Here’s everything you need to know about whimsy maxxing and how to bring it to your own life for maximum fun, joy, silliness, and magic.
I think we’ve all spent enough time trying to be effortlessly cool.
There is something very fun happening on the Internet right now, and it’s called whimsy maxxing (a practice I am completely here for).
Whimsy maxxing is basically the art of going all in on whimsy.
Instead of suppressing the parts of yourself that are playful, sentimental, eccentric, colorful, dreamy, and ridiculous, you turn the volume up on them.
And in a world obsessed with screens, productivity, and making loads of money, we all really need this energy.
I know it’s important to pay your bills, finish your deadlines, and do your laundry. And whimsy doesn’t make any of those things disappear.
It just makes sure they aren’t the only things your life is made of.
So, if you’ve been craving more color, personality, curiosity, beauty, and random little pockets of joy in your days, consider this your invitation to start whimsy maxxing.
Here are some very practical ways to do it.
How To Practice Whimsy Maxxing in Everyday Life
HOME AND DECOR
1. Put flowers in unexpected places
Obviously, a vase of flowers on the dining table is lovely. But one flower in a tiny bottle beside your bed is even better because it’s unexpected.
Put a little sprig beside your bathroom mirror, stick wildflowers in an old jam jar, and float a flower in a bowl of water.
You won’t even need to buy expensive bouquets to implement these ideas. Flowers from the side of a road would do just fine.
2. Create cozy corners in your house
The magic in your house isn’t found at the centre of the rooms. It is often in the corners. And it’s up to you to harness it right.
You can stack a few beautiful books beside a lamp, create a tea corner in one part of the couch, hang fairy lights around your reading chair, and put your prettiest trinkets on a little tray.
Don’t think in terms of interior design. Just think: where would the protagonist of a cozy movie drink tea?
This is the only question I ask myself while creating my magical corners, and it works.
3. Bring more nature indoors
Your decor doesn’t always have to come from a store. Sometimes the prettiest things are lying on the ground in nature.
Keep pinecones from a walk, display interesting rocks (even better if they’re painted), and grow herbs on your windowsill.
Put fallen branches in a vase, and press flowers between the pages of an old book.
4. Use cute-shaped dishes
I don’t know who decided our crockery needed to be so serious, but I would like a word.
You don’t need to replace everything in your kitchen, either. Just find one or two silly little pieces that make serving strawberries or morning toast way more delightful.
You can get strawberry bowls, lemon plates, cherry mugs, and tomato-shaped serving dishes.
If you find them while thrifting, even better!
5. Put tiny trinkets on your desk
Your workspace does not have to look like the headquarters of a serious corporation just because you’re trying to get things done.
Put a tiny ceramic mushroom beside your laptop. Keep a miniature animal on top of your books. Add a funny little figurine that watches you answer emails.
One or two completely unnecessary objects can make your desk feel so much more yours.
And it also gives you something cute to look at when work is being decidedly un-whimsical.
6. Hang a disco ball somewhere unexpected
I am not telling you to get a giant Saturday Night Fever disco ball in the middle of your living room (although, honestly, you do you).
You can just have a tiny one hanging near a sunny window.
When the afternoon light hits it and suddenly throws little sparkles all over your walls, you’ll understand why it belongs on this list.
It’s such an unnecessary thing to own, which somehow makes it even better.
7. Get yourself soft toys
Yes, we’re all adults here, but that is no valid reason not to own soft, fluffy toys.
Get the teddy bear, plush bunny, tiny frog, and the round stuffed duck.
Put one on your bed, your reading chair, or even your work desk. Don’t care what anybody else would think about it.
And yes, you can name them, too. Whimsy maxxing, remember?
FASHION AND STYLE
8. Tuck flowers into your hair
This is your permission to tuck a flower behind your ear whenever you find a pretty one.
You could also buy tiny floral clips or dried-flower pins that you can wear without sacrificing an innocent flower every morning.
I especially love this for spring and summer, when everything outside already feels enchanted.
