Brief 

Scheduling 20 minutes into your day to do something playful, singing along with the car radio or trying something new can help get your creative juices flowing, write Dan Rockwell and Stan Endicott. “You will be more creative, more productive, and you will face uncertainty as an opportunity, rather than avoiding it,” they write.

 

Insight

When you were a kid you knew how to play. Recess was your favorite subject. You could draw anything, try anything, be anyone.Now you’re an adult. Your playful spirit shriveled. What the heck happened? You don’t dare get caught being playful. It’s against all rules of productivity and time management.

 

You haven’t played in ages

The distance between work and play continues expanding.Could it be that adults are good at keeping play out of sight and off the grid? What if work and play happened simultaneously? That’s not only a possibility but could be a pathway to a better life.

Dr. Stuart Brown, founder of “The National Institute for Play”, states, “Not only does having a playful atmosphere attract young talent, but experts say play at work can boost creativity and productivity in people of all ages.”

John Cleese, in his video, “Creativity and Management” tells of the sculptor, who when asked how he sculpts an elephant says, “take a large block of marble and simply chisel away all the pieces that don’t look like an elephant.”

If you want to be playful, chisel away the things that keep you from playing. Too busy, too tired, too embarrassed, too uncomfortable, too… the list goes on and on.

Sir Ken Robinson says, “Play in all its forms isn’t some frivolous waste of time that should be put to one side if there are more important things to do. Play has deeply important roles in the development of intellectual skills, in social skills, in developing empathy, in stretching our imaginations and exploring our creativity.”

 

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