Episode 506 How Prioritizing Fun Inspires Success with Mike Rucker

Welcome to another engaging episode of Build a Better Agency! This week, host Drew McLellan shines a spotlight on a topic that’s both enjoyable and essential to agency life—fun. Drew is joined by Dr. Mike Rucker, a behavioral psychologist and author of The Fun Habit, for a lively exploration into how prioritizing fun and joy can make you a better leader, a more creative thinker, and ultimately, help you build a stronger agency.

Mike delves into the science behind why Western culture tends to villainize fun in favor of productivity—and why that mindset is doing more harm than good. He unpacks concepts from positive psychology and reveals that constantly chasing happiness, or waiting for “someday” to enjoy yourself, can actually hinder well-being and lead to burnout. Instead, Mike explains the hedonic flexibility principle, which demonstrates that regularly scheduling small moments of joy leads to greater productivity, resilience, and creativity in both personal and professional realms.

Drew and Mike discuss practical ways to infuse everyday life with meaningful fun, rather than relying on the occasional big vacation or forced office events. They address the challenges agency owners face, from time poverty and remote work’s blurred boundaries to generational differences in attitudes toward work and leisure. Listeners will find actionable strategies for designing transition rituals, claiming genuine downtime, and fostering a culture where fun isn’t just tolerated—it’s championed. 

Don’t miss this episode if you’re ready to break free from the grind and discover how making room for fun can transform your leadership, elevate your agency’s performance, and improve your own well-being. By the end, you’ll have practical tools to create more moments of joy for yourself and your team, and a whole new perspective on why fun is far from frivolous—it’s fundamental! 

A big thank you to our podcast’s presenting sponsor, White Label IQ. They’re an amazing resource for agencies who want to outsource their design, dev, or PPC work at wholesale prices. Check out their special offer (10 free hours!) for podcast listeners here.

What You Will Learn in This Episode:

• • The critical link between fun, productivity, and agency creativity  
  • Why scheduling small, consistent moments of joy matters more than big events
  • Tips for reclaiming time autonomy as an agency leader
  • Understanding and applying the hedonic flexibility principle
  • Strategies for breaking the workaholic mindset and preventing burnout
  • The right—and wrong—ways to foster fun within agency teams
  • Rethinking work rituals for healthier boundaries in hybrid and remote environments