Find Your Match: How to Choose the Perfect Puzzle for Any Mood or Occasion

The best thing about being a jigsaw puzzle junkie is that you can find a puzzle to match any mood or occasion. Puzzles are both dependable and keep you on your toes, and you never have the exact same puzzling experience twice.

Craving a calm, quiet evening of alone time? There’s a puzzle for that. Want some entertainment on a long car trip? There’s a puzzle for that. Want a puzzle you can complete in one sitting? Yes, there’s even a puzzle for that.

Keep reading for our guide to the perfect jigsaw puzzles to match whatever mood you’re in and work for any occasion. 

When You Need a Pick-Me-Up

If you’re feeling down, working on a puzzle is a sure-fire way to improve your mood. You get small hits of dopamine and serotonin, both neurotransmitters that contribute to mood, when you work on a jigsaw puzzle.

To lift your spirits, choose a cheery puzzle image that sparks joy. Go for bright colors, playful illustrations, quirky characters, or whimsical shapes.  

Choose a moderately difficult puzzle for you. It shouldn’t be boring, but it also shouldn’t be so challenging that it just makes you even more frustrated. We recommend capping at 500-piece puzzles. 

Suggestions From Our Catalog:

  1. Flamingos by Clementoni
  2. My Favorite Milkshake by LePuzz

When You Want to Unwind and Relax

Ready to kick off your work shoes, put on your favorite movie, and relax with a jigsaw puzzle? Nothing sounds better than that. 

For a relaxing evening with a puzzle, stay away from bright colors and opt for calming hues. Nature scene puzzle images are the perfect choice for this scenario. Prioritize repeating patterns and soft colors over high contrast and harsh lines.

Choose a puzzle that you could spend hours working on. We recommend going for 500-1000-piece puzzles. However, you might want to stay away from puzzles that may be trickier. If it’s too challenging, your mind will engage rather than gently zone out.

Suggestions From Our Catalog:

  1. Peggy’s Cove Lighthouse, Nova Scotia by Eurographics
  2. Moments of Zen by Puzzles of Color

When You Don’t Have a Ton of Time

You don’t need hours to work on a puzzle. If you want to improve your puzzling skills with daily puzzling, or you simply want a quick hit without setting aside a ton of time on your calendar, you’ve got options.

The first option is to choose a puzzle with only 100-300 pieces. Keep it simple by choosing puzzle images that have distinct blocks of color and clear images. 

Your second option is to choose a micro-puzzle, which is a tiny puzzle that only has up to 150 pieces and is meant to be completed in one sitting. Since they’re small, micro-puzzles are great for on the go. They’re perfect for long car rides (just don’t forget a flat tray or other surface for your lap), train rides, or even plane rides. 

Suggestions From Our Catalog:

  1. Trolley Station by Cobble Hill
  2. Birdhouse Kingdom by MasterPieces

When You Want a Challenge

Looking to boost your brain power? Challenging yourself with a difficult jigsaw puzzle is the perfect way to do it. 

When you’re looking for a challenge, choose a puzzle image with complex patterns or monochrome color schemes. Don’t shy away from a large piece count, either. If you’re used to doing puzzles with 1000 pieces, take it up a notch and go to 1500 pieces. Whatever your starting point is, challenge yourself to try the next tier. 

Want to make it even harder? Try timing yourself and improving your speed every time. You could also choose puzzles with hidden objects and tiny patterns to up the ante.

Suggestions From Our Catalog:

  1. Capri by Clementoni
  2. Gradient by Cloudberries

When You Don’t Know What You Want

Not sure what you’re in the mood for? Surprise yourself! Sometimes it’s best to take the decision out of your hands and let the fates decide. 

If you keep a list or Excel sheet of your puzzle inventory, use a random number generator to pick one for you. You could also have someone else choose a puzzle for you, or pick one blindfolded!

We even made an Instagram randomizer you can use to help you choose your next puzzle project. Check it out!

Find the Right Puzzles For You With a Completing the Puzzle Membership

Working on a jigsaw puzzle is way more fun when your puzzle matches your mood. But how do you choose a puzzle for every mood?

A Completing the Puzzle membership makes it easy to try all kinds of different puzzles, from beginner to challenging, quirky to traditional, and bold to calming. No matter what mood you’re in, we’ve got a puzzle to match it in our catalog of over 1300 jigsaw puzzles.

With a Completing the Puzzle subscription, you add your favorites to your wishlist, and we ship them to you one at a time. Once you’ve finished one, simply send it back to us with the provided shipping label and bag, and we’ll send out your next one right away. 

Check out our huge puzzle catalog and get started with a Completing the Puzzle membership today!