Moneyball Approach to Fun

     Brad Pitt famously changed baseball forever with math and numbers nobody understands. Now every sport has been ruined by this way of thinking so I decided to take it another step further and kill all fun by making it a number. Four variables go into my fun equation and even though I'd agree to anything over a zero it helps to have the right expectation for how fun something is actually going to be.  For those scoring at home, each category has a perfect score of 1 then at the end divide by 4 for your final fun per effort percentage (FPEP).

Amount of Fun: You're own personal taste is all you need for this. For instance I like simple things like playing pick up basketball, watching baseball drinking beers, or just sitting on a beach. These activities are almost unruinable for me, but their are other activities that I like almost just as much that would get a 0.9/1 such as going on a hike or going out for coffee. Those rely heavily on the people, planning, and travel. Finally, there are things that are closer to zero for me like big dinners at restaurants that for me needs all the other factors to be great to even be bearable. 

Planning: The great unplanned, "we should do this more often" moments, are the perfect 1/1 naturally because there is no stress involved which makes it easier to have fun. Too much planning can put stress on you that makes having fun feel like a requirement and that is the antithesis of fun. There is however a sweet spot where you make a good plan and it all comes to fruition that adds to the experience especially if you're the planner. Not everyone is a planner though so a lackluster plan out of your control can ruin everything.

Travel: This can go either way more than any other variable. Is the travel fun or is it an inconvenience? A road trip adventure is fun, but travelling to do something you can do at home or locally is not. For instance you have to drive to the beach or fly to a city that has more opportunity for fun. Going out to a local bar that isn't great is still fun because it's easy to get to. If you drive over an hour to go to a bar of that same quality it ruins the little fun you do have there. Basically travel needs to be to see someone you really want to see or do an activity you really want to do and the less travel required the better in most cases. 

People: Every activity requires a different amount and kind of people. Grocery shopping can be fun if you do it with one or two people you really like, but a squad of ten in a store is just a mess. Playing a game, you're going to want somewhere in that four to ten range depending on what it is. Pick up basketball with eight is perfect because everyone can play in 4v4 or people can have a break in 3v3. Your relationship obviously factors into this because sure you can have fun with strangers, but it can also give off that college orientation vibe where it's a getting to know you game. Getting coffee with friend and non-friend is one of those good number, but quality of relationship brings it down to a possible meet and greet. 

Final fun per effort percentage (FPEP) examples

Scenario 1: Watching a baseball game drinking beer at your house with three or four friends, grill fired up and light game possible, drinking or non-drinking. Amount of fun 0.9/1, Planning 0.8/1, Travel 0.9/1 other people had light travel, People 1/1                                                                                                                    FPEP= 90%

Scenario 2: Going skiing an hour away with eight people, but you don't really know two. Amount of fun 0.8/1, Planning 0.5/1 passes bought and a date all were available, Travel 0.7/1 travel required but rides coordinated, People 0.9/1 great number but occasional meet and greet moments                                      FPEP= 73%

Scenario 3: Big birthday dinner for a second tier friend that you need to get a present for and drive 45 minutes to. Amount of fun 0.3/1, Planning 0.7/1 because of the present, Travel 0.4/1, People 0.2/1        FPEP= 40%