One of my key values is having a good amount of unstructured time. I find for me personally, and for my teams, amazing things happen when there’s some time that isn’t so strictly ruled by schedules, agendas, or target dates. More time is needed to rest, have fun, explore, reflect, imagine, play, and connect.

I myself have had more free time these last few weeks than I’ve had in years, and quite possibly since my childhood. This has already made it possible for me to get creative, to help more, and to grow so much.

While some weeks go quickly due to typical activities like summer vacations or family visiting, I have many days that aren’t even close to full anymore. This is an incredibly odd experience for me, coming out of a long career in tech. And on days like that, sometimes I just don’t know what to do with myself! I still feel the nagging need to be productive, busy, and accountable. The shame for not actively contributing to what could be impressive self-bio content is still real. I don’t want that drama in my life, though.

I want to really enjoy play, and value it in and of itself. Why? A few things serve as reminders for me:

1. 1. Very often when I make time to socialize or to meet new people, I will discover new ideas, find opportunities to give a hand, and come away with a stronger sense of energy. Sometimes my introverted heart can be a bit more worn out after it, but not without being glad and inspired.
2. 2. A lot of times when I am doing what could be considered a waste of time, like coloring or doing a puzzle or even playing on my phone, my mind is more effortlessly processing. Thoughts will come to me of people to reach out to, or projects to set aside, or emotions to work through.
3. 3. When I am able to physically play more, and let go and give the brain a rest, there are so many benefits that I get from that movement and strengthening and even the different scenery. And not just the biological benefits, but also the mental ones like what comes from being social and free, too. And even when the brain is not fully disengaged, like if it is handling rules and my many emotions that can come with more competitive play, a lot of those benefits are still there.

But even thinking back on how much good has come from play and other unstructured time before, it isn’t strong enough to overcome the natural sense that forced productivity is more efficient and effective. I don’t want that drama anymore, either, but that sense still wins too often for my liking. I do believe that productivity has to be controlled sometimes, especially when there are clear plans and steps to make towards them. But we vitally need that free space to energize and strategize, or we will run out of ideas and plans or simply be left to executing someone else’s.

So how can I make sure I’m playing and relaxing regularly? To make it easier to leisure (yes, I just used leisure as a verb), I probably should have a plan. That way, when I have the time but erroneously think it’s more important to keep working, or when I think I don’t have time because I’m working too much already, I can snap out of it and get playing more easily. A plan will help me get over the cognitive overload of figuring out what to do, and can be that distraction that helps me take action and actually be beneficial rather than the usual distractions of watching Slack or email. If I have a plan for play, a “playlist”, if you will, that has got to help me keep moving.

Here are my initial thoughts at a personal playlist:
1. Get outside and go for a walk with my favorite music on
2. Do a puzzle
3. Find someone to play a game with
4. Look up a dance video on youtube, and bonus: invite someone to dance with me
5. Call a brother
6. Chat with a sister-in-law
7. Marco Polo a friend
8. Rest in my hanging teepee
9. Chill in the hot tub
10. Go for a motorcycle ride
11. Take a hike
12. Fix up my flower garden and landscaping
13. Cruise on my bicycle
14. Pretend to be crafty, like crocheting
15. Do word or puzzle games on my phone
16. Watching vet shows
17. Playing the piano
18. Floating the pool
19. Throwing a ball for my dog

My work playlist looks like chatting with colleagues open to making connections that then get randomly paired by a bot, hosting real or virtual team get togethers just to chat, hackathons or proposal parties, 1-1s and AMAs, volunteering together, book clubs, and taking time off.

How many items can you come up with? What is on your playlist? I need more ideas.

For more thoughts on things I regularly work on, check out my map. This exercise is great to do as a team, as well.