.jpg)
"Work hard, play hard" is a phrase we hear all the time. If we do everything we're supposed to, we take all the right classes, get the right grades, perform well in our jobs, we deserve to have fun as well, right?
Not only do we deserve this break from hard work, but this break can also benefit us in numerous ways, as Emma M. Seppala, Ph. D., describes in her article "5 Reasons to Increase Your Play in 2013".
Taking time to play can improve our creativity. We can become locked in our own thoughts and have trouble seeing things from new perspectives after long hours of work. Mark Beeman, Ph. D., Northwestern University found that people could more easily solve a puzzle after watching a comedy clip. Having fun eases tension we may feel, and allows us to think more creatively in challenging situations. In fact, in his book Play, Stuart Brown, M.D., describes how the Jet Propulsion Lab experiences difficulty in finding young engineers of the same caliber as their predecessors. The reasoning was found to be because the retirees had engaged in analytic play and as a result the lab now questions engineering candidates about their type of play in youth.
 |
| Google's work environment is especially conducive to creativity. |
Play can also help our health. Naturally, laughter comes with play. We have fun, we joke, we laugh. Preliminary studies have shown that along with the enjoyment that comes with laughing, laughter can also improve physical health. It can improve vascular health and decrease stress and inflammation.
Play makes us more present in our lives as well. More often than not, as we work on one task, we are thinking about a few others. According to a study done by at Harvard University, about 50% of the time we are not in the present moment. When we lose ourselves, if only for a short time, in play we can enter something research psychologist, Mihály Csíkszentmihályi, calls flow. Flow is a state of being completely in the present moment and occurs when we are entirely focused on one activity. And because we are happiest in the present moment, play can make us happier people. When we dwell on the past, we tend to think of anger, regret, and other negative emotions. When we think of the future, we tend to worry or feel anxious. It is in the present that we can find our happiest state and it is in play that we can experience the present.
In our world of never ending to-do lists and responsibilities, it is so easy to forget to take time to let loose. Play may even be seen as immature or irresponsible in the face of things that seem more important. However, play is essential to our health, happiness, and creativity.
What do you think about the importance of play? Have there been any times where taking a break has helped improve your work? Are there any other benefits to play that you have experienced?
As busy as our lives get during the school year, I think those holiday and seasonal breaks are helpful in recuperating and enjoying time for ourselves. Even taking a break from homework to watch a show or play tennis can help us come back to our work refreshed and clear-minded. I definitely agree that play can lead to happier and healthier lives; thinking of the past reminds you of the fight you had with your boyfriend and the that approaching math test on Friday can really stress you out.
ReplyDeletePlay can help one de-stress and even build in exercise time for everyone. For instance, my brother takes break from his homework to play hockey in our driveway. This time off, he not only enjoys, but helps hims relax and break up the day to be more bearable.
