Adults can learn through play too!

Grown-ups need to play too you know. For many years I'd forgotten the art of exploration and play. I would work long hours, spend a little time with family then retire to bed only to repeat the process.

Conscious that I'd let hold passions and hobbies die, I convinced myself my work was my hobby. I got to code every day, build websites and create content, surely this wasn't “work”.

The work mindset

Whilst very true, I have a passion for code and content, over time I realised that there is a huge difference in mindset when you are engaging in work. Whilst I call code my hobby, when developing within the scope of a project and to a specific deadline, code is no longer a hobby. It's a task with expectations and pressures.

Whilst working on the clock, you don't experience the joy of play or the excitement of new discoveries. Instead, you have to focus on the job at hand. A new discovery is met with relief as it fixes an issue you were struggling with, yet there is no time to marvel, you need to keep going.

My businesses had formed from the talents I developed from my hobbies, but the day-to-day activities of running the business were in no way a substitute for the benefits of relaxation, play and engaging in passions with no agenda.

Burnout forced me to stop and play

Mid 2020, I hit burnout. This affected my productivity, the enjoyment in my work, my motivation and my ability to be present with those I love. We decided I needed to rest, so we all worked to ensure I could take most of December off in order to fully relax, spend time with the family and... play!

Yes I planned to spend much of my month off exploring interests I've had but neglected for years. Electronics, quantum physics, open source software. I also wanted to discover new programming languages that were in no way related to my businesses. I had my eye on Python as I knew there was potential to merge my development skills with the new electronic kit I was going to explore.

What changed

December 2020 was one of the most fun times I'd had in many years! I learned to play again. Old interests rediscovered and new passions unlocked. The feelings I experienced were close to those I'd experienced as a child. The excitement of discovery, the pleasure of time and the expanse of unlimited imagination.

I'd been focused on creating holidays and going to magical places like Disney World to get that fix! Now I was experiencing the magic I'd long forgotten in the comfort of my own home!

Priorities quickly changed. I removed social media, stopped reading the news and became very intentional about the time I would spend with the family. We started talking more, sharing our worries, thoughts, hopes and dreams. We began to laugh more, cuddle more, listen more.

Dad was much happier and that lifted everyone. It didn't take long for the change in Dad to start to rub off on our teenager. She started trying new things on her computer, her artistic flair blossomed and her willingness to spend time with us all grew exponentially.

We are in February now and things have continued to improve. Our anxious daughter has grown in confidence and spends loads of time with her little brother. My wife worries about me less than she's ever needed to. My business partner has never seen me so happy. My baby boy has hours of dad time every day and is an extremely content and happy little lad.

The future

Learning to play again as an adult has changed our future forever. New discoveries in play are now affecting the direction of our business. My business partner who helped lead me to these life-changing moments is too on his own amazing journey which is helping us both develop an exciting culture for our company.

Play has become a part of work. We've discovered that exploration, relaxation, rhythm, exercise and fun are all “part of the work”. Rather than a culture where being busy is a badge of honour, we are focused on creating and building an exciting vision through exploring our passions.

It's been three months since I started to play and explore new hobbies.

So much has changed and I've no intention of stopping yet.

As I learn and experience more, I'll be back here to share.

Lee Matthew Jackson – MastodonPodcast