Meetings. Projects. Tasks. To-do lists. All part of office work life (and wfh), but not exactly inspiring. But what if you found a little time for creative exercises that spark joy? Something that helps you get to know coworkers better, talk about what you’re obsessed with, or share a laugh? I’d argue that’s not a nice-to-have — it’s essential. That’s why I want to share some creative exercises for your team. Work these (or any activities you think of) into your weekly schedule and you’ll reap the benefits.

Zoom background challenges

If you have regular team check-ins, seed one with a prompt and ask everyone to show up with a Zoom background to match that theme. It can be super simple like sharing something fun you did over the weekend, your spirit animal, celebrity doppelgänger, a show you’re watching, or a memorable meal. The possibilities are endless.

Another idea: Find a photo of your dream home office. Photo: Roberto Nickson

Show and tell

Before you meet, ask everyone to bring an item to share. It could be as simple as the most interesting thing on your desk or an object that holds a special meaning and has a story behind it.

Write a story

Sometimes it’s nice to have no homework. For this exercise, choose an interesting illustration. Show everyone that image at the meeting and give them 5-7 minutes to write a story about what’s happening in it. It’s really fun to see where people’s imaginations go and how different our perspectives can be.

Drawing challenges

Writing isn’t everyone’s forte, so mix things up with a drawing challenge. One of my favorites was when we asked everyone to come to the meeting with a movie in mind. We then paired off and each person drew the movie poster for their partner’s movie, regardless if they knew what it was about or not. Another fun idea that might make you wax nostalgic: exquisite corpse.

Superhero trading cards

This one takes a little prep, but has an amazing takeaway. Create a Google Form with a set of fields for each person to fill out. You could ask about superpowers, weaknesses, or fun facts. Design trading cards and unveil the set featuring each individual and their responses. Bonus points if you get them printed and mail out a pack to everyone on your team.

Share inspiration

Ask everyone to share one thing they’ve found inspiring lately. Leave it open-ended. It could be a person, art, book, movie, place, or idea.

This book is inspiring. Check out my review here.

Collaborative playlists

Create a team playlist to discover and share new music. Everyone can share a song or two they enjoy or you can declare a theme for your playlist and see what people come up with. Spotify works best because anyone can become a free user and add to a collaborative playlist.

First and last concert

This is actually pretty amazing if you have a diverse team. Given the last couple years, it reminds everyone about how amazing live music is.

Recipes

Ask folks to share a favorite recipe and a photo of that food. If they don’t spend much time in the kitchen, ask them to share a recipe they found online that looks promising.

Routines

In one of the more rewarding discussions, we had a designer that asked everyone to share their personal routines. Answers ranged from listening to a certain type of music, pounding tea, and some other quirky habits. The discussion even got sidetracked in the best way to share mental health tips and personal philosophies we held.

Pro tips and final reminders

People appreciate variety so make sure to switch things up. Don’t always have a writing focus. Don’t always make people draw. Give parents an opportunity to show off their kids, but don’t think you need to be totally G-rated either. I’m not saying don’t exercise good judgment, but it’s not fun if you’re too careful either. Just be as respectful and inclusive as you can.
It’s best if prep work is minimal so the activities don’t seem like a bunch of homework amidst real deadlines.
Encourage different folks to lead and make sure to gather feedback or suggestions for future sessions. This should be something everyone can look forward to. Make sure everyone is heard.
Leave time for discussion. The best part is getting people to explain a little about what they chose and ask follow-up questions.

Have fun! Every minute of the workday doesn’t have to be serious or so focused on work. In fact, the work will be better because of it.

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10 creative exercises to make work more fun for teams