I agree with Jacky! Time to ‘play’ does break up our day and makes it more bareable. If we have something to look forward to during the middle or at the end of our busy day, our day goes by quicker. When we are given time to unwind, our creativity is fostered, thus making us more productive. According to an article by Amy Fries in Psychology Today, creativity and time off amidst work is essential to strive in a competitive world. When our imagination is fostered, we become more innovated in our work and function better in our thought-based economy.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I have found that I function better in school and concentrate more on my homework when I take time off to play the violin or go to a sporting event at one of the boys’ schools. Taking a break lets me take my mind off of my endless to-do list and focus my attention on something that requires less effort.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-power-daydreaming/201002/sparking-creativity-in-the-workplace
I definitely think that we need time to "play." Whether this is going on a vacation during one of the school breaks or attending a sports activity or something along those lines, we are temporarily distracted from our busy never-ending lives. Especially in America, we have a "work hard, play later maybe" mentality that causes so many people to burnout from the never ending cycle of work. Like Monica shows in the article, the offices of Google or even Facebook have a creative work space that offers distractions from the monotony of work. These creative periods allow your mind to wander and allow you to rethink a concept that you may have been stuck on. The concept of playing enabling a happier life and a better work ethic reminds me of the concept of functional fixedness. If we are confined to one thing for hours at a time, we often get stuck on one concept and cannot think around it, however some play time frees and distracts your mind so you can start fresh again when you start up your work. Overall, play is valuable to our lives and work.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that play is crucial to overall happiness, and even job performance and creativity. Just look at Google and Facebook offices: all of the employees are casually dressed, use slides as staircases, and exchange ideas over a game of pool, and yet create the most successful businesses in the world! Our best creative juices flow when we are free from pressure and stress. I notice that before I fall asleep, when I am most relaxed, I tend to think of great ideas and novel solutions to problems that would have stumped me an hour before. A relaxed, worry-free mind, a consequence of child-like play, is the ideal catalyst for success.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that time to "play" in between periods of work are necessary, not only to de-stress but to also stimulate creativity. Creative work environments, like Google's, definitely speaks to this. Today, as I got home from school, I could feel myself stressing out before I had even opened my backpack--so naturally, I grabbed a snack and my laptop and started watching Grey's Anatomy. Though some may argue it would have been more logical to start my homework, and then reward myself with an hour of Grey's later, knowing myself I would have wasted that hour procrastinating, due to my stress, anyways. In this way, having some relaxation time in between work allowed for me to actually be more productive. And in between commercials of Grey's Anatomy, I can also notice myself thinking of what I have to do without stressing, and coming up with a manageable plan to do those things. I also agree with Jess, that I can also come up with novel ideas during this period. When we are too focused on work, we also do not benefit from it--homework becomes a task to simply finish and get a good grade on, not something to reinforce and benefit our learning process. Play time was factored into all of our schedules, up until 8th grade with recess. Although most of us would probably use a recess to do homework at IHA, maybe working in a leisure time for students would peak their attentiveness and stimulate their creativity.
ReplyDeleteEver since I was little, I have always had a period a time devoted to "play"- whether it be playing with dolls and cars when I was six or reading, playing games on the computer, or finding something to laugh at in the present- and like Cristina, it continues to be an important part of my daily routine. I find that play stimulates creativity and imagination, which like everyone else has suggested, leads to a better and more relaxed way of approaching and solving a problem. Creativity is so important in many different academic fields and when we are stressed and pushed to the other extreme of just hard logic, not every problem can be solved (for example, when asked during a college interview if I would choose either the aspect of creativity or of efficiency in a field of study, I choose creativity because in the end it probably would lead to efficiency on top of novel ways to see the subject). This blog post is also somewhat similar to the other blog post "The Mindlessness of Technology" in which people become more 'mindful' when their minds are allowed to wander thus making them more relaxed and alive in the present moment.
ReplyDeleteI am most definitely a child at heart and I really do believe that that attitude will benefit me in the long run. My family is a huge lot of "worry warts" and most of them don't understand how I can be so carefree and "immature." The thing is, it's not being carefree! I have plenty of things to stress about - school, college, and just life in general. Nothing about life is just a walk in the park. The only thing that makes things more bearable is trying to make the best of things. I am fortunate enough to have an 11 year old brother that always makes fun an option. Whenever I feel the stress in my life starting to bubble over, I go outside with my brother and we'll play catch or tag or he'll invent some silly game and we'll play for an hour or two. Later on, when I sit back down to finish all of my work, I tend to find that I'm much more relaxed and productive than I would be if I had sat there as my frustration mounted. I try to take the time every day to do at least one thing that I enjoy doing whether it's watching one of my shows or going for a run.
ReplyDeleteI fully agree with all of the points Monika made about play. I believe that laughter can increase a person's health. At the end of a long day, nothing feels better than a long, hearty laugh. Sometimes you can quite literally feel the stress melting away at these moments. Also, time to play does make me feel more present in my own life. I can't tell you how many times I have felt like a robot going through my daily routine. Breaking up that routine to do something fun and spontaneous makes me feel more alive. My brother and sister always joke about how they never see me during the week because I have so much work and that I'm just some "creature" that comes downstairs for dinner. They mean it jokingly, but it's true! During the week, my life gets overwhelmed by all the work I have to do, as do I. Taking time to play makes me feel more like myself.
