Playful Work & Serious Leisure

“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”

You might have heard this proverb or some variation on it. We know that play is important and in many ways we live to play.

Play takes many different forms and I captured these through my theory on Playstates.

Getting back to the proverb, we are told that play is something that needs to complement work. If you work all of the time and have no play in your life then you are considered to be dull or living a sub-optimal life. Play adds delight to life.

Yet play is not the only activity that is meant to complement work. Some academics and professions have defined distinctions as we see in the following table:

The Park and Recreation Professional’s Handbook defines Leisure as an overarching umbrella that has three aspects: Time, Activity, and State of Mind. All three are Leisure since you are doing things you want to do and have no obligation to do. Leisure is perceived true free time and manifests in things like vacation, retirement, holidays, and being totally free to pursue whatever activities that you want to.

Recreation is defined as a Leisure activity that possesses socially redeeming value such as traveling, exercising, and volunteering. Recreation is its own professional discipline that is represented by associations such as the CPRA and a registering body (National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification) that aims to promote the value of Recreation to the larger society. Here we see organized and professionalized effort to get people to recreate. It is curious how Recreation does not incorporate Play as being a part of Recreation.

Play is defined as an emotional state (joyful, spontaneous, imaginative) during periods of leisure. Recreation is a serious form of Leisure while Play is non-serious. An example would be physical exercise is a good use of one’s leisure while sitting and watching television (a form of Play called Sign-Play) is considered not to be. But it does not need to be that way exclusively. Volunteering can bring joy even while it enhances one’s resume. I would say that Play and Recreation are different intentions within Leisure that can coexist but not necessarily so.

What is missing from the table is a definition of  ‘Fun’ and I think this is intentional. Fun would be considered to be frivolous and not redeeming according to Victorian morality which still permeates our society and is why Recreation as a concept remains distinct. The language root of Fun is ‘fond‘ which means to like, dote, cherish, and be silly. Fun is like Play but is an emotional experience of the activity.

Thinking about language use, we say that to drink and dance is fun but would not consider that to be a form of play. I’d almost say that Fun is more about pleasure and is more spontaneous. Play shares with Fun an emotional connection but they are not the same thing. Play is imaginative and joyous whereas Fun is about pleasure. So drinking and partying is Fun but it is not Play. Fun is more frivolous than Play which in turn is more frivolous than Recreation.

But what of the separation of Leisure and Work? The Park and Recreation Professional’s Handbook table defines Leisure as an activity separate from work. That makes sense but how does that impact on Play and Fun? I interpret that the Table would outline a continuum of Leisure as follows:

Works vs Leisure (dichotomy)

Leisure continuum:
Recreation (serious) <=> Play (imaginative) <=> Fun (pleasure)

I think it is a fair but inadequate way to express the dynamic. My work with Playstates has taught me to see that Play is something that blends across life and is not confined just to leisure. Using some imagination and deduction, I have invented a matrix that that I believe helps illustrate how these concepts co-exist with each other.

I present to you the Work-Leisure Matrix (ta da!):

Work-Leisure Matrix: Work (#1 out of 8)

Work is simply intentional paid & unpaid obligations. Things do not get done without work.

Work-Leisure Matrix: Leisure (#2 out of 8)

Leisure is simply unpaid time free of obligations. If things get done, it is done because it is desired.

Work-Leisure Matrix: Serious (#3 out of 8)

Serious is an emotional state or attitude underpinned by sincerity and care. Note that Serious is the anchor to the left side of the matrix and represents an emotional state that is applied to both Work and Leisure. To do things properly requires one to be serious.

Work-Leisure Matrix: Playful (#4 out of 8)

Playful is an emotional state or attitude underpinned by joy and imagination. Note that Playful is an anchor to the right side of the matrix and represents an emotional state that is applied to both Work and Leisure. To experience happiness requires one to be playful.

Work-Leisure Matrix: Grind (#5 out of 8)

Grind is a combined emotional state and activity underpinned by dedication where real progress is made in the intended activity. While Grind may have a negative connotation it is absolutely required: a musician must master their scales before they can become creative, a writer needs to learn the alphabet and grammar in order to to communicate. Much of modernity contains Grind (i.e driving to work, data-entry, etc.)

Work-Leisure Matrix: Fun (#6 out of 8)

Fun is a combined emotional state and activity underpinned by pleasure and where real silliness is possible in the intended activity. Having Fun is to be free of obligations and the range of activities ranges across the spectrum. Dancing is fun and is socially promoted in some environments. Drinking alcohol can be fun and may or may not be socially accepted but excess drinking can have grim consequences. The pleasure that some drugs brings to the user can lead to addiction and loss of life.

A further point about distinguishing Playfulness and Fun. Playfulness is internally generated and personal