Monday’s Musing
As I sat down and began this post, I thought it was going to be about ‘how not to waste time at work’. You know a little ditty about ‘productivity’ and a wee mention of ‘time management’.
Then I said to myself ‘bugger that!’ Let’s instead talk about playing, I’m sure you would agree that the only answer to ‘how not to waste time’ is (darraaa) ‘use your time wisely’!
(Oh, and as you read, make up your own mind of who you think ‘they’ and ‘them’ are).
Question Numero 1: Do you have a ‘playtime’ at work?
Now, I don’t mean ripping your trousers whizzing down chutes or a remodel of your colleague’s hair with florescent clips. I’m talking about as an adult do you have moments when you just NEED to play, and the timing of it is between the hours of 9-5, or when you are getting paid for what you do?
- Is there are part of you that wants to be child-like naughty?
- Do you feel guilty about wanting to play?
- Do you hide your playful moments to ‘them’?
If your answer is yes, keep reading and may I suggest to you that you stay guilt free? You can’t actually help it…
First though, would you agree that the majority of environments and institutional working behaviours in which many of us are asked to remain and stay focused, energetic and even conscious for 8 hours a day are (generally) not conducive to ‘working’ or getting things done?
It should come as no surprise to you that the reason why you may have a need to play is simply (a system we all have)…your brain!
I don’t know about you, but I’ve never really understood the reason why ‘they’ think we’re all are capable of using our brains (generally) between the hours of 9-5!
Like docile, unthinking ‘sheep’ (not all sheep, I know!) you may have to follow patterns, behaviours, rules and timings, and if you dare steer from the path of the ‘norm’ or get caught breaking their blueprint for (generally) profit, it’s repercussion time: written warning, verbal warning and then out!
It’s no wonder you ‘get up to’ the behaviours sorry, playtime activities listed below! In short your brain numb or brain b.o.r.e.d!
Aside: why is it we aren’t allowed to swirl on chairs that swirl, that ‘they’ give us? And if the chair has wheels, why can’t we wheel them?
Anyway, science, brain, boredom, work etc…
It (science) keeps telling us that you learn more, do more, and be more when your body is active. Its certainly not new information that exercise plays a large part on maintaining a healthy brain…it needs exercise to stay alive!
Science also tells us that we all don’t have the same ‘internal clocks’ or energy levels; some people do actually work and perform better at different hours of the day. Really, no, really?
I always used to think it was laziness that I was fecked at 2 in the afternoon, which is now why I choose to work mainly at night (wouldn’t it at least be a step in the brain friendly direction if you could choose the hours your worked?) Performing at your best, when you are physically at your best, or at least awake!
Research has also shown that having a siesta in the afternoon is beneficial to the brain: it needs to rest. Yeah, to continental living!
It also has been researched that…wait for it, to ‘find and discover’ that people are tired after a meal!
Apparently, we like to rest after food (I do think we should have told science we knew this already, think ‘Christmas Dinner’: you and I could’ve saved researchers a fortune!) Maybe that’s why meetings are not exactly best placed in the afternoon?
Children know this information, you knew it once.
Have you watched children at ‘playtime’: I swear they have an on/off switch.
They are very much ‘on’ when out of the classroom (playing, socialising, creativity, movement, interaction) and when they are told ‘playtime over’ (adult equivalent: on the clock) they are told to line up (adult equivalent: am bus queue) and be quiet as they enter the school again (adult equivalent ‘hush, people working’) neither wonder many just switch off and out.
If I were to ask you ‘do you remember your ‘play times’ at school’, I bet you do, more than you did the actual lessons?
Anyway, here’s a few ideas to waste time sorry, play and keep your brain happy at work;-)
Facebook/Twitter Updates:
Online or mobile (mobile best in toilet) tell your friends (never connect or ‘like’ your boss, bad move) your latest updates.
The reason: you’re a social animal, you need to interact and social networking is a really cool invention for you, the modern human! No doubt, it would actually be more suitable for team work and bonding if you ‘connected’ with the people in the same room as you. But ‘they’ think it best you work in silence or noise at ‘tolerable level’
Loo Visits:
If you feel guilty about this it could be because of a past adult in your life asking ‘you’ve just been, do you need to go’again?’