Pair it with a flowy dress, and you are officially one woodland creature away from becoming a fairy.
9. Get your nails done whimsy style
There is no set aesthetic to whimsy nail art. If it’s cute, bold, unclassy, and catchy, then it is whimsical.
The above picture is a great example of spring/summer whimsy nails, and you can find similar styles for every season.
10. Wear colorful socks
A sneaky little way to be more whimsical is to wear fun, colorful socks. Other people often can’t see your socks, but you’ll know the fun details of it.
And if you’re staying home on a cold day, looking at your colorful feet will give you happy fuzzy feels.
11. Add ribbons and bows
Ribbons are having their moment, and whimsy maxxing gives us an excellent excuse to take full advantage of it.
You can tie a thin velvet ribbon around your ponytail, add a bow to the end of your braid, or keep a few different colors around to match your outfits.
It’s such a tiny detail, but that’s exactly what whimsy is about—adding things to your life for no reason other than ooh, pretty.
12. Wear a brooch
Brooches deserve a comeback, and whimsy maxxing is as good an excuse as any to start wearing them again.
Pin a tiny strawberry, butterfly, flower, bird, moon, or vintage-looking treasure onto your cardigan, coat, blazer, or your bag.
You can also slowly collect brooches from thrift stores and shops.
It’s such an old-fashioned, charming little detail, and much more fun than letting your cardigan be unadorned.
13. Carry a cute umbrella
If you need an umbrella anyway, why must it be boring?
Find one with tiny flowers, scalloped edges, polka dots, cherries, or whatever makes you wish for rain.
I love everyday objects like these that have personality to them.
Imagine walking down a grey street underneath your absurdly cheerful floral umbrella while everyone else is carrying black ones. That’s whimsy maxxing!
14. Wear charm bracelets
Charm bracelets might be the most whimsy-maxxing piece of jewelry ever.
You can wear a bracelet with a single charm, or build one filled with things that mean something to you — a little book, a strawberry, your initial, a star, or a teacup.
You’ll get to carry around a tiny and jingling collection of your favorite things on your wrist (even if you’re just staying at home). It’s playful, personal, and totally whimsical.
15. Keep something silly in your bag at all times
Alongside the very grown-up essentials like your wallet and keys, keep one thing in your bag that serves no serious purpose.
It can be a sheet of stickers, a tiny bottle of bubbles, colorful sweets, or a miniature notebook for strange observations.
And if you want your whimsical mood to be on display, then you can attach a cute keychain to your bag.
It’ll just exist to remind you that underneath all the responsible adult stuff, you’re still allowed to be funny.
HABITS AND ROUTINES
16. Use pretty cups and glasses for your everyday drinks
Drink your morning coffee from a floral cup, your tea from a tiny vintage-looking mug, and your matcha from a fancy glass.
This is a fun way to give yourself a cafe moment every time you make a drink at home.
Your sleepy morning self deserves the strawberry mug!
17. Open your windows every morning and greet the day
Instead of waking up and immediately disappearing into your phone, open the curtains or windows and see what’s happening outside.
Is it sunny, foggy, or rainy? Are there birds being loud at 6am? Take a minute to notice it all.
I love the idea of actually meeting each new day rather than treating mornings like the loading screen before work begins.
And every once in a while, you’ll get rewarded with a really pretty sky, which you’d have otherwise missed.
18. Put on a song while getting ready and dance to the whole thing
Before the emails, errands, and general seriousness of being an adult begin, have a tiny dance party.
Pick one song you cannot stand still to and play it while you’re doing your hair, putting on moisturizer, or choosing your outfit.
Dance badly and sing into your hairbrush. It’s only three minutes of your morning, but starting the day by being silly like this is really good for the soul.
19. Have a ‘little treat’ ritual on your walks
Give yourself something tiny to look forward to whenever you head out for a walk.
Pick up a pretty fallen flower, stop at a bakery for one tiny pastry, get yourself a juice, or find a beautiful spot and sit there for ten minutes.
