Work is a game.
When players become engrossed, time seems to stop. They might say they’re having fun, relaxing, or in the zone. We call this feeling “the play state.”
Work is a game. If you make it a game, then time kind of disappears.
Work can be fun. Why does it not feel like it? What are the differences between work and play? Where do we get lost, or bogged down. How can they be reimagined or altogether avoided.
In child development, we learned how to survive as an adult through play (being social, balance, teamwork, etc.). If play can influence how we eventually work and live, then working and living can be again influenced by play? If it works one way, it can work the other way, no?
Qualities of play (rewritten by me, for me)
1. Make your own decisions. The type of materials offered can help make more meaningful decisions. Open-ended materials can be used in many ways so we can decide for themselves how to use them. For example, Foam pieces, little wooden sticks, ribbon scraps, and other reusable resources are all open-ended materials that inspire creative thinking.
What this makes me think of at work: being told what to make, leaving no opportunity for exploration.
2. Intrinsically motivated. The impulse to play comes from a natural desire to understand the world. This play impulse is as strong as the desire for food or sleep. It is this intrinsic motivation that allows us to regulate our own feelings and desires in order to keep playing.
What this makes me think of at work: I still have the desire to understand the world and learn. I am very motivated to solve the problem, intrinsically. I think the exercises of design encourage learning and discovery. When the discovery is taken away from the exercise, it’s no longer motivating.
3. Immersion in the moment. In true play, we are so fully engaged that we lose awareness of our surroundings, time, and space. In this risk-free atmosphere where reality is suspended, we have the security and safety we need to experiment, try new ideas, and investigate the laws of nature.
What this makes me think of at work: Work is not made to feel risk free. But, the measurements are so weak, that there isn’t even a feeling of accomplishment other than “done.” The constant check-in’s on progress, the shifting of priorities, goals, scope and new stakeholders with opinions strips any chance of losing an awareness of time.
4. Play is spontaneous, not scripted. Often, play is totally unplanned. Other times, play is planned but we impulsively make a change. Someone changes their mind, or perhaps an idea does not cooperate. This sense of the unknown provides us with opportunities to develop flexibility in thinking and decision making, which is a vital life skill.
What this makes me think of at work: This happens, actually. When random things pop up and there is so little time that only one person, with their own agency, can bring it to the finish line. There is some freedom in the tight timeline.
5. Play is enjoyable. Play always has an emotional response attached to it. Without this emotional connection, the experience is simply an activity; it is not PLAY. Enjoyment is the direct result of engaging in play. It is FUN!
What this makes me think of at work: My emotional connections at work. What would I say my emotions are…frustration, paranoid, disgruntled, unappreciated. Sometimes I feel happy and satisfied, and often I feel lucky. I also feel intrigued and interested. I think that is the source of frustration—there are so many opportunities for discovery and either they aren’t made available to me or no one else sees them.
What this makes me think of at work: Meetings, the work environment, emails, lunch, alerts, Slack messages, all make work work.
Questions for later:
How do I make my work space active?
If "play" cannot be accomplished, how about directed play?
What increases the risks and makes this slightly dangerous?
How do I build a striped down format, leaving only the least amount of structure to begin?
What rules can I make to ensure a playful approach? What does it need to answer?
Is it time based?
"The opposite of Play is not work, it’s depression." Brian Sutton-Smith
References
Peter Gray’s Blog #6 Qualities of Play that Make It Ideal for Acquiring Skills
Books