All Work and No Play (The Business of Fun #5)

Although I love to write, this IS the weekend.

So, rather than writing my “usual” 400-word trend piece, contrasting 1956 with 2016, I’m going to do something that’s easier and more fun…create a simple listicle. More substantial than a popsicle. But hopefully just as sweet and cool. By the way, I posted about listicles earlier this year and how they can be used as business tools.

In any event, here are some ways to breathe some fun into your work life this summer.

1. Become a bleisure traveler and infuse your business trips with fun.
2. Take your summer vacation AFTER the summer.  Here are the best places to go. You’ll find fewer kids too. (I have nothing against children…but mine are grown and I sometimes like to vacation in adultland.)
3. Consider a mid-career break. Start planning it now.
4. Volunteer. (A future blog is going to tackle how fun is returning to the fundraiser but, in the interim, consider getting involved with a local community group’s project. You’ll discover a new way to network while doing good.)
5. Amuse yourself. Rediscover your inner child by visiting one of these places. You might even consider doing something that totally terrifies you — like riding a roller coaster.
6. No one gave you a summer reading list, so create one for yourself. Even if it’s just one book or a new magazine, you’ll learn something new. And how about joining Goodreads? It’s like a book club except you don’t have to hang out with all the members every week.
7. You still have a whole 30 days until Labor Day. If things are slow at work, start that project you’ve been putting off. (Warm weather makes thinking straight more difficult, so be sure to do it in an air-conditioned space or with the cool breezes at the beach blowing on your head.)
8. Register for a conference in the fall. It’s a great season for learning and schmoozing. Or, if you need more fun in your life, pick out a great consumer festival to attend. (Watch for more about the fest trend in an upcoming post.)
9. Laugh. That’s it. Just laugh. Not randomly…at appropriate times. It improves your health, according to scientists.
10. Before the summer ends, take yourself “back to school shopping.” Download one new app to organize your life better or sign up for a class.

And, above all, relax a little this summer!