creating sustainable results in growth and performance
PLAY IS ESSENTIAL FOR GOOD TIME
MANAGEMENT
NO TIME FOR PLAY? THEN MAKE TIME!
If you
observe little kids, you'll see that there is no such thing as no time for
play. They play at the drop of a hat. Play, for them, is not a scheduled
event. It is an instant shift in attitude and perspective. They can play
anywhere-jungle exploration in the doctor's office, hide-and-seek between
clothes racks in a department store, or peek-a-boo over a church pew. In
this same spirit, our team has explored "instant celebrations" at times
when our schedule was seemingly too jam-packed for fun.
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Being able to play sets you free. It releases tension, washes toxins from
your body, and replaces them with beneficial chemicals that rejuvenate
you. Play is not a time waster; it's a time saver. Here's how it can save
you time:
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Tasks don't take as long to accomplish or tire you out as quickly when you
are having fun.
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A playful mind is creative and
open. You will discover new faster (this is a major ingredient
in the area of continuous performance improvement).
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When you enjoy noncompetitive, childlike play, you trust and bond with
others and respond faster to change.
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When you stop for play, you have a better, healthier, more positive
attitude and will be more likely to view problems as opportunities.
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You will have a much greater possibility of enjoying good mental and
physical health; as a result, you will lose less time because of illness.
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You are far more likely to admit your mistakes and profit from them. This
attitude is essential for success in the quality movement.
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It is likely that you will be a safer, more alert worker.
Learn to pay
attention to your three-year-old. When we become joy-starved, our right
brains begin to interrupt concentration much as a three-year-old child
mind. Our minds become distracted and wander, going off on tangents when
we’re trying to concentrate. It’s like a kid pulling on your trouser eg
begging for attention; the longer you ignore the tugging, the more
insistent it becomes. If we get annoyed with ourselves and try to push
longer and harder, the problem only becomes worse, as the kid becomes
cranky and rebellious. Isn't that how you feel inside when you try to
force yourself to stay focused past your level of highest productivity?
Test this
strategy: Spend a week noticing when your productivity begins to drop. If
you haven’t already created one, make a list of two- to five-minute joy
breaks. When you feel your productivity beginning to drop, select an item
from your list and shift into a joy break. Now go back to work. Keep this
rotation of work and play going, and then estimate the results. We think
you will be amazed to discover that with a few well-spaced joy breaks all
through your work day, you can significantly increase your productivity
and the amount of highly focused work time you enjoy.
The
significant word here is enjoy. Isn't work far more satisfying when you
are accomplishing at a high level? Isn't the biggest part of the mental
and physical drain you experience from work happening because you get far
too tired before you take a rest or joy break? Instead of taking time to
scold yourself for not wanting to continue work, spend that time having a
minute of fun.
Professionals
who have learned the benefits of decontaminating with joy breaks create
ways to support one another. A ’buddy system’ provides an opportunity to
take a joy break, feel good, and make someone else feel good-all at the
same time! Every three months, in one office, the entire office staff
draws the name of a fellow staff member. Buddies are not reciprocal.
In this
office the system was put in place a couple of years ago to provide a fun
way to make at least one other person (your buddy) feel special in a
variety of ways-a surprise flower, cafe latte, a breakfast goodie, a
lunch, a cartoon, or anything to make someone know he or she was thought
of. "
Celebrating
Without the Calories: One of the ways our team plays together is by
celebrating-we celebrate birthdays, new contract awards, product sales,
bon voyages, and any other occasion we can think of. We also are a bunch
of sugar-loving cookie monsters, yet we each really want to give ourselves
the precious gift of good health by limiting the amount of sugar and
sweets we eat. We had become good at celebrating and were linking play
with calorie-filled goodies, so every few days we were tempted by
fattening, rich sweets.
We put our
creative thinking to this problem and decided to challenge ourselves to
come up with healthy treats. We've had air-popped popcorn, almonds,
raisins, and fresh fruit. We found an inflatable birthday cake with
candles, so now we can have a fancy cake at a moment's notice without the
sugar temptation. We also have put candles on a big slice of juicy
watermelon in lieu of a rich dessert.
Having fun
with this as a team has helped each of us make better food choices, which
enhances our energy long term. And how does this relate to time? How much
of your time is diminished because you bottom out with sugar blues an hour
or two after a gooey, sweet treat? We had no idea how much time, energy,
and quality we were missing out on because we used to stay de-energized
with constant sugar in our system.