Um, hello! Yes, for your sanity!
The reason: If going to the loo is the only way you can actually ‘move’ your body (which is not built for sitting still) make sure that you go enough times so that you can stretch out and yawn (gets oxygen to the brain!)
Pretend Work Conversations:
Make as many visits to your ‘friends’ desk as needed throughout the day. These visits are ‘life savers’. If ‘they’ are looking at you suspiciously, take a few papers with you to make it look like an official meander up the floor. The ‘threat’ of being ‘caught’ will actually increase your energy (adrenalin kicks in).
The reason: having a two-minute ‘chit-chat break’ every 40 minutes or so will increase your productivity ! Brain-friendly trainers actually allow this ‘chit-chat’ every ten minutes with folks who are learning new information!
Note: the give away signs for it not being a ‘real’ work conversation are: you move away too quickly when ‘they’ enter the room or your conversation just stop. The dead giveaway is the smile or quick ‘oh almost caught’ raised eye brows. Hang about for at least a minute!
Desk Organisation:
Organising and creating order, brains love it! Actually it also looks impressive: they love tidy workers especially the ones with that insist on an ‘clean desk at the end of day policy’, seriously, what is that about? Go on, give it a good clean: playtime approx 1 hour!
The Pre Break Breaks:
Do you remember the buzz and excitement as a child when it was approaching ‘break-time’, grab it back again! Spend the half hour before the break planning what you are going to do on the break. Get yourself ready. It’s playtime! The brain loves exciting things, it does not ‘do’ boring!
Seriously…
Nope, I can’t get serious here. No, I can, give me a moment…
Okay, I just wish that ‘they’ would start to be aware more of our brains. That we need to ‘play’: that many of our brains are withering with the boredom and tediousness of it all. Yes, the above are time wasting activities, ‘course they are (unless you’re a Social Media Marketer, who gets paid to be on Facebook all day)
Some environments are so stale, stifling, enclosed, boring it’s no surprise that these activites take place.
Of course there are organisation that ‘get’ this. The one that springs to mind right now is the FISH philosophy, which states ‘ the FISH philosophy fulfills the most basic needs of human beings who, in turn, fulfill the needs of the organization’! Hurray!
While others ‘they’ moan about the amount of time we have off with sick days, duvet days and stress related illnesses. Is it any wonder? I do think that ‘they‘ have to take some accountability for killing the playfulness and creativity of the brains that are working for them. Maybe that’s the plan…keep us numb, no revolt!
Or (thinking aloud), the time will have to come when we’ll just have to end ‘playtime’ for school children! Here’s why…
Apparently we let young people leave school/college/university unprepared for the world of work. We wonder why some young people struggle with the transition into employment, no wonder:
‘here’s a set of rules that state ‘playing’ is beneficial to you, now you’re a ‘worker’ these rules no longer apply, here’s a new set, which state no playing, thankyouverymuch.’
Here’s what happens: ‘What, you can’t cope? It must be your fault!’
Playing is for life. You don’t just ‘stop’, heck you can’t stop. I wonder what your working life would be like if you were allowed to openly ‘play’ or even just work in ‘playfulness’ you know: merriment, happiness, enjoying activites.
Here’s a question: my last official workplace (where someone else insanely agreed to pay my wages) was playful, employee centred, inspiring and had a ‘they’ that actually understood human needs.
And at the other end of the scale, was a place where I ‘lasted’ two weeks because of the ‘you-dare-move-rule’ (maybe less, I’ve erased it from my memory) it may have been something to do with the ‘pre-booked toilet breaks’, huh, I don’t think so, not in my worklife!
What do you do at work to ensure you stay sane, creative, brain alive and conscious? Any tips?
And, if you are one of he lucky few who works in ‘playful, joyous and yet highly productive and engaging’ environment, what makes it this way? And of course if you need to get serious about ‘doing what you love’ download these resources.
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