5 Ways to Get Your Friends Off The Couch

Simple tips for motivating your friends (and yourself) to go outside and have an adventure.

Let me tell you a quick story.

A few weeks ago, I was hanging out with some friends. Nothing too exciting, just sitting around surfing the channels trying to find a rerun of something to watch.

Boring.

The longer we all sat there, the more bored we all became, obviously. After a while, one of my friends sat up, looked around and told us she couldn’t take this lazy atmosphere for one second longer.

“Let’s play a game.”

A game? Oh, please. After some mumbled complaints, we all reluctantly agreed.

Want to know what happened that night? Perhaps the most memorable night of my entire college career.

There are few things in this world that bond you and your friends more quickly than playing a scavenger hunt style game with made up rules that make no sense to anyone when I try to explain it.

It was one of those “you had to be there” experiences.

But whether you were there or not, I can tell you one thing for sure: not one of us at any point during the night said “Wow this is lame! We should have watched a movie instead.”

It’s a lot easier to make memories when you’re out experiencing life.

I know this isn’t something that’s happened to just me. We’ve all been there right? You’re bored and can’t think of anything else to do, so you settle for an embarrassingly lazy night.

I’m guilty of this. I’m sure you are too. We love to be lazy.

Don’t get me wrong; there is certainly a time and place for enjoying some downtime. Everyone deserves a little relaxation time built into their day. There is, however, a difference between relaxing and being flat out lazy.

So what’s the solution to cure this chronic laziness that seems to have hit each of us at some point? Here are a few suggestions to get your friends (and you) off the couch:

1. Make them jealous.

You know how when a group of people starts telling stories, everyone exaggerates just a little so that they can have the biggest, baddest story of all? Do that.

I’m not talking about exaggerating some lame story. Start telling stories of the latest, exciting thing you’ve experienced – my guess is, it didn’t involve sitting around watching a movie.

It shouldn’t take long before your friends start to get slightly jealous and will want to tag along on your next adventure.

2. Use (friendly) reminders.

Kindly remind your friends that being lazy now will only come back to bite them in the near future. What good is it to create a habit that you are fully aware you’ll only have to break as soon as you enter the real world?

Remind them just how unimpressive they’ll sound in their next interview when they have to answer “So what are your hobbies?” with “Well, I like to watch TV…”

Maybe there’s time before your next interview to pick up a hobby. If that’s the case, let me rephrase it for you: How do you feel when Monday after Monday you consistently answer “How was your weekend?” with “You know, nothing too exciting…just kind of laid around.”

Know the feeling? Do something about it.

3. Peer Pressure.

Remember when everyone threw around the phrase “peer pressure” in high school? Well, it’s time to use peer pressure to your advantage.

Next time your friends are being a bit lazy, explain to them that everyone else is willing to go out and do something more exciting. Why would they want to be the lame one that forces everyone to stay inside?

Positive peer pressure can go a long way. You may have to do a little convincing – maybe even some bribing – and if they aren’t caving under the pressure, tell them you’ll leave them behind. No one wants to be the odd man out.

4. Use the power of games.

Make some ridiculous, cheesy game out of it. Games have a tendency to bring out a little spontaneity in all of us – they motivate us to do things we wouldn’t normally do, all in the name of friendly competition.

Come on, we all love a little healthy competition to create rivalry. No one wants to be shown up by their closest friends.

Just think of all the inside jokes and embarrassing moments waiting to happen – not to mention the countless Instagram opportunities that will inevitably present themselves. #AdventureIsOutThere

5. Keep it simple.

It may not be your fault that you tend to gravitate toward laying around on the couch all day. Maybe that’s just how you were raised. This is completely understandable.

Luckily, you have the power to change your life. Do something about it. “Be the change you wish to see…” well, you know how the quote goes.

So maybe your friends aren’t the most adventurous people ever – no big deal. Staying in doesn’t have to mean staying on the couch.

There’s plenty of fun, simple things to do inside that don’t require being lazy. Make dinner together. Play a card game. Paint a wall in your room orange. (Okay maybe that’s a bit extreme – but you get the idea).

No one is asking you to convince your friends to run a marathon. It can be as simple as going to the backyard and throwing around a Frisbee. Or even simpler than that, try moving the conversation outside. The fresh air may inspire them to be adventurous.

Feel as though you’ve tried everything, yet you still can’t seem to get your friends off the couch? Try surrounding yourself with people who enjoy going out and doing things so you aren’t always stuck inside doing nothing.

What it comes down to is creativity.

When you look back on your life, you won’t remember the nights you and your friends watched another movie you’ve already seen. What you will remember are the nights you went out and explored something other than “New Arrivals” on Netflix.

Now get off the couch and make some memories.

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