I’m not a fan of the way that we use the word work.
“I’m going to work,” “I’m going to get some work done,” “how’s work?”
These are common phrases we use daily to refer to the activities that we do with the intention of generating income, or other desirable results. The word work is defined: “activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a purpose or result.” I take issue with the latter part of the definition, which is to achieve a purpose or result. When we consider activities work, we take the focus away from the process of the activity, and fixate on the purpose or result.
By contrast, the definition of the word play is defined, “to engage in activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than a serious or practical purpose.”
While the purpose or result is an important motivator for getting us to the “activity,” I’ve found that the best way to actually enjoy an activity that achieves a purpose or result is (paradoxically) to completely detach from the purpose or result, which, by definition, turns the activity into play.
In other words, instead of sitting down at your desk and immediately thinking about the pay check, promotion, or praise from a client or boss as motivation for plowing through your to-do list, the key to turning work into play is to find ways to make the process of the activities on your list more enjoyable.
We think of work and play as opposites, and by definition they are. However, as I experiment with my activities as a business owner, I find that that the more that I find ways to enjoy them as if they are play, the more easily, and enjoyably, I can arrive at my intended result.
Here are three tips for turning work into play.
1. Plan out tomorrow, today.
When you sit down at your desk to work and haven’t taken the time to organize your list of activities, your valuable creative energy and decision-making goes to solving the problem of, “What do I need to do?” instead of “How can I make this activity more enjoyable?”
Make your to-do list for your day the night before. Make your list chronological and assign rough estimates for what time you’ll start and how long it will take, so when you sit down to work, you know exactly what activity you’re going to do first, and approximately how long you will spend working on it.
I like to outline my schedule on iCal, beginning with when I’m going to wake up. I schedule both personal activities (like my meditation time, breakfast, pleasure reading, and walks) as well as specific professional activities (writing articles, answering emails, brainstorming, and doing bookkeeping).
If you decide, for example, that your first activity tomorrow is going to be bookkeeping at 9AM, you can get creative about the ways of making the process of bookkeeping as fun as possible.
Bookkeeping? Fun? You may think those words should never reside in the same sentence. Bookkeeping is often cited as one of the most dreaded tasks by entrepreneurs. However, I worked with an amazing accountant who helped me come up with a “bookkeeping ritual” that I do on the first of each month, and now I’ve come to really enjoy the process. (Read on to find out how!)
2. Make your activities a multisensory experience.
Before I sit down to do bookkeeping, I make sure my workspace is very tidy. This contributes to peace of mind, and also takes away the option of cleaning any clutter instead of doing the activity I’ve intended (which I rationalize doing often.)
I meditate right before doing bookkeeping, and put on some relaxing music (I’m loving this Meditative Mind station on YouTube) and prepare a cup of coffee or tea to enjoy while complete this activity.
After meditating, I light a candle or some incense, and then sit down at my desk. Burning something helps create an ambience that reminds you of the activity you’re working on, and keeps you focused.
I have all windows on my computer closed (except for my bookkeeping software) and emails and texts on Do Not Disturb.
Before starting the activity of bookkeeping,I take a few minutes to journal. I write out anything, personal or professional, that’s bothering me, with the intention of letting my journal “hold” the thoughts for me while I get things done.
I think of journaling for business as having a mud room for your thoughts. Keep the thoughts in a separate “room” from your creativity so you don’t track the mud of distraction into your work…or play.
I then set a timer for thirty minutes (I like to use the bells on Insight Timer, which are the same bells I use for meditation) and get started with categorizing expenses, looking at my income, and tracking my monthly goals.
This may sound like a lot of song and dance before sitting down to get things done, but I’ve found that doing this intentional sequence of multi-sensory practices before something tedious is actually the fastest way to get it done, and most enjoyable.
Using all of your senses while you work on your activities keeps you present – and play only occurs in the present. Our senses are related to things happening in the moment, so by having pleasant sounds, smells, tastes, and a tidy environment readily available, you more easily stay in the moment.
3. Acknowledge all of the activities you complete in a day.
When I make an effort to optimize the process of bookkeeping, I fly through the four-step process I created, and actually enjoy the experience.
At a different point in my business, I would sit down at my desk, haphazardly make a list of to-dos, and jump between them frantically.
I would start an activity like bookkeeping, get frustrated, go on social media, curse everyone I followed, go back to bookkeeping, get frustrated again, start reading financial blogs, go back on social media, and continue similar cycles until about 5PM when I would reach a level of despondency and then storm out the door to go sulk on my yoga mat.
I’m learning that today’s planning determines tomorrow’s success, and that scheduling your days ahead of time gives you the chance to turn your activities into experiences, instead of labor.
A small shift I’ve made to even further enjoy the process is to quickly list everything I’ve accomplished at the end of my workday. Emotions like anxiety surface when we mentally exaggerate thoughts like, “I got nothing done,” “I can’t focus,” or “I’m not making progress.”
Making a list of everything you’ve accomplished, even if it wasn’t everything you scheduled, is a great anti-anxiety mechanism, much like the process of building a sandcastle and taking a step back to admire it.
Sure, the tides will wash it away overnight and you’ll have to start over tomorrow — but taking a moment to bask in its glory reminds us that in some ways, all we’re doing is building sandcastles each day. So best to enjoy the playtime.
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