It’ll make your walks less about the step count, and more of a way to relax, slow down, and treat yourself (all great reasons that will make you want to get out more).
20. Plate your snacks like you’re five years old
Remember when snacks used to be exciting? Bring that energy back!
Cut your fruit into cute shapes, make tiny sandwiches, arrange crackers and cheese on your prettiest plate, add a couple of cookies, or pour juice into a funny glass.
It doesn’t need to be Instagram-worthy or nutritionally revolutionary.
You’re simply making yourself a snack that your five-year-old self would look at and be delighted with.
WHIMSICAL RITUALS
21. Make wishes on silly things
As grown-ups, we often forget how fun it is to believe, even for five seconds, that something magical might happen.
But to practice whimsy maxxing, you need to be okay with letting go of logic.
Wish at 11:11 and make a wish before blowing out your birthday candles.
Wish on a fallen eyelash, a shooting star, a dandelion, or whatever other wishing rules you remember from childhood.
Will the universe actually deliver because the clock happened to say 11:11? I have no idea. But will it make you feel magical and whimsical? One hundred percent.
22. Keep a delight diary
I am not talking about a gratitude journal or a place to process your emotions. Just a tiny notebook dedicated to things that delighted you that day.
Maybe you saw the biggest pigeon imaginable, overheard a child saying something hilarious, found a heart-shaped leaf, or had the perfect first sip of coffee.
Write down just one such delightful thing every night.
You’ll basically train yourself to wander through life looking for tiny delights. I can’t think of anything more whimsy-maxxing than that.
23. Put on perfume before bed
Does anyone need to smell incredible while unconscious? Nope. That’s exactly why we’re going for it.
Pick a soft perfume you love and spritz on before climbing into bed.
You could even keep a special scent on your nightstand that you only wear at night.
It’s luxurious, slightly ridiculous, and completely unnecessary—the holy trinity of a good whimsical ritual.
24. Go outside to look at the moon before bed
Before you end your day, step onto your balcony, into your garden, or simply look through an open window and find the moon.
Some nights it’ll be huge and glowing; other nights it’ll be a tiny crescent hiding between buildings.
And sometimes you won’t be able to find it at all. That’s part of the fun.
It’ll remind you there is an entire enormous world happening outside your daily bubble, and it’ll make your heart lighter before going to sleep.
25. Give random objects names
Your houseplant, sourdough starter, favorite mug, car, vacuum cleaner, or the neighborhood pigeon who appears every morning — Give them fun names!
I know this isn’t necessary, but your life will definitely be more entertaining when you’re annoyed because Gerald the plant is being dramatic again.
HOBBIES AND FREE TIME
26. Have artist dates with yourself
Go somewhere purely to feed your curiosity and creativity, and to spend time with yourself.
Visit a bookstore, wander through a garden center, sit inside a beautiful cafe, or sit down at home with your coffee and a blank page.
You don’t have to accomplish anything. Just take in the freshness, and let it inspire you beyond your routine.
27. Read books that transport you somewhere
I have found many great self-help books, but they are not the best picks for embracing whimsy vibes.
To feel whimsical, you want to pick books that have vivid descriptions and are set in worlds that your mind just loves thinking about.
Fantasy is especially wonderful for this, but you could read folklore, poetry, fairy tales, or anything that sparks your imagination.
Read fantasy over breakfast, take a fairy tale collection to the park, and spend an entire weekend inside a cozy fictional town.
Your imagination needs somewhere to wander too, and books are the best way to make that happen.
28. Do activities you loved as a child
Childhood joy is not something you’ve graduated from. If you can practice this truth in real life, your adult life will be so much more interesting.
You can still do coloring, swing at the park, and build blanket forts.
You can buy stickers, eat cereal while watching cartoons (I still watch Pooh Bear, no kidding), and play a sport with friends.
As far as underrated whimsy ideas go, doing childhood activities is a pretty good one, and you don’t want to miss out.
