Daniel Pink, the author of A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule The Future, argues that we have moved from the Industrial Age, through the Information Age, and are now entering a Conceptual Age where the ability to detect patterns & opportunities, create artistic and emotional beauty, tell a good story, empathize with others, elicit joy, and tap into the innate desire people have to find meaning in life will be equally important as the ability to manipulate information, think analytically, and employ logic in the pursuit of your goals. Pink describes "six senses" that he believes are the key to success in work and life today. One of them is a particular favorite of ours: Play.
Pink writes:
"Play is emerging from the shadows of frivolousness and assuming a place in the spotlight. Homo ludens (Man the Player) is proving to be as effective as Homo sapiens (Man the Knower) in getting the job done. Play is becoming an important part of work, business, and personal well-being, its importance manifesting itself in three ways: games, humor, and joyfulness...
In the Conceptual Age, as we'll see, fun and games are not just fun and games - and laughter is no laughing matter."
Over the weekend he blogged about doodling, which was the topic of a recent NPR story that outed Bill Gates, Lyndon Johnson, Ronald Reagan, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and our new president as doodlers. Turns out doodling is a compulsion that helps your brain stay tuned in and on alert, especially when it's bored. Our brains are meant to be stimulated. All the time. When they're not being, they go looking for something to do. Thus, the doodle. (As an example of the doodles that result when somebody's poke-me-in-the-eye-with-a-stick bored, check out the cartoon strip that emerged during the faculty meetings one member of our team endured for a couple years.)
The point is "working playfully" isn't something you should have to make yourself do. Your brain does it naturally! Your brain knows you need to engage in random acts of creativity in order to tune in, stay alert, and be effective.
But, just in case you need a little help being playful today, I'll pass on a link to a fun little online group that happykatie alerted me to this morning. The Scribble Project has been started by Lisa Currie, an illustration student from Melbourn Australia who invites you to fill out a sketch-friendly questionnaire and submit it for e-clusion on the flicker site she manages. Here's what the template looks like:
Doesn't it make you want to get out your crayons and start playing?! If you need inspiration, go see what other scribblers have done. If you do a doodle and submit it to The Scribble Project, let us know.
But also spend some time noodling today about how doodling, answering silly questions, and playing little games might help you and the people you work with laugh and learn together. Check out Lisa's other projects, like the The Good Vibe Notes and Stranger Sleuthing, to tickle your imagination. Make up your own games. Create your own doodle challenges. What better way to help your team get to know each other?! But, even more, just imagine how giving people some crayons and inviting them to play together could lead to brainstorming new ideas or searching for solutions to your toughest challenges.
But don't let us keep you here one minute longer. Go play. Your brain will thank you.
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