March 22 is officially Goof Off Day. Yep, that’s right, a full day dedicated to goofing off. And while a lot can be said about the importance of hard work and being productive, there is a time for all things, even doing nothing at all. And, you might find that you are refreshed, relaxed and ready to take on your world.
As adults we’ve sort of forgotten how to goof off. Work, family and other responsibilities take over and fun takes a back seat. Some people may find this practice more difficult than others, so while the following suggestions are all good activities for Goof Off Day, some may resonate more with you than others. If you’re one of those that just can’t goof off for an entire day, work it in as you can, as suggested in “the productive goof off.”
The active goof off
These activities recapture some of your youth, when you allowed yourself goof off days. Remember that? Up the goof off factor by having a friend join you.
- Play a round of miniature golf.
- Try out (or re-discover) a hula hoop.
- Burn extra calories by jumping rope
- Go to a park or a big open space and go fly a kite (extra points if it’s homemade).
- Turn up the music and dance around the house.
The couch potato goof off
If you’re already active, it’s okay to take a day off every once in a while. These activities are especially suited to goofing off:
- Sleep in as late as you can, have something completely unlike you for breakfast (ice cream, anyone?), and then stay in your PJs.
- Spend the rest of the morning enjoying a hot beverage of your choice and coloring in a coloring book.
- Call a friend over, order take-out and have it delivered, if possible.
- While you’re enjoying that take out meal, watch a funny classic movie like Ferris Buellers Day Off (it came out in 1983. Yes, it’s a classic). Or binge watch a season of “Seinfeld,” the show about nothing.
The productive goof off
Not everyone has the luxury of taking the day off work, but that doesn’t mean you cant have fun and celebrate anyway! Here are some ideas:
- Wear you brightest, most colorful clothes to work. If you wear a uniform, wear your most colorful socks!
- If you work at home and have professional Zoom meetings to attend, wear your professional clothes on top with some goofy pajama bottoms. You can choose to share with the others, or not. In fact there’s something extra goofy in being the only one that knows.
- Sign all your emails with a silly nickname. I once played in a charity exhibition basketball game (yep, all 5’3” of me) and the name on my shirt was “Scrappy.” Susan “Scrappy” Madden. Hmmm, it has a certain ring to it.
- Entertain your co-workers by juggling stress balls (or whatever your talent is) during your break. Teach others to do the same.
Yes, Goof Off Day is really a thing, and the bottom line is just have fun. There’s even a whole science of fun which suggests that having more fun improves your relationships, makes you smarter, reduces stress and increases energy. The fact is, you don’t need to have a whole day dedicated to having fun, you can weave fun in to your everyday life. And remember to keep it simple, because life is complicated enough!
Leave a Reply