National Goof Off Day is celebrated on March 22, but one author says goofing off should be a part of every day.
Jason Kotecki, co-founder of The Cure Adultitis Institute and creator of Escape Adulthood — a company meant to help people rediscover the secrets of childhood in order to build better lives — said having fun helps people disconnect from the stress of everyday life.
"Almost every day is Goof Off Day (for me), which is funny because I think people hear this and they think, 'Oh, you’re not taking things seriously,' but there's an awful lot to take seriously in our world today," he said.
"We, as a state, as a nation, have been through really a challenging election season, it continues, (and) there’s just such a divisiveness that sometimes you just need to blow off steam."
National Goof Off Day began with William D. Chase, who created "Chase's Calendar of Events," which has been published annually since 1957.
The idea of National Goof Off Day was jokingly pitched to him by his 10-year-old granddaughter in 1976. The next day, a local newspaper said Goof Off Day was needed.
Kotecki, who is also author of the book, "Penguins Can’t Fly +39 Other Rules That Don’t Exist" agrees, noting he thinks the world is "aching for silliness."
Kotecki said engaging in fun, goofy activities also provides a space for creativity.
"Our schedules and our days are so packed that sometimes our brains need time to just do nothing, which is why you get a lot of your ideas in the shower, because you’re not really focused on anything else and then these ideas come," he said. "So when you’re sort of goofing off and making space to have a little fun, it gives your subconscious mind a chance to solve problems that you’ve been working on in the back of your head."
He said while it’s important to take work seriously, it’s also important to take time to have a little bit of fun, even in a serious job, because it helps you bond with your coworkers.
Kotecki said not only could having fun be a benefit at work, but it's also a way to create treasured memories with loved ones.
"From the personal side, creating memories with the people that you love, that requires out-of-the-box thinking every once while," he said. "Creating memories usually happens outside of that box, outside of the day-to-day life."
Here are some silly suggestions Kotecki recommends for fun today:
- Car dance: He said dancing in the car is a way for fun, it makes people smile. He said when you don't tense up or show that you're uncomfortable, that positive attitude could help other people.
- Dinner with unusual utensils: For dinner tonight, pull out all of the unusual kitchen utensils such as spaghetti forks, spatulas, potato mashers and salad forks. Everyone has to choose one of the utensils and eat their entire dinner with just that utensil.
- "Pajam-Run": If you have children, after about 15 or 20 minutes of them being in bed, go into the kitchen, get pots, pans and wooden spoons, creep down the hallway to their bedroom, open the door, turn on the lights and start banging on the pots and pans yelling "pajam-run!" "pajam-run!" "pajam-run!" Everyone then has to get up out of bed, jump into the car, (still in their pajamas) and go for ice cream.