If you really want to see your friends, stop scheduling time with them.
Earlier this year, researchers from Washington University discovered that scheduling leisure time with friends changed the way people perceived the activities and made them more likely to cancel.
“Looking at a variety of different leisure activities, we consistently find that scheduling can make these otherwise fun tasks feel more like work and decrease how much we enjoy them,” said Gabriela Tonietto, co-author of the study.
The problem, Tonietto notes, is that schedules are too structured making fun feel like a chore. To avoid this she suggests making plans more loosely. “Roughly scheduling a leisure activity does not feel as structured, does not lead leisure to feel more work-like and thus does not reduce enjoyment,” Selin Malkoc, study co-author and associate professor of marketing at Olin Business School, said in a statement.
New York Times writer Verena von Pfetten backs up this claim noting she maintains her interest in events by refraining from scheduling more than two things in a week.
Check out the video above by Buzzfeed for more reasons why you should stop making plans in general.
Do you find having set plans takes the fun out of spending time with friends? Let us know in the comments below.
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