My recent blogs have have been concerned with fighting distractions that keep artists from being productive. Things like, checking email 20 times a day, feeling compelled to clean the house, or even working in the yard. But, before I move onto anything else, I'd like to touch upon an important topic – one that is dear to my heart. The topic of Play.

Rest and Recreation

Play, or what we know as rest and recreation (AKA R&R) is a necessary component of a full life. None of us needs to feel guilty about setting aside time for enjoying ourselves or our loved ones. After all, even God rested on the seventh day! You've heard the saying, all work and no play makes “Johnny” a bore. I know this holds true for my own life. If I talk about nothing but art, think about nothing but art and work on nothing but art, I'll become a raging bore – except maybe to other artists. I might even end up boring myself and burning out on the art front. But there's a better way to live -- by maintaining a healthy balance between art and my other interests.

Humans are designed to work, but we also are designed to rest and enjoy ourselves. As the song "Turn Turn Turn" says, “There is a time for every purpose under Heaven”.  I do myself no favors by avoiding playtime. So why do I avoid it? Because I feel guilty when I'm not working! But this is nonsense -- It's perfectly OK to play when the time is right. I erroneously think I need to work all the time in order to be a “good person” and gain the respect of my peers. However, this kind of thinking becomes a problem when I neglect to reward myself with "fun", because I end up resolving the issue by sneaking intermittent playtime into my worktime. Doing this waters down both experiences, making my work inefficient and my play miserably filled with guilt.

Broccoli and Brownies

R&R, to my mind, is a lot like Dessert. By sneaking play into work time, it's as though I'm eating dessert at the same time as the main meal.. like taking bites of brownie in between bites of broccoli. Before I know it, I'll be full... half of nutrition and half of junk food... thereby sacrificing my full enjoyment of the brownie. Ever notice how unplanned treats (between meals) often get categorized as Junk Food, but when sweets are designated as dessert, it's part of a nutritious meal? Since I'll always want dessert, I don't need to worry about not getting 'round to it. However, everything will work out to my benefit, both physically and mentally ,if I eat the nutritious stuff first and then plan to savor my dessert later, most likely accompanied by a hot cup of decaf and good converstation.

A “Nutritious” Daily Schedule

By scheduling in a few hours each day for doing “whatever I feel like”, I'm setting up a work environment that includes a reward. If I have something to look forward to, the tendency to steal “fun” during work hours dissipates. For example, I love to go online and check out my favorite blogs and web sites.This activity fits into my definition of PLAY.  So...if  I schedule an hour or two each day to play online and respond to email, I'll feel light and guilt free, able to throughly enjoy that free time. Furthermore, If I schedule work during my mentally and physically “brightest” hours, I'll complete my tasks faster – leaving even more time for enjoyment. Maybe even time for watching a movie or calling a friend!

Next time you're tempted to goof off during your most productive hours, remember this: Play Time is a
Nutritious and Important Part of Your Daily Schedule. It is Your Reward For a Job Well Done.