29. Take your hobbies outdoors
Whether you like reading, painting, playing ukulele, or knitting in your free time, the aesthetic can be ten times better when you do it out in the natural light and fresh air.
So, whenever you have time for it, take your book, knitting stuff, or paint supplies outdoors. You can head to the park, your balcony, porch, or any open space.
When you’re reading a book under the big blue sky, surrounded by greenery, and a butterfly fluttering around, it’s hard not to feel whimsical.
30. Collect your favorite phrases in a notebook
I have only just started doing this myself, but oh, it is whimsy for sure.
Buy a pretty notebook and write down lovely words and phrases that do something for your heart every day.
It can be a line from a movie or show, a quote from a book, or something your friend says during a conversation that makes you think.
Feel free to decorate the notebook with stickers, colorful drawings, and pictures. We are going whimsy all the way.
YOUR MINDSET
31. Become easily delighted
There are people who think looking unimpressed makes them sophisticated.
But I would much rather be easily delighted. That’s what makes for fun main character energy!
Notice when the moon looks enormous, and get excited when you see a dog sticking its head out of a car window.
Admire someone’s beautiful coat, let your eyes sparkle when you find the perfect weather outside, and stop to look at the sunset with a smile on your face.
This is something you can start doing from today onward, which makes it one of the best ways to practice whimsy maxxing.
32. Create adventures in your everyday life
You don’t need to be traveling through Europe to have an interesting day.
Give yourself the joy of adventure by taking the unfamiliar lane, entering the strange little shop, and getting off one stop early and walking.
There are many unknowns in your everyday life. You just have to be curious enough and then actually seek them out.
33. Follow harmless little impulses
Not every desire needs to go through a cost-benefit analysis.
We have plenty of harmless impulses throughout the day that we don’t even follow through.
To make way for whimsy energy, you need to change that.
If you want to buy yourself a cupcake, do it. If you want to sit under a tree, do it. And if you want to take a picture of a funny cloud, do it.
Let yourself wear yellow when you want to, and dance while you’re making dinner.
Not only are these impulses harmless, but they also have happiness hiding in them. Don’t let them slip by without acting on them.
34. Act on your enthusiasm
We usually try to tone down our excitement for the things we love.
But I am telling you, enthusiasm is one of the quickest ways to make your life feel bigger. So, show that enthusiasm, my friend.
Talk about the book you love, wear the outfit you’re excited about, decorate ridiculously early for your favorite season.
Make playlists with overly dramatic names, and give your friend a tight hug and a big smile when you see them after a long time.
You won’t be doing anything unnatural at all. Just let your pure enthusiasm and joy shine through.
35. Look for stories everywhere
Okay, my last tip for this post is my favorite one, because I just love stories.
And finding them in real life is hands-down the best way to practice whimsy maxxing while staying in the real world.
Look for stories in the old man buying flowers, the light coming through your kitchen window, two birds fighting over a crumb, and someone reading alone at a cafe.
This isn’t about creating a fantasy world.
It’s more of a way for you to pay enough attention to realize that the real world is already pretty interesting.
And it is also the inspiration behind all the stories you read and watch. Pretty cool, right?!
So, I hope you will remember to look for stories in your everyday life in the everyday world. It can be quite amazing.
Go Forth and Be Whimsical!
I don’t think whimsy maxxing means turning every second of your life into an aesthetic experience.
Some mornings will still involve running late, reheating yesterday’s coffee, and wondering where on earth you put your keys.
But perhaps that’s exactly why we need whimsy.
Because life will always provide enough serious things on its own, but you don’t have to let that get in the way of your whimsy.
Put the flower in your hair, buy the silly mug, and read a fantasy book with your breakfast.
Throw a little party on the weekend, walk the scenic route, and get super excited about the first cool day of autumn.
Be curious, playful, and more easily delighted.
Go all in on the things that make being alive more fun, and whimsy-max your life!
I promise it will change things in the best ways imaginable.
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