When was the last time you jumped in a puddle or cuddled a puppy?
If your school experience was anything like mine, you will remember the irresistible allure of playtime (or 'break time' as it was called when we got a bit older).
Built into the day to allow kids let off steam, playtime was when we kicked a ball about, or spent ten mins walking around with arms linked chanting, "Who wants to play football?" (if you did, you linked arms too, until there was enough of you in the chain to pick sides and THEN you kicked a ball about).
Educationally, it may have seemed (at first glance) as a period of great inefficiency - a bunch of kids running amok instead of studiously learning 'trig'* I'm sure there was some clever psychological reason behind letting our developing brains have time away from class, because playtime was a source of great energy, bonding and creativity - the value of which cannot be overstated.
Playtime & the 'magic of its inefficiency'
Fast-forward twenty-five years and I'm sure I can say with confidence that many of us have let the opportunity for playtime and the magic of its inefficiency drop off our calendar.
When was the last time you set aside time to just have fun? I'm not talking about Friday night at the pub or a dinner party with good friends... I mean checking out of your working day for fifteen minutes and letting your brain floop?
A guided meditation
Desk yoga
Reading or a quick podcast (not a work-related topic either please!)
A walk round the block in the rain (puppy optional)
Have a Kit-Kat (fruit also available)
Or, better yet, something that will simply make you smile?
What could that be? And how (for those 15mins) could you share the smile with?
Be more kind to yourself
We're beaten over the head with constant messaging about reducing inefficiency, dialling down waste, doing more (better) with less. And I am 'guilty' of helping my clients reduce procrastination and find focus and value in the tasks the choose to action within their businesses.
But a little taste of freedom and fun will make a massive difference to the energy you subsequently bring back to your desk, after 'playtime'.
Go jump in puddles, play with a kitten, dance in the garage (while no one is looking) or kick a footy up against the shed door.
You deserve a break!
(* Short for Trigonometry)
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