Positive Playfullness

Incorporate Play into Your Daily Routine

Elevate Your Life with Positive Playfullness

By Chris Dunmire | Posted 2/11/25 | Updated 2/13/25

So, we just took a magic carpet ride through embracing your inner child to begin your journey towards Positive Playfullness. Now, let's explore the next essential step: incorporating play into your daily routine. What might this look like?

By infusing everyday moments with elements of fun and play, you can transform mundane tasks into opportunities for joy and connection. Let's look at easy ways to seamlessly weave play into your day, elevating your overall well-being and enjoyment of life.

Play hacks

Start your day with laughter — Kick off your day with a humorous podcast, a funny video, or a lighthearted conversation with a loved one to set the tone for a fun and playful day. Cats, puns, and your favorite comics will get you rolling.
Take regular play breaks — Schedule short breaks throughout your day to engage in playful activities, such as a quick game of solitaire, a word find puzzle, folding origami, or a walk around the block with a playful mindset. These breaks can boost your mood and creativity while reducing stress.
Gamify mundane tasks — Turn everyday chores or routine tasks into fun challenges by setting time limits, creating point systems, or competing with friends or family members. Try for a streak of adding compliments to everyone you email for the day. Turn an ordinary listicle into an anecdotal experience with an engaging video to elevate interaction. These simple shifts can make mundane tasks more enjoyable and satisfying.
Create playful spaces — Dedicate a corner of your home or office to playful activities, such as a mini-trampoline, an art station, or a cozy reading nook. It's okay to leave your Legos® and other building block models on your coffee table as a work-in-progress you'll get back. These playful spaces can serve as daily reminders to engage in joyful activities.

Play at work

When I entered the corporate world as a young adult, I didn't realize how important play was to energizing my creative battery and making my work-a-day life more fulfilling. I mistakenly thought "adulting" meant being serious and wearing an overly professional persona, mostly as a result of wrestling with impostor syndrome.

One of my first jobs was in technical writing, which doesn't exactly give off a "fun" vibe, but after taking a career assessment, I learned that it was important for me to have an outlet for my creative passions and playful inclinations, whether it was in my job or at home to maintain happiness homeostasis. And nowhere existed the rules for how this needed to happen, so I just followed my instincts.

Soon, doodles and quotes appeared on my whiteboard. I had an interest in origami, so folded paper on my breaks. Next, I added a mini-gumball machine filled with colorful pearls to my desk which made me smile each time a co-worker cranked the knob and released a gumball down the chute. You know the sound! So these little playful indulgences added up, kept me in high spirits, and made work time more fun.

I was ahead of the curve because many companies now realize the value in incorporating play into their office spaces to boost creativity, morale, and employee engagement:

Google: Google is perhaps the most famous example, with their offices featuring everything from ping pong tables and arcade games to nap pods and climbing walls.
Airbnb: Airbnb's offices feature a variety of play elements, including a "peace room" with a waterfall and meditation cushions, a game room with ping pong and foosball tables, and a "creative lab" with art supplies and musical instruments.
Pixar: Pixar's offices are designed to encourage play and creativity, with a giant slide connecting the second and third floors, a "cereal bar" with dozens of different cereals to choose from, and a soccer field.
LinkedIn: LinkedIn's offices feature a "game room" with ping pong tables, video games, and board games, as well as a "jam room" where employees can play musical instruments and record music.
My home office: My work-at-home space is set up in my "creativity" room filled with art supplies, coloring books, building blocks, and other toys which constantly remind me take time for play. I will never again look back on my life and wish I spent more time being serious and working harder at the cost of my well-being.

More play-full approaches

Connect with playful people — Surround yourself with individuals who appreciate the value of play and aren't afraid to embrace their inner child. Playing off one another keeps you sharp and smiles constantly curved. These positive influences can inspire you to incorporate play into your daily routine.
Celebrate small victories — Acknowledge and celebrate your daily accomplishments, no matter how small, with a playful ritual such as a victory dance, a high-five, or a small treat. Pat yourself on the back often.
Embrace active play — Incorporate physical activities into your day, such as push ups on the wall, arms swimming in the air, or squats while you're waiting for the microwave to heat up your lunch. Box like Rocky on your mini trampoline as your workout warm-up. These activities can boost your mood and promote physical well-being.
Cultivate a playful mindset — Approach everyday situations with curiosity, enthusiasm, and a willingness to try new things. Open closed drawers and doors in meeting rooms to see what's in there. You might find something you can use. By adopting a playful mindset, you can transform even the most mundane moments into opportunities for joy and connection.
Practice spontaneous play — Be open to impromptu moments of playfulness, such as dancing in the rain, singing in the car, or engaging in a playful interaction with a colleague. Spontaneous wit and other cleverness smooths the creases in a hectic day. Embracing these moments can foster a sense of joy and connection.

How a simple twist can change your mindset

Kaleidoscope I was in the middle of my morning stack of billing, second cup of coffee in, entering shipping charges into our company's accounting system when my co-worker suddenly popped out of her cube.

With tape in-hand, Talia bee-lined toward a corner in the office and mounted a wooden sign on the wall:

Sometimes when your day isn't going well, you just need a different view and perspective.

Take a look through the kaleidoscope.

What does the kaleidoscope symbolize?

The various colors and forms in a kaleidoscope can symbolize your escape in time of difficulty and self-doubt.

A kaleidoscope constantly generates changing symmetrical patterns from small pieces of colored glass, and therefor a kaleidoscope symbolizes anything that changes constantly.

Next to the words, she hung a toy kaleidoscope to make the installation interactive. Of course, watching all this unfold, I was the first in line to look through it.

Talia became my hero for the week, not only because she reminded me of the Adobe Illustrator Venus icon, but also I love stuff like this. And the timing was perfect as we were closing in on month-end activities and department tensions were rising. And so from that day forward, the kaleidoscope became a powerful visual for transformation and invitation to me when I needed a new perspective.

We all can act like a kaleidoscope to change the scenery. With a gentle twist, we can shift our perspective, attitude, and disposition. Changing our posture, stretching our limbs, or going for a short walk can relieve tension, move energy, and refresh focus.

Yes, a sunny disposition has a way of rubbing off on those around you. And so does a sour one. With that, I'll leave you with some sunshine, a little music, and kaleidoscope twists in the video below:

By incorporating play into your daily routine using these tips and techniques, you'll continue to deepen your connection with the Positive Playfullness approach to living. Spreading a joyful attitude is infectious to those around you and will help foster connection in your relationships.

As you embrace playfulness in your day-to-day life, you'll begin to experience the transformative power of joy and its profound impact on your overall well-being.

Chris Dunmire is the instigator of the life-affirming Positive Playfullness approach to living.