Want to be more playful?

101 prompts to help make that happen

Why should you want to be more playful? If you’re reading this I imagine you must feel it has value, but maybe you’re not convinced…

Play allows you to see the world in new ways and form rich, unexpected connections (check out this by the wonderful Michael Rosen). Relationships at home and in work function better when they involve play. And parenting (I love this book) is so much better and more enjoyable when founded on it.

On a grander scale, every significant invention (read Wonderland, How Play Made the Modern World) and all the art that moves us, came from minds at play (artists turn play into their daily practice).

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I believe developing a playful mindset gives us access to richer, more engaged lives and it’s a practical, pragmatic choice. You can develop it no matter how creative or otherwise you think you are. It’s a skill you can develop. And it’s fun!

With that in mind, how is it done? I have a few suggestions and they involve looking, listening and making.

Looking

• Always carry a notebook. It gives you a place to make observations and primes you to look out for them.
• Go for walks without your phone. Or just use it to take photos. Each walk is a chance to notice things.

Listening

• In conversation aim to listen more than you talk and really focus on what the other person is saying.

Making

• Make something every day. Consistent effort has a compound effect. It gives you a way to experiment and you get better (see Seth Godin’s blog, he’s racked up around thousands of posts by posting daily).

I’ve also prepared a set a 101 prompts to help form these habits. They are numbered but can be done in any order, and they are starting points, not recipes. Each one is an opportunity to look, listen, make and play.

The prompts are biased towards the visual but they don’t require any special skills. They are meant to be rough and ready, improvised, quick and fun. They are not about achieving perfection — unless you want to take them that way. We’re compromising on the means, but not the ends. Each prompt should result in something that makes people do or feel something—and that’s what you’re in complete control of.

I’d love to see what you make—do share and tag me in on Instagram.

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I hope you enjoy where they take you.