Page Title

Imaginology:  An Instant Rx for Play

January 25, 1999

Lost your ability to play?  Stuck in a rut?  Here are are some fast, easy ways to add unexpected fun to your life.

*Explore new territory.  On a day when you are not pressed for time, drive home by a different route.  You might seek a diversion like stopping by a park and feeding the ducks, walking or running, watching the sun set, admiring a tree, or taking the time to observe a detail of nature.
*Take the little kid within you shopping and spend ten dollars or less on something you usually would not buy for yourself because it is impractical.  Give yourself time to browse and find a treasure that you just want even though you know you don't need it.  Enjoy your new purchase.
*Look up an old friend from the past; call, write a letter, or visit your friend to renew contact.
*Go someplace you have always been curious about but never explored.  Here are some ideas:
*A sculpture garden
*A water park
*A fire station
*An unusual restaurant
*The top of a high-rise building
*A quiet country road
*A historic cemetery
*A flea market
*Choose an activity that you enjoy so much that you have a tendency to "get lost" in it and forget about the clock.  It might be gardening, fishing, sailing, or an engaging evening with friends.  Disregard the "acceptable" amount of time you "should" spend on this activity and allow yourself the freedom to enjoy yourself without time constraints.
*Take an overnight mini-vacation on a weekend, but don't preplan, make reservations, or decide on a route.  Choose an off-season time to try this without the pressure of overbooked hotels.  As you travel, use your intuition and feelings to decide where to go, how long to stay, where to eat, and what to spend time on.  Practice spontaneous thinking as you make your adventure happen.
*Do something you really enjoy but haven't done since you were a kid:
*Fly a kite
*Play hopscotch
*Jump rope
*Carve watermelon teeth
*Eat a banana split
*Make a slingshot
*Drag out an old musical instrument
*Blow bubbles with soap or bubble gum
*Go to a video store and rent two or three travel videos for a "Vacation Evening at Home."  Pick up some ethnic take-out food on the way home to complete your evening.  Who knows?  It might even inspire you to call your travel agent the next day!"

Reference: McGee-Cooper, A. (1994).  Time management for unmanageable people.  p.150.  New York: Bantam Books

* Time Management for Unmanageable People is available on loan at the OSU Extension Leadership Center.  A listing of all the Leadership Center's resources is available on our website www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~leaders

Back to Top >

Created: 2009-01-06, Updated: 2009-01-18