So there you are, trying to solve an interesting problem - perhaps by yourself, perhaps with others. But the pressure to find an answer gives you a creative block, the need to be effective and prove yourself keeps you from taking risks, and the stakes of getting the answer wrong "could" cost you your job. This problem is keeping you from shipping meaningful work - creative, personal, parental, professional, whatever. There's no time to do divert your attention, there's no time to relax, there's no time for play.
What if you did what doesn't make sense? What if you stopped what you were doing and pulled out a zany book - like Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy? What if you called a friend and met up for a beverage? What if you shut down the computer and played with your kids - and really played with them?
I believe we don't play enough.
Think about it, when was the last time you really gave yourself time to play? And if you're a musician "playing music" isn't "play," it would be "noodling" or "jamming".
On my team, we're giving ourselves time to spin outside of the box yarns about our lives and we build on the yarns of others. We invest time for play and to be human.
In my life, I am giving myself time to get bored, to read something fun, to step away from work and exist as myself - the human.
Stop wasting time taking life, yourself, and others too seriously. Give yourself time to have fun, be outlandish, and play.
No, you won't be wasting time. In fact, you'll be giving yourself that break you need to re-approach your problem and make the impact you seek to make.
My team stood up a program that involved completing 33 cross-functional projects across multiple types of teams (marketing, product developers, sales, support, consultants, leaders, you name it) in 2 months. We didn't do it taking ourselves seriously... we laughed and had fun the whole way.
What keeps you from starting down that path now?
