Back in my post for WEEK #49 of last year I shared the FOUR PILLARS OF PRODUCTIVITY – in essence the four cornerstone ingredients for productivity and goal achieving. These were introduced to me several years ago and I’ve been employing them each week since to set and work through mini goals that contribute to the bigger ones.
For anyone looking for a quick reminder, the Four Pillars are:
- SPECIFICITY
- MEASUREMENT
- DEADLINES
- ACCOUNTABILITY
This week feels like an appropriate time to share the Fifth, and counterintuitive, Pillar of Productivity. This crucial and often overlooked contributor to productivity is…..
PLAY
It’s fitting because I’ve not long ago landed back in snowy Edinburgh from our annual family ski trip in Porte du Soleil.
No matter what our age, we all have an inner child that enjoys PLAY, and it is actually counterproductive to ignore that. As I’ve gradually come to learn from my said mentor, it’s super important that we don’t try to optimise every minute of every day. You’ll know if you fall into this trap of listening to podcasts whenever you move/travel, trying to multitask, and attempting to push for every minute of your day to be optimised for maximum business output and personal growth.
If you can relate to that at all, I get it. I’m the same. We are only trying to become the best version of ourselves. Indeed my highest value.
However, as I mentioned, I’ve gradually learned from my mentor Peter that play is important too. He showed me that ‘the latest science has actually proven that Playing – like a child – is a revolutionary brain hack that stimulates your neurological growth*. It also unleashes powerful focus and motivation.’
[*Dr Stuart Brown has devoted his career to a meta-analysis of “Play” research in humans and animals, by sociologists, biologists, psychologists and neurologists. He found (among other things) that Play – in both kids and adults – directly correlates with increased brain neuron density and executive function. Play literally makes you smarter.]
So, it’s actually “optimal” to not always be optimised.
I’ve learned that it’s crucial to allow yourself some time regularly for unstructured, non-improving, joyful activity. The kind of thing that’s innately interesting, where you lose track of time AND lose your sense of self. The kind of thing that your seven year old self would’ve loved to do.
For my seven year old son I know that thing is Lego. For me, one of these activities has always been playing in the snow, so getting to do that with my loved ones all this last week has been amazing.
I’ve returned home excited and energised about beginning a new week of incremental progress with our SA and development business. Tomorrow is a particularly exciting start to the week Chris and I will complete the purchase of a 3 bed flat that we intend to refurb for SA and then sell as a high cash flow asset.
Have a great week all, and don’t forget to factor in some all important PLAY.