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Episode 1611:
Leo Babauta explores how embracing curiosity, creativity, and a sense of adventure in daily tasks reduces stress and increases motivation. By redefining work as an enjoyable challenge rather than a burden, we can cultivate a more joyful and sustainable approach to our responsibilities.
Read along with the original article(s) here: https://zenhabits.net/work-as-play
Quotes to ponder:
"Instead of seeing work as a chore, what if we saw it as a game?"
"When we approach work as play, we can find curiosity in the task, joy in the process, and openness to whatever arises."
"Play is not the opposite of productivity, in fact, it enhances it."
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[00:00:30] This is Optimal Work Daily. Work as Play by Leo Babauta of ZenHabits.net Quote, We don't stop playing because we grow old. We grow old because we stop playing. George Bernard Shaw For too many people, work is drudgery. They dread going to work each day, procrastinate on doing tasks they'd really rather not do, and generally aren't excited about doing tasks and projects assigned to them by someone else.
[00:00:59] The problem is that they've found work to be boring, hard, repetitive, and stressful. What they need to discover, or rediscover in some cases, is the concept of work as play. It's something that has changed my life and the lives of many others like me. Work doesn't have to be boring. It can be exciting, something you look forward to, an outlet for your creativity and imagination. It can be play.
[00:01:23] One of the problems is that for many of us, school was designed to prepare us for the working world, and as such it was designed to teach us to work in ways that are boring. It's like eating your spinach, which I actually love as an adult. You do it because it's good for you. We did our homework and seat work and drills because they were good for us. Well, the fun of learning and doing was drilled right out of us, and as adults, we were told we had to work hard to get ahead, that work wasn't fun, but that's just how life is.
[00:01:52] Bulls**t. Life is what you make of it. It can be drudgery, or it can be play, or something else entirely. I've discovered the concept of work as play mostly because I've become my own boss and can pick what I want to work on and set my own schedule. As a result, I work on things that excite me, that I'm passionate about, and it's fun. If something is drudgery, I either drop it or find a way to make it play. As a result, I work harder than ever, but it's exciting and fun. I pour myself into my work and can't wait to do it.
[00:02:20] Turning work into play doesn't mean you don't work hard or that you never do boring tasks. If you've ever played a sport, you know that you work as hard as anyone when you're playing or practicing, but that's no problem because you're having a blast doing it. Learning is the same way. It can be boring and soul-crushingly repetitive, or it can be interesting and joyful and consume all of our free time. I know when I become absorbed with learning about something, I can get caught up in it for days and learn vast amounts of information and skills without once thinking it's hard or boring.
[00:02:50] That almost never happened when I was at school because they made it work, and I wasn't in control of what I learned. So there are a few elements that can help turn work into play. 1. Freedom If you set your own schedule and are able to work on or learn about what you're interested in and excited about, it can be play. If someone else tells you what to do and when, you won't be as excited or interested or motivated. 2. Excitement
[00:03:16] Again, follow your passions. Don't be restrained. If something isn't interesting, move on to something that is. Don't force things. 3. Playing with others While I like to play with myself, playing with others can be so much more fun sometimes. And yes, I know that sounds dirty. Read it as you like. 4. Pour yourself into it You can skip from one thing to another, and that's fine, but you might never accomplish anything that way.
[00:03:42] I find that when I get excited and really pour myself into a project, I can accomplish a lot and have a ton of fun doing it. 5. Showing off One of the reasons boys like sports so much is because they get to show off for girls, and at a younger age, for their mothers. There's nothing wrong with this. I think we're hardwired to want to look good in front of our peers, or the opposite sex. When you're going to make something public, it's exciting and fun. See how I'm doing my new book project, for example.
[00:04:09] There are other elements of play, but these are enough to get you started. Some further thoughts Coaches, are you drilling skills into your players? Stop! You're teaching a game, so teach it by letting them play games. Let them play, but structure the play so it's not only fun, but instructive. Teachers and parents, are you drilling knowledge and skills into your students or children?
[00:04:31] Stop! Learning should be fun, and it really is when the child is allowed to have fun, to play, to explore, to create as he wishes, to learn about whatever he's interested in at the moment. Don't make it unfun. See the concept of unschooling for more. Bosses, are you forcing your employees to do drudgery-type work? Do you control everything they do and when they do it? Stop! Give them freedom. Give them control over their work. Allow them to pursue things they're interested in.
[00:05:01] Google's 20% policy is just one example. When people can pursue things they're excited about, when they can turn work into play, amazing things happen. And employees, is your work drudgery? Turn it into play. If you are stuck in a job where you absolutely cannot turn work into play, look elsewhere. There's more out there. I can't stress the importance of work as play enough. It has turned my life into something joyful.
[00:05:26] It's allowed me to create and accomplish so much more than ever before, and I love every minute of it. I wish you nothing less than this simple happiness. Quote, work and play are words used to describe the same thing under differing conditions. Mark Twain You just listened to the post titled, Work as Play, by Leo Babauta of zenhabits.net.
[00:05:52] And a big thank you to Leo. A little bit about him, Leo Babauta of zenhabits is another author we hear on our other podcast because he blogs a lot about personal development and health, even finance from time to time. So he's been read on pretty much all of our shows at one point or another. But he is an entrepreneur too, so he does write some stuff that's a good fit for this show, and we'll be hearing some more of his stuff in the future. So Leo's a pretty regular guy, but he's become an expert in changing habits by making small, incremental changes since 2005.
[00:06:22] He's originally from Guam, an overweight smoker who was barely making enough money to support his big family. He's got six kids. And he turned all of that around, blogging about it throughout the process. He now lives comfortably in San Francisco in charge of how and when he works. It is a great story, and you can check it out at zenhabits.net. And again, to hear his work being narrated across a couple of our shows, check out our other podcasts by searching for Optimal Living Daily wherever you're hearing this. All right, that's going to do it for today.
[00:06:52] I hope you're having a great Thursday, and thanks as always for being here and for subscribing. And I'll see you back here tomorrow for the Friday show, where your optimal life awaits.