Leaving time to play is extremely important in life. No one should ever restrict themselves to working all day long. If someone were to do this, they would not be taking advantage of everything life has to offer. People are meant to be social beings, not people who cram themselves up in a room alone to do work and only work. Playing and having a fun time is essential to living life. We must be around other people a lot and be able to laugh and have a good time.
ReplyDeleteThere have been many times where taking a break has improved my work. Whenever it that dreadful Sunday when I am cramming my weekends worth of homework all into one day, I notice that after a couple hours, my brain just starts to slow down. It becomes hard for me to focus and actually retain what I am learning. When this happens, I usually go and do something fun and not work related where there is not much thinking involved just to give my brain a rest. When I return back to work, I notice a huge difference compared to before I took the break. I am able to think clearly and efficiently once again.
In general, it is extremely necessary to make time for play because it is during play time when you learn necessary every day things. Having "school smarts" is always important, but it is just as important to have "street smarts" as well.
I believe that taking a break is extremely important. I remember when I was younger my mom would tell me to take a break when I got home from school before beginning homework. A break was the purpose of recess of recess in grammar school and now we even have locker break and lunch at IHA. It is very easy to loose focus when things become overwhelming but I find that after I take a short break I can finish whatever I was doing with a new sense of focus.
ReplyDeleteToday's environment is not conducive to taking breaks but I think that as more research and information is put out on the subject you might have more places like Google that create an area when play can happen. I think that wanting to play is only natural, but people because come to see it as a childish activity, when it reality it has life long benefits.
I definitely agree with this. I think that taking some time out of our busy schedules to just relax and joke around boosts our moods which in turn, improves our productivity. I personally do not do my homework well at all if I haven't went to practice before. Even though sometimes practice can be an extra stress, it is also time to laugh with my friends and joke around. When I don't have practice, I find it really hard to concentrate on my homework and I get distracted really easily. This is why we have locker break and lunch at IHA, as a time for "play", but really we end up just scrambling to finish homework and cramming for tests. I think it would be beneficial to try to get all your work done the night before and then really just take these breaks during the school day as breaks- not time to work even harder.
ReplyDeleteI agree that having time to take a break and play is extremely important. AS Katlyn said, although we may not have realized it, we have had time to "play" worked into our daily school schedules since we were children. Often times I find it true when I am doing my homework for too long that I become frustrated and can not think straight because my brain is tired. When I take a break and look at things an hour later, I am able to better understand and look at things from a new perspective. However, many times I do not have time to do this and I think this often happens in our everyday lives because we are constantly busy. I think that when more research is done that show the correlation between success and time to take your own break, places like google will become more common.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with everything in this article! In school, the classes after locker break and lunch are always the ones that I am most attentive in because of the refocus these break period give. They offer something to look forward to and leave you feeling ready to be productive. Personally, I always come home from school and, before going straight into more work, I watch a little bit of TV or eat in order to give myself a little rest. If I go right into my assignments, I end of overworking my brain and get frustrated and more stressed then before. Alot of the time, I feel as though you need to distract yourself to refocus yourself (as paradoxical as that seems). Your creativity and attention span are rejuvenated during down time and then used for work. Therefore, when you are feeling stressed, continuing work will never actually benefit you. Even when it seems as if there is no time in the day, you will get a lot more done if you just take a small break and therefore, it is worth it.
ReplyDeleteWhile I tend to spend my down time watching TV and eating, I find that exercising and doing other physical activities are much more effective in relieving me of my stress. I have dance class every night and by the time I get home, which is usually 10pm, I feel more ready to work then I did at 2pm that afternoon. This is because when you use your down time to do some sort of physical activity, you are relaxing your brain and working other muscles. After completing your workout, you feel the desire to stay activity and that is why turning to studying is easy. Conversely, when you relax by participating in lazy activity, you will feel the need to remain lazy and then it takes a while to refocus your energy on work.
Seeing the evident effects that creativity and relaxation can have on productivity, it would make sense that places like Google are about to foster the brightest minds.
I agree with the article and the comments. Like Jacky and Sue said, breaking up the day with occasional play time makes the work bearable. Whenever my eyes start to go cross doing work, I take sometime to watch tv, workout, go on a drive etc, and I always work more efficiently afterwards.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I do my best work in the first semester. I come back from summer break happy and ready to jump into school, but, by mid winter and by the time spring comes around, I am so done with school. This feeling is more acute this year, with senioritis, but I am always dragging by the end of the year.
I feel like taking breaks throughout the day to “play” will ultimately improve our work. If we force ourselves to work and work all day long, we begin to get lazy and not put our best effort into everything we do. However, if we were to break up the day by doing something to get our minds off work then we would return to work rejuvenated and with a fresh mind. The same could be said about breaks in school. Whenever we return from a break or even a long weekend, we are refreshed and more willing to focus our minds on our work.
ReplyDeleteAs Jess said, there are certain work environments that are not uptight corporate business offices. It gives the employees some space to breath, focus and get their work done. I feel as if it also creates a more relaxed environment where people are not afraid to share crazy ideas or make a mistake. Although they are more relaxed, they are just as successful, if not more, than the corporate businesses that require suits, ties, silence and cubicles. The theory of adding some “play time” to the day proves itself with these creative companies.
I fully agree with this article and what everyone else has been posting above. I believe that taking time to "play" does influence how individuals work. In a more flexible environment, there is less pressure on the workers, which usually yields better results. Also, individuals are typically more willing to work their best when they are put in the best situation. For example, if a teacher were to give my class a study period and, in exchange, just asks that in return we try our hardest to get a good grade on a test, I would definitely try to work my absolute best to study for my test in order to repay my teacher who took a load of stress off my back for that day. In the same way, if a person is given a more free and flexible environment to work in, they will likely be more willing to do whatever is asked of them.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with the belief that taking a break from a long period of work stimulates good health. While it is often said that we should "work now, play later," if the work is very demanding, it can be very difficult to focus for an extremely long period of time. Yes, it may just be because the individual is not motivated enough, but it can also be attributed to the fact that we need a break in order to be refreshed and to give our brains a rest. Thus, if we take a break, we will be more energized to focus after our replenishing break period.
I agree that taking breaks can lead to better work. If I am too stressed out it is too difficult for me to finish all the work I have to do. I work better when I do one or two assignments, take a break to eat a snack or watch T.V., and then finish my other assignments. If I am stuck on a homework problem or have writer’s block it helps to take a break and come back to it. After having a break, I may start to see the problem in a different way and be able to solve it, or think of new things to write about. I think that taking breaks from school also helps because when we return we are refreshed and ready to learn, instead of being tired and overworked and not wanting to pay attention in class.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteI think play is equally as important as hard work in almost every situation (perhaps just not meeting deadlines.) I would've mentioned Google as my example even if it wasn't written in this article, because I see it as the optimal work environment. A friend of mine that works there has explained it as that since there are so many "superhuman" minds working there, it is important to break up anything mundane and keep things interesting, just as Google strives to do as a website. As such, tedious things like dry-cleaning are taken care of for employees. She feels that she has a better relationship with her boss and is more motivated to work harder because she knows that if her brain is ever feeling "fried," she can take a casual break with him to play air hockey or do something relaxing.
I personally believe in taking breaks while I work because I feel that sometimes you just need to step back from a situation-whether it's a math problem that just isn't adding up or a project for art class that just won't turn out how I want it no matter how much I erase, sometimes you just need to see something else. Maybe even go outside and get some fresh air. Or maybe just have a small snack to feed your brain! I usually opt to go outside, if I can, and eat a small bite of something cold to wake up my senses a little. I have found the element of breaking every so often to be essential to my productiveness, and I advise everyone do it, because nobody is meant to work three hours of straight concentration.