Stuck in a Rut? Make Time for Fun

Do you ever have those days when you’re going through the motions, but not feeling anything in particular? Like, you don’t feel bad necessarily, but not really excited about anything either. I used to feel stuck in a rut like this often. After work, I would tell myself that in order to decompress, I just needed solo time to “do nothing.” But it turns out, this was just an excuse for me to sit on the couch with phone in hand to spend god knows how many hours on social media. I was mostly on Instagram and Twitter, but once that got boring, I’d switch over to Zillow. Let’s see what multimillion dollar properties are available near me, I’d think. I have to laugh at the absurdity of this because evidently, daydreaming about real estate is something other people do too.

While it was sometimes fun in the moment, I would mostly step out of the scrolling fog and feel crappy. Where did all of my time go? How is it dark outside already? It actually never felt good. Do you ever go through periods like this? If so, I have a simple idea for you.

Make time for Fun

One of the most helpful things I did at some point in the last couple of years is make a list of the things that make me feel good. Having a pre-made list is helpful because it not only combats decision fatigue, but when you’re feeling tired and possibly overwhelmed, it can be hard to think of things to do. Kinda like when you’re browsing Netflix and can’t decide on what to watch, having things in your queue can be helpful.

What’s on my list

Looking for some fun and joyful activities to add to your list? Here’s a snippet from mine, in case it inspires you to add anything from it.

1. Go for a walk. It doesn’t matter the weather, dress appropriately and get out there! The fresh air will clear your mind, even if it’s just a short loop around the block. I find that once I’m out there, I tend to stay longer, especially if I’m listening to a fun playlist or podcast.
2. Make plans with a friend. This sounds obvious, but I am actually quite terrible at planning for this. I make a ton of excuses and then feel bad about being disconnected from people I love. So call a friend, plan it in advance, or make it spontaneous!
3. Make a list of restaurants you want to try. I tend to fall in patterns of frequenting the same spots (which is also great for different reasons) but sometimes, it’s fun to mix it up and try something new. Here are a few NYC spots currently on my list. They’re not necessarily new places, just new for me. Double Zero (plant-based pizza), Nabila’s (Lebanese), and Ras (vegan Ethiopian).
4. Go to the farmers market. If you know me, you know this is my happy place. If I’m feeling down or in a rut, all I need to do is strolls the stalls of a market and I immediately remember how sweet it is to romanticize my life.
5. Be a tourist in your own town. Go somewhere in your city where you’ve never been. Look up local events happening near you. Plan to see something at your local theater or comedy club. Visit a museum or art gallery. Get on the email list for a publication like Time Out, if they have a local edition near you. I recently started getting these and was pleasantly surprised by how many fun things I forget NYC has to offer. Sounds silly considering I live in one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, but when you’re living life day to day, it’s easy to take things for granted.
6. Visit your local bookstore. While I was going to college in Miami, one of my favorite pastimes between classes was to go with a friend to Books & Books, where we would grab coffee, a pile of fancy imported fashion and music magazines, and spend the afternoon reading and people watching. Doing this today still brings me back to that feeling of joy and inspiration, but these days my favorite local shops to frequent are McNally Jackson and The Strand.
7. Try a new recipe. If you’re anything like me, you have a pile of great cookbooks sitting on your shelf right now with many untried recipes. Go ahead and bookmark a few pages in one of them right now and make a plan to try them out. I find it’s helpful to actually schedule it in my calendar ahead of time and when it’s possible, I ask Inge to buy all of the ingredients ahead of time, so that my energy can focus on the actual cooking.

As I write this, I’m already feeling inspired to start planning what we’ll be doing for the next few weekends. How about you? Are you good at scheduling fun in your downtime? I am really trying to be better at it, so feel free to leave your ideas in the comments below.

Photo by Edgar Moran on Unsplash.