Play for innovation

This week we learned about the value of play. It can really valuable in terms of putting people into the right mind space for innovation. One of the examples we learned about was GoPro which gives its employees 'recess' breaks where they are encouraged to leave the office and go and do whatever they love. This varies across employees - it might be yoga, hiking, reading, cooking. The idea is that keeping employees healthy and happy, GoPro benefits. They are more passionate team members, they're minds are in the right space to create new ideas for the company, and the culture of the office is one which breeds innovation.

I thought about myself. What would I do with this time? What would put me in a creative frame of mind? I have to say, that working on my computer at home can be stifling. If it is a particularly busy week and I am not able to take time away then I can almost feel my energy depleting with each passing hour. What is amazing, is the restorative nature of taking some time out, doing something different. I can notice a difference immediately. How I approach this depends on how much time I have. I live just 10 minutes walk away from the beach. Find that if I take even just one hour to walk down and wander along the coast, the cold ocean breeze and sound of the waves has an immediate impact on how I feel. It is invigorating and refreshing. If I have more time, I might go on a hike in the South Downs National Park. Putting one foot in front of the other, I can feel my mind slip into a more comfortable space. When I return to my desk, I often find that this is when I do my best work. If I am writing an essay and have been struggling with the structure, it all of a sudden seems obvious how to fix it. If I need to come up with an idea then it all of a sudden is there. And this isn't because I have been thinking about it when I have taken time out. It is simply because I have allowed my mind to slip into a state where it is capable of coming up with ideas.

I always used to be slightly skeptical of people telling me to step away from the computer if I am having trouble with an assignment. "Step AWAY? I have a DEADLINE!!!" However, it is now clear that this really works for me!!