ll look doing them.
But lots of really fun activities require us to be beginners first. And that beginner experience can be good for our brains too. When we try new things, our brain triggers dopamine, boosts neuroplasticity, and builds cognitive reserves, which keep us adaptable, resilient, and sharp.
We don’t need to be good at something to enjoy it, even if we don’t initially feel that way. To the contrary, some of the most enjoyable experiences come from doing something purely for the experience rather than the outcome – regardless of whether we are great at it or not.
So, take that dance class. Join the recreational sports league. Try painting. Learn to play an instrument. Anything you’ve wanted to do but never tried before!
3. Stop Turning Every Hobby into a Project
High achievers have a tendency to optimize everything. The casual runner starts training for a marathon. The amateur photographer starts researching equipment and entering contests. The person who enjoys baking starts thinking about opening a business. Before long, the hobby begins to feel like work, and the fun seeps out.
Not every activity needs a goal. Not every interest needs to become a side hustle. Sometimes it is enough to do something simply because you enjoy doing it.
This summer, consider choosing one activity that has no purpose beyond enjoyment. No performance metrics. No measurable outcomes. No self-improvement. Just fun. Here are some ideas:
- Stargaze
- Build a fort with your kids
- Play mini-golf and don’t keep score
- Read a novel
4. Say Yes to Experiences
When life gets busy, it is easy to default to passive entertainment. We sit on the couch, scroll through our phones, or watch a show. There is nothing wrong with quiet downtime, but fun often comes from participating in activities rather than watching others participate. So, when given the opportunity, say “yes” to an experience.
Attend an outdoor concert. Visit a local festival. Take a weekend road trip. Go kayaking. Get a nature fix. Try an improv class at your community theater. Take a cooking class. The specific activity matters less than your willingness to engage with something new.
5. Schedule Fun Before Your Calendar Fills Up
We sometimes use fun as a reward for our work. Once this trial is complete. Once that transaction closes. Once the work is done, then I’ll relax and have some fun. The problem is that work is never completely finished. There is always another deadline, another email, another task waiting for our attention.
Instead of using fun as a reward for completing your responsibilities, treat enjoyable activities the same way you treat other important commitments: Put them on your calendar. Protect the time. Follow through. Even if you don’t know exactly what you’ll be doing, schedule in “fun time” and figure it out when the time comes.
While we may think of fun as something to do when the work is complete, it’s actually an important part of our physical, emotional, and mental well-being. Summer offers a natural opportunity to step outside your normal routine and reconnect with activities that bring you joy — or try totally new activities, just for fun.
Here’s to a fun summer!
Featured Image Licensed under the Unsplash+ License
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