The fourth installment of this series looks at how children play. Colin Johnson-Zapier suggests we follow the lead of preschoolers to improve our productivity. We added information on adult play and more perspectives on the ever-fleeting work-life balance topic.
5 valuable productivity lessons that preschoolers can teach you, Fast Company, June 14, 2019. Link. Follow our children’s lead in these 5 ways to increase our productive times:
- Channel your inner learner
- Spend time exploring
- Give yourself a blank slate
- Bring pretend into the workplace
- Welcome help, even when it is unsolicited
Why adults need a healthy dose of play, BottomLineInc. Link.
Humans have an innate need for play, just as they have a need for sleep . . . When you spend your days making a living, keeping your household in order and tackling dozens of other adult obligations, doing something just for the fun of it feels almost…irresponsible.
Give up on work-life balance, The Atlantic, May 30, 2019. Link.
For people who work a lot of hours, even trying to achieve work-life balance can be a source of imbalance itself . . . Brad Stulberg recommends seeing balance in terms of “seasons,” rather than hours in every day.
Life is not a perfect equilibrium, stop trying to make it so, Fast Company, May 10, 2019. Link. “Striving for work-life balance is a losing battle,” writes Anisa Purbasari Horton, “because everything worth doing usually comes at a cost.”
Horton found more value by asking herself the following questions:
- Am I spending my time the way I want to?
- Have I set boundaries to protect the most important part of my life?
- Are my habits and routines in line with my priorities?
- Have I communicated my priorities to the people closest to me?
- Do I have a system to identify and prevent burnout?
Also see: Getting work done while being human, the series, Animal Health Digest. Link.