January 22, 2025
Being spontaneous can be good for you. 6 ways to drop the plans and play it by ear.

Being spontaneous can be good for you. 6 ways to drop the plans and play it by ear.

Who has free time between work, chores, and the constant expectation of being available online or via text? And if you’re a parent, the added full-time job of raising children makes it easy to feel like you’re within an inch of your life’s schedule. In fact, a 2023 OnePoll survey distributed by CBS found that six in 10 Americans feel they don’t have enough time to do everything they need to do in a day.

Because it’s so fully booked and busy, there aren’t many opportunities for spontaneous activities, like grabbing a drink with a friend you just ran into, or just escaping from your daily routine. But some unplanned time has benefits, such as reducing stress, experts say. And incorporating some spontaneous moments into your day can be easier than it sounds. Here’s what you need to know.

What even counts as spontaneity?

According to Edward Slingerland, who literally wrote the book on spontaneity (Trying Not to Try: Ancient China, Modern Science, and the Power of Spontaneity), it means “doing something in a way that isn’t forced or overly thought out,” he tells Yahoo Life. “That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s silly, it just means it’s not overly strenuous.” A spontaneous activity can be something as exuberant as a last-minute trip. But for most people, it’s as simple as some unscheduled time on your or your family’s calendar, says Slingerland, who is also a professor of philosophy at the University of British Columbia.

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What spontaneity is not, however, uses that unstructured time to scroll. “I think the biggest barrier to spontaneity is the smartphone, because it grabs your attention,” says Slingerland. “A lot of spontaneity is actually internal,” he adds. Our minds need time to wander, or simply be free from the distractions of social media or news articles, he explains.

The benefits of spontaneity

Scheduling every hour may seem like the way to be our most productive selves, but that’s not necessarily the case, experts say. “We are often optimal when we are not trying to be optimal,” says Slingerland. “And trying too hard actually leads to worse results than just relaxing; There is a lot of modern psychological evidence to support that.”

Being spontaneous can also help keep your brain healthy as you get older. “When we do something new and novel, our brains need to be as fully present as possible,” says Katina Bajaj, a psychologist and co-founder of Daydreamers, a platform aimed at promoting creativity. “It really helps us build these new neural pathways that… should increase the density of the brain, which helps us as we age.”

In the shorter term, unscheduled time and new, unplanned activities can help alleviate the stress of a busy schedule, while at the same time making us better at dealing with unexpected challenges. “The more we do new and exciting things, the more we can draw on that knowledge and confidence” that everything will work out, even if things don’t go as planned, Bajaj says.

And most importantly: according to science, it’s simply more fun to be spontaneous. Research has shown that people simply enjoy activities more when they are unplanned. “If we give ourselves that moment to say ‘anything goes here’… we can have more fun while we’re doing it,” says Bajaj.

6 ways to be more spontaneous

Ready to play it by ear? Try these tips.

Put down the smartphone

As mentioned earlier, simply putting your smartphone away is a good first step. Your standard distractions won’t be immediately available, making your mind more open to whatever comes to mind at that moment. If you do this in a structured way, it may be easier to maintain, says Slingerland. For example, his 18-year-old daughter has self-imposed “smartphone fasting,” setting fixed times when she doesn’t use the device every day. “We can make rules that… [later] help us be more spontaneous,” says Slingerland. “My current self can help my future self by taking certain steps.”

Go for an ‘awe walk’

But if that doesn’t meet your definition of ‘spontaneous’ a bit, try an awe-inspiring walk, suggests Bajaj. Instead of plotting a careful route, she says, pay attention to what you see and let your curiosity guide you. Experiencing awe at the sight of unexpected beauty or detail “really rewires the brain,” says Bajaj. “It allows us to be more present in everyday life, and that extends our experience [of time].”

Reserve a day for adventures

If possible, block off one day a week (ideally a day when there is no work, school, or other obligations) solely for spontaneous activities. Consider the following: explore a neighborhood near you where you haven’t spent much time yet; go for a walk; play the board game that’s calling your name. Or maybe just take a nap. Slingerland says he and his partner set aside one day a week to do whatever they feel like — and sometimes that’s just cuddling up for a nap.

Complete the sentence ‘I miss…’

When you have a few free hours, think about how you usually spend your time. Then think about how you would do that like to spend it, and the things you miss in a less busy era, suggests Bajaj. Try those things now! If you miss dancing, all you need are headphones and a good playlist. If it is a friend, give him a spontaneous call.

Say yes to last-minute invitations

While scheduling some unscheduled time is a good way to build your spontaneous muscles, you’ll get the most reward from letting spontaneity happen. The next time a friend invites you to a movie or a drink at the last minute, go for it and don’t decline the invitation because you still have too many things on your to-do list.

Eat more adventurously

Try a new restaurant without poring over online reviews (or deciding what to order in advance). Instead, try just driving around (or, better yet, walking around in awe) until you see a spot that looks good, Slingerland suggests. “Maybe it will suck, and then you won’t go there anymore, but we have to be careful of wanting everything to be optimal,” he says. “Sometimes it will be suboptimal, but at least you haven’t read any reviews for an hour.”

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