Playfulness in Our Work

March 1, 2023

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I recently had an experience where I was with a team of people for many long meetings, and the sense of joyfulness and laughter pervaded the hours we were together. We got more done than I can remember getting done with other groups in similar time-frames. It got me thinking: Where does joy and playfulness come into the group productivity equation?

Working with My Hands

I was raised in the Midwest, and my German ancestry runs deep. The phrase, “Work before pleasure” was a regular refrain throughout childhood.

My parents and grandparents worked hard. My grandparents, in particular, were farmers and used their hands from before sun-up ‘til well after dark. It seemed that Sunday really was the only time for rest–and this may have only been in the morning before church. Those with similar upbringings know that after church, lunch needed preparing, serving, and cleaning up after before preparations for the new week began.

I don’t remember the work I performed as a child and teenager as being drudgery. I remember hard work, and I remember play. I remember many times of laughter WHILE we worked–whether in driving between lawn mowing jobs, laying underground sprinkler pipes and fittings, cleaning bathrooms, etc. A sense of joy and playfulness permeated the work.

Working with My Head

Those days of primarily working with my hands are largely over. I tend towards knowledge work–facilitating groups of adults to improve their practice. And yet, I can’t help but make the direct connection of joy and laughter between the work of a laborer and that of a knowledge worker. And how that joy and laughter can bring us together and give us more happiness in our roles.

So it was in that team meeting not long ago. We laughed quite regularly–over puns and silliness, actual jokes and ribbings. The time flew. The work was accomplished. And everyone left happier than they had been before.

I wonder, in the meetings we are in, what ways can we instill joy in our work? How can laughter become embedded in our tasks? How might we bring joy to the mundane?

And many thanks to Sarah Fruehling, executive coach and friend, for some of the inspiration for this post. You can see her short video here.

Questions for Reflection

In what ways can you instill joy in your work?

How can laughter become a natural part of your tasks?

How might you bring joy to the mundane?

“Happiness, the feeling of positivity, really is the foundation of productivity.” –Miguel McKelvey

Rib Review

You would think that, having been on the road almost the entire month of February, I would have had some ribs! Unfortunately, that is not the case.

The ONE time that I went to a barbecue joint, the waiter talked me into having burnt ends. They were fine.

Shoulda had the ribs…

Art’s Barbecue had a great ambiance, and the service was fantastic. Prices were pretty darned good, but next time I’ll have some ribs. The burnt ends weren’t anything to write home about.