Two Points Better
How I’ve been engineering more fun this summer, one deliberate upgrade at a time
Lately I’ve been obsessed with a simple question: what would it take to make my days two points more fun?
With clients, I’ll often run an exercise where we get a clear read on two things: the life they’d feel best in, and their current effort toward it. If fun is central to your most aligned life and your effort right now is a 5 out of 10, we have work to do. We don’t need to do an overhaul, but we do need to begin closing the gap.
Most days, my life already feels pretty aligned. But summer makes me want to nudge the fun number higher. I don’t feel like anything’s wrong, but I definitely want to plus it up some. So that’s what I’ve been doing, two points at a time.
The Lunch Loop
Meeting friends at a mano is my go-to for a perfect afternoon. I start with insalata mista or burrata, depending on my company. I’ve eaten enough of the lunch menu to know the pesto rigatoni is the order. It reheats exceptionally well, which I value more than I probably should. And on a hot day, nothing beats a green eyes mocktail.
From there, the day writes itself. A short walk to the Bar Premio for coffee, or across the street to 3 Parks for a glass of wine. Then down the Beltline, through Ponce City Market, before looping back to a mano to hop in my car. Some of my best +2 days are nothing more than this loop with a friend who's never done it before
A +2 Dinner Party
A few weeks ago, I took my +2 up a notch. I went out of my way for fresh Amber Kaluga caviar from Smokehouse, invited friends over, and then did something that took actual discipline: I didn’t cook. I wanted to. Instead, I ordered one of everything off the Lewis BBQ menu and let them handle dinner. We drank a crisp vinho verde, still one of my favorite summer wines, and I was reminded that the point of inviting people over isn't to always impress them with dinner. Turns out, lowering the effort was the +2.
The Missing Two Points
I spent a few days in the woods this summer, which counts.
But it’s almost criminal that I haven’t seen a single piece of art since June. I’ve been eyeing a Lauren Halsey tee that almost counts, and I did buy one from Sculpture Milwaukee. These are very small moves, but they make it clear where my next +2 needs to go.
And this is what I love about this exercise: it doesn't ask you to reinvent your life. It simply asks you to pay attention. Where could you use a little more effort? Where have you let something you love slip? Then try to close the gap by a point or two.