How to solve all of your problems using a playground

When in Doubt, Go to the Playground

Phillia (see my post from 2013 for Phillia's intro: Phillia Post) would show up everyday to the office and did the same thing every morning.

He gets his coffee, turns on his computer, says hello to a few colleagues and then sits at his desk. It usually takes five minutes for him to look at his list of tasks and then freak out and walk over to my desk to chat and make some sort of nervous small talk.

I asked one day about his to do list and why he let it freak him out. He showed it to me...what a train wreck! I quickly came up with a solution for him (a stolen solution from Franklin Covey of course). List everything in order of importance. Gut the shit that doesn't absolutely have to be done today. Delegate what you can. Break down the big tasks into smaller pieces. Re order the list. Then start at the top and go from there.

Decide what is important first

Easy, right? Simple you say? Yes, it can be if you recall how much pleasure one gets from keeping it simple.

I think about my kids playing on the little playground in the park we live in. When it is just the two of them out there they are having the time of their little lives. Running around the structure, walking along the wooden border, going up the slide backwards.

And they love it because it's easy and simple, it's pure. It's when three more kids show up that it gets complicated. When two people want to use the slide at the same time. When someone is throwing acorns and someone else doesn't like that. When someone is loud and screaming and another kid gets scared.

Lack of resources leads to conflict

So what do we as adults do in this situation. usually one of two things: we either remove our child from the situation (here Johnny, come play over here with this. Isn't this fun?). Or we try to mediate the issue at hand (Now Johnny, it's not nice to throw acorns at someone. You might hurt them.)

Our issues as adults, whether in the personal or professional world are not much different when you think about them. We have a limited number of resources available to us: budgets, time, peoples' attention, housing, water, that new iPhone that was just released. It's when those resources get scarce or we are in competition for them that conflict arises. I would suggest that remembering the basic rules of the playground might help most of us as adults in resolving these conflicts. For a simple reminder here is a list of the common playground rules in my little part of the universe:

• If it's not yours don't touch it
• Share with others
• Keep your hands to yourself
• Don't pick on the other kids
• Use the playground at your own risk
• Have an adult with you if you are too young
• Stick to age appropriate play elements
• Don't booze and play
• Wear proper footwear

When in doubt

What would happen if you posted that list in your office? Would it stick? Would it matter? Would people actually pay attention and get it?

Maybe at some point I'll actually get into how to promote an ethic of play in your work environment, but for now this is good enough. Just remember, all afternoon should be for leisure and play according to Thomas Jefferson, or was it Ben Franklin?

Either way, go play. Be nice. Share. And when in doubt go down the slide backwards and trust your gut. In the end it's only a slide and you are only playing.

To Be a Better Executive You Need to Move

There seems to be a great deal of talk these days about how to be better. Writers, articles and media in general want you to be an improved entrepreneur, a more productive employee, a more loving parent or a more profitable CEO and executive.

A recent article in Forbes says that you need to wake up at the crack of dawn to earn more money for your company. An article in Entrepreneur magazine says you should take an improv class to be a better business leader. Scientific American thinks you need to set the bar high and use the "anchoring effect" to negotiate more effectively.

I have a much easier, simpler and more cost effective way be a better person, boss, dad, friend or entrepreneur. Go for a walk. Yup, that's it. Just put one foot in front of the other and repeat. You don't need any special equipment, join a club, learn a new skill or even try to find some magical hour in your already jam packed schedule to add another item to your to do list. In fact, you are probably ready to walk more but you are so trained to not do it that it takes some time to switch up your habits.

But why you ask, is walking the answer? Well, for one it will make you smarter. The psychological and mental health community has repeatedly shown that aerobic exercise (which walking is of course) leads to improved executive function. Executive function includes such important tasks as planning and organizing multiple things, making quick decisions, switching tasks, staying focused and paying attention...all of the things you were supposed to learn in school but we know you didn't (mostly because you didn't get enough exercise at recess apparently!). If you really want to enjoy a thorough read on the topic you will have to purchase the article though.

Walking will also improve your mood. Harvard Medical School states that prolonged walking (longer than 35 minutes a day five times a week or 60 minutes a day three times a week) can be nearly as effective as medication in treating depression. In their 2011 book, "Exercise for Mood and Anxiety: Proven Strategies for Overcoming Depression and Enhancing Well-Being," Smits and Otto make the case that exercise can reduce the symptoms of anxiety and that prolonged exercise programs can lead to a decline in risky behaviors such as smoking.

But probably most importantly is the notion that walking can improve your sexual stamina and satisfaction. Yes, that's right, walking can make your sex life better. The study is not as exciting as the results but the Huffington Post had a nice write up on it here.

So how do you do it? Start taking the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator. Park farther away from the door at the grocery or department store. Use the restroom one floor up or down from you and take the stairs. Walk around whenever you take a phone call. Take that next meeting as a "walking" meeting. Commit to taking a five minute walk during every hour you are at work. Get off the subway or bus one stop early. March in place while you are brushing your teeth. And my favorite idea? Instead of sending an email walk down the damned hallway and talk to someone instead.

So, stop reading, get up and go for a walk. Your brain, your mood, your belly and your sex life will thank me.