The Value of Play
One of the hallmarks of an effective and creative life is play. This unique idea comes from the book Essentialism, which advocates ‘the disciplined pursuit of less.’ It’s a great book, and I recommend that you read it, but right now I want to think more about that concept of play.
The argument is that play rejuvenates us, rests our minds, and gives us ideas so that we can make new connections and think outside the box. It is part of the process of learning and exploration.
This is obvious with children. Play is not a luxury for children; it is a necessity. Whether it is an infant who is waving a rattle in his fist, or first-graders playing with dolls in a dollhouse, play is important. It is the means by which they experiment with ideas, interact with others, enjoy themselves, and learn how the world works.
It gets more complicated with adults though. How do we ‘play’ in such a way that we can gain the main benefits of rejuvenation, experimentation, creativity, and understanding?
I think that the answer lies in what we play with. Children play with physical objects in a physical world, because that is what they are trying to understand. Effective play for adults involves playing with ideas in the world of ideas, because that is what we are trying to understand.
There are many fun ways to play with ideas. By sketching representations and concept maps, you can play with how ideas fit together. By giving yourself permission to fall into a ‘wikipedia hole’ you can come across new ideas and thoughts. I enjoy watching drone photography videos with music in the background (like these from Switzerland, Germany, and Greenland), because my mind loves to learn about new places and see the wider world. You may not think of these things as ‘play,’ but I think they are, at least for me. They are relaxing, generate new ideas and information, and spur creativity and thinking in new ways.
Of course there are many other ways to play, and physical play might also have its benefits (like when parents get down on the floor to wrestle with their kids or join them in play). I don’t need to add that while play is valuable, it should be done in moderation. Don’t justify your obsessive Facebook scrolling just because a few minutes a day might be ‘play.’ That’s like a kid who skips school so that she can play all day.
It’s easy to neglect it, but we all need some ‘play’ in our day, because it spurs us to creativity while giving us much-needed rest. How you incorporate this into your life will depend on you, but don’t ignore it.
