The Importance of Play in the Midst of Your Busyness

I’ve heard a lot of complaining this week. Well, not really complaining – I hang with a pretty upbeat posse. Let’s call it low-grade groaning.

My friends and I are busy. I mean really busy.

Some of us are good-busy (all momentum and full-steam-ahead on a goal or project). Some of us are no-so-good-busy (drowning in the overwhelming minutia of daily life). Regardless of where we’re falling on that continuum this week however, we’re all quite familiar with both varieties.

We’re also all familiar with the struggle to find enough downtime – and I’m guessing you are too.

Here’s something you may not be familiar with…not all downtime is equal.

Facebook or Netflix with a glass of wine anyone?

Don’t get me wrong, sometimes we’re too damn tired for anything else. But vegging is really more numbing than it is nurturing. And when we actively engage in interaction, humor, and creativity (aka play), we give our entire system a reboot.

The problem for most of us is that play can require scheduling. And in an already maxed-out state, that can feel impossible or just not worth it.

Here are a few reasons why you might want to get your playtime in before you’re too tired to have fun:

1. This is the big one. YOU’LL ACTUALLY GET MORE DONE. A 2018 Brigham Young study showed a 20% boost in productivity across the board after 45 minutes of play.
   

2. Research at Drexel University in 2016 concluded that 45 minutes engaged in any artistic endeavor BOOSTS CONFIDENCE.
   

3. Numerous other studies show that play

• Relieves stress

• Improves overall brain function

• Stimulates creativity and innovation

• Improves relationships

• Heals emotional wounds

It makes sense.

We can clearly see what happens to children (younger, smaller versions of the same species as us) when they are prohibited from playing. They get cranky, sluggish, apathetic, and anxious.

Sound familiar?

To quote George Bernard Shaw, “We don’t stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing.”

This Week:
Play dammit!

• See how many days you can carve out 45 minutes of playtime. Be creative! You can play a sport, walk (or roll around) with your dog, crack open a board game, paint, color, arrange some flowers…

• When you just can’t find the 45 minutes, try adding a bit of playfulness to the day. Doodle while you’re thinking, tell your co-workers a couple of knock-knock jokes, laugh.

(This one’s actually a bonus. Humor and laughter are proven to lead to eureka moments both in problem solving and innovation!)