If work is boring, life is mundane and cleaning is monotonous, make it a game.
It can turn an ordinary activity into a lot of fun.
A Kid in a Pew
When I was a kid I used to sit in silence in the front pew of a church every Sunday night. My dad was the pastor and thought it was good for kids to be quiet and respectful. It was a bit much to ask of a child, and try as I might I couldn’t focus on everything that was being said.
Some of it was entertaining, some of it was informative, and some of it was downright boring. No matter how much I wanted to pay attention, I was bored out of my skull.
That’s when I decided to make it a game. I’d count how many tiles were in the ceiling or how many people were in the pews or how many pews were in a row. I’d come up with little games about where my dad would stand or I’d try to figure out when he would signal to the organist that it was time to start playing.
It turned an activity that sometimes seemed slow and tedious into a lot of fun. The games I had were pretty simple, but there are a lot of ways to make it a lot more fun.
Make it a Game
If you find yourself stuck doing monotonous tasks, here are a few ways to make them more exciting.
Bear in mind there are tons of ways to make things more fun and a lot of ways to take a task and make it a game. These are just ideas for three fun things to do. You can use them, change them, or come up with your own all together.
- Word of the Day: Come up with a word of the day. Count how many times someone says the word of the day. This is especially great for meetings, conference calls, or telemarketing. You can also use variations where you listen for it in music and read it. It can make a regular day a lot more interesting. Take it up a notch at work by having the loser buy drinks after work or making word of the day bingo.
- Race to Perform: If you work at a job where everyone has similar tasks, like answering calls or making products, why not make it a game? Keep count of how much each person has. Either try to reach a goal for the group or compete against each other. If you want to take it to the next level, why not draw a thermometer on a poster board to keep track of where everyone’s progress? After a week, you can have a prize for the biggest performer or do a special group activity if everyone meets the goal.
- Hidden Puzzle: If you really want to have some fun, try this game. Get a piece of thick card stock and glue a picture to it. Write a clue on the back and then cut it into pieces. 12 should be plenty. Hide the pieces around the office or wherever you are. Have the coworkers or other people involved be on the lookout for the pieces as they go about their day. Once the pieces are found and the clue is solved, have a prize for whoever gets it first.
There are a lot of ways you can enjoy work, life, or an average day and make it a game. These are just a few ideas. The key thing is to have fun and enjoy life to the full.
For more ideas, be sure to check out the blog post on our company site on how to add adventure to your day.
