🧭 Cultural Compass #12
A round-up of culture influencing my navigation of life: Play Time
As mentioned in the previous Cultural Compass, I’m working on creating a theme for each issue, linking the round-ups and recommendations.
This week: play.
🎧 The Playdate Season
I wouldn’t really describe myself as a playful person. I tend to take things a bit too seriously to be ‘silly’ (though my partner would sometimes beg to differ), I don’t find slapstick humour very funny, and I don’t have small children or pets in my life forcing me to get involved with toys and games.
Which is why I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed, and resonated with, the last season of the Inner Warmup podcast - The Playdate Season. Across nine episodes, usually around 30-40 minutes (the perfect listen while preparing dinner or pottering around at home),
explores play as the fundamental focus of guests’ lives, rather than what they do to earn money. Those interviewed range from psychotherapists to branding experts to Google hot shots, and each bring their own definition of play along with inspiration for how we can embed this in our own lives too.Through the series a number of activities are discussed as play, from baking to language learning to improvising. What these conversations have in common is essentially an encouragement to make time for hobbies; things we do that spark joy, that change up the routine, that ensure we have a sense of leisure on a daily basis, even if we are otherwise caught up in the endless churn of chores, conference calls and crazy calendars.
But more than that, Taylor and friends consider the small moments of joy and playfulness that can be injected in our lives day to day; the unexpected kiss on the cheek from a partner, the five minutes of football before dinner with a child, the notion of gamifying a living room tidy-up before bed.
I particularly enjoyed the episode with
, on the art of gathering. I love hosting. I love bringing friends and family together, putting out little snacks and opening bottles of wine. But I rarely do it, because in order to feel I can, I want everything to be perfect. In LaBelle’s words, “I felt like I had to have my whole life together in order to have people over.” I still feel like this, to quite a large extent, but want to drop that hang up this year and enjoy the opportunity to host and gather more. I know that guests won’t be inspecting the dust specks on my bedroom desk (thank you to the wonderful Friday night dinner guests who indeed did not suggest a desk inspection was necessary), so why am I bothered about whether I’ve given it a wipe down or not before they arrive? LaBelle shares wholesome and realistic ideas for making this a playful experience, learning from her mother’s approach to creating special experiences growing up (which I resonated with too), and I’ve bookmarked the episode for a re-listen as inspiration through the coming months.If you have any resolutions / intentions / a loose interest in making time for a hobby this year, or want to explore new ways (perhaps less materialistic?) to find inner joy, I’d recommend having a listen to this series, or just picking an episode at random that takes your interest. Even if you don’t feel the notion of play really speaks to you - you might be surprised.
📑 Table Games
While I’m not one to play a board game (the suggestion of Monopoly unfortunately causes my heart to sink), Christmas day in my family does involve a bit of play time around the table. Often this will be a festive quiz, or music or movie trivia - something low key that allows everyone to stay relaxed in their seats, drinking wine or bubbles and nibbling at delicious fares, while also getting involved in the fun. The competitiveness comes out in unexpected ways, Christmas cheer amps up, and it’s the one afternoon a year I fully relish the playful spirit.
We even return to a childhood favourite - a form of ‘pass the parcel’, except we are throwing around a Christmas sprout or pudding, the dulcet tones of John Legend accompanying the madness, peeling back layers to discover Christmas-cracker-type gifts and tasks (cue people trying to silently act out A Christmas Carol, or soul-searching with a plastic fish). Play seems like an appropriate word to describe such shenanigans.
This Christmas break I also made some use of this list of questions I came across a few months back on The Good Trade - a grandparent quiz, if you like. Billed as a way to make the most of still having grandparents to learn about and learn from, some questions may feel slightly on the morbid side, but if you pick and choose carefully they can spark a playful energy in a wholesome way. And why stop at grandparents? These could work nicely for everyone else around the table too, family or friends, as a way to connect and get to know people a bit more deeply - and likely cause less conflict than Monopoly.
📑 Play for productivity
In the latest issue of Red magazine (I still love print!)
reports on Ali Abdaal’s approach to productivity, as shared in his new book, Feel-Good Productivity. Transitioning into the world of productivity expertise from the world of medical expertise as an A&E doctor, Abdaal has taken his struggles from hospital settings and experiences working through these to formulate a new approach to getting things done.
Rather than thinking about forcing ourselves to do something, or risking a daily stress-induced heart attack, Abdaal instead encourages readers to think: what would make this feel better? How might we look at something in a new way, more creatively, or playfully, to feel a bit more energised about the things that need ticking off our never-ending lists?
Lunn’s piece outlines Abdaal’s approach through play, power and people. On play in particular, we are invited to “find the fun”, “encourage curiosity” and “choose (our) play personality”. More detail can of course be found in the book, but the tips shared here include adding music to a boring task, doing it with a friend, or promising oneself a treat at the end - beyond just getting to tick it off. I often listen to a podcast while working through admin-type work, and have been known to promise myself a biscuit if I can just get that chunky email sent off - both, I can say, work a treat (mind the pun).
In being more curious, there is a suggestion to find a “side quest” each day, to keep things interesting along with regular, mandatory work. This one feels like a struggle for my imagination, but listening to Abdaal talk about the concept on his podcast, interviewed by Dr Julie Smith, got me intrigued enough to want to try it out. With play personalities, the idea is to find the one that suits us best (I’m guessing a playful quiz is involved) then use that as a badge of honour to guide how we respond to and manage seemingly non-fun tasks.
Rounding off with a few other productivity tips, including re-thinking goals to make them more linked to daily activities, and lowering the bar of expectation in order to actually get something done, this article sits nicely among a collection of features titled “The busy woman’s guide to…slowing down”, which, after the R&R of Twixmas, I have been keen to embed in January.
How are you navigating planning and productivity this January? And might you think about integrating a bit of play?
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