People want to play
“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so”
- Hamlet: Shakespeare.
What if all work felt like play? What if you didn’t worry about results or how people felt about your work? Wouldn’t that feel wonderful?
I want to share a new way of thinking about work—how a change in mindset can make work feel like play.
To explain this shift, it helps to show the elements of this new working style (consistency, focus and play) in contrast to their opposites in the more traditional way of working (ad-hoc, productivity, and results)
Shift one: Moving from ad-hoc to consistency
In addition to completing your regular tasks, start consistently practicing a few specific skills that will help you complete tasks more efficiently. The opposite is to take things as they come on an ad hoc basis, finishing tasks when needed without doing additional work.
Shift two: Moving from productivity to focus
Once you are practicing consistently, focus on a few projects. Creating constraints is vital for focused work. The opposite of this is an emphasis on productivity measured by checking things off a list of tasks in whatever order they come up.
Shift three: Moving from results to play
Once you are consistent in your practice and can focus on a few projects, you build the foundation for play. When you play, you will reorder a sentence to make it funnier or end your meeting agenda on a high note. When you set yourself challenges like this, you grow; when you grow, work becomes easier and more enjoyable. The opposite of play emphasizes results: you finish the task on time, no matter the compromises.
Of course, given the title of this article. You can probably tell which version of work I would like to perform, but as Shakespeare so eloquently stated, there is no good or bad, just different perceptions.
Many successful businesses have been built on the ad hoc, productivity, and results model. The same can be said for the consistency, focus, and play model, e.g., Lego, Patagonia, and Nintendo. It’s less about finding a one-size-fits-all model for working and more about your perception of work.
Does it always have to feel like a grind, or can it feel like play? It turns out your thoughts make it so.
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