Make it fun, and it will be fun!
Jan 22, 2024
The start of the week is often when we start making to-do lists of everything that we want to do for the week, and it’s normally a long list that can create instant adrenaline and anxiety.
But it doesn’t have to be this way.
Instead, I want you to prioritise having fun and I want to you to see if this positively or negatively impacts your:
- Work relationships
- Work deliverables
- Mood
- Anxiety
- Creativity
- Confidence
There’s a bunch of research into the benefits of having fun at work, and we’ll deep dive into this in later newsletters, however you can read a book called ‘Work Made Fun Gets Done’ by Mario Tamayo, or you can simply test it and find out for yourself.
To get you started, here’s some ways to increase having fun this week:
Start meetings differently:
Instead of talking shop immediately, start by telling them a funny story… you could start by saying something like ‘I don’t know about you but my weekend was so funny, I …<Insert story>’. Or ask them for their funny stories!
If done right, you’ll get a laugh and this typically improves the mood, removes the seriousness of the meeting, and helps get people talking.
Turn a negative into a positive:
Some meetings don’t end well, and some interactions feel awful… so, if that happens, find the funniest person you know at work, or in your personal life, and take them for a coffee or lunch - tell them you need a laugh and they are the first person to come to mind.
Send funny memes or GIFS:
This sounds silly, but years ago when I was managing my team I noticed two colleagues, who were also managing teams, were on edge. So, I did my best to make these teams laugh when things felt serious.
My go to for when projects get frustrated:
And when it’s time to celebrate!
Using humour (where appropriate) we formed a strong leadership group and the mood of the team developed into being really fun - it wasn’t just the panda’s but it was the thing that started the shift.
There are plenty of things you can do too, like work competitions, gamify your work for fun outcomes, go have lunch more this week or watch a few funny movies when you get home.
Either way, make a list of things you want to do that makes this week fun and put them in your diary so you don’t forget.
[If you have a funny GIF you'd love to share, please reply and let us know!]