Take a Recess

Recess wasn't a nap.

We weren't recovering so we could become more productive students. 😂

We went outside.

We talked.

We laughed.

We ran around.

We played games that probably had rules nobody completely understood.

For a little while, nobody was asking us to produce anything.

We were allowed to play.

Earlier this month, I talked about Sunday recess and the importance of stepping away.

Then we talked about rest being productive.

But there's something else I've been thinking about:

What if everything we do doesn't need to be productive?

That's difficult for those of us who have learned how to turn almost anything into an assignment.

A walk becomes exercise.

Coffee becomes networking.

A hobby becomes a potential business.

A conversation becomes strategy.

A day off becomes the perfect time to catch up.

Even something we enjoy can eventually become another thing we're measuring.

How many?

How much?

How often?

What did it produce?

Can I monetize it?

Can I post it?

Can I use it?

Sometimes the answer can simply be:

I enjoyed it.

That's enough.

There is value in having parts of our lives that aren't required to produce a result.

Things we do because they make us laugh.

Because we're curious.

Because they're beautiful.

Because we enjoy the people involved.

Because they remind us that we're more than our assignments.

School understood that.

Recess didn't need a learning objective posted on the board.

It had a place in the day because children needed room to be children.

Maybe adults need room to simply be people too.

Not the employee.

Not the entrepreneur.

Not the parent solving something.

Not the leader.

Not the person working toward the next goal.

Just us.

That's part of expanding consistency too.

Because if every part of our life becomes work, eventually we may start resenting even the work we once loved.

Joy gives us something different.

It reminds us why we're building anything in the first place.

We don't work toward freedom just so we can fill every available minute with another responsibility.

We don't build businesses only to become employees of our own ambitions.

We don't develop ourselves so thoroughly that we forget how to enjoy the person we're becoming.

Sometimes we need recess.

Call your friend.

Watch the movie.

Play the game.

Go somewhere simply because you want to see it.

Put on the outfit even if there isn't an event.

Dance in the kitchen.

Sit outside.

Laugh until your stomach hurts.

Do something badly just because it's fun.

And resist the urge to turn it into another assignment.

The bell will ring again.

There will be more work.

Another meeting.

Another goal.

Another responsibility.

Another lesson.

But right now?

Go play.

Take a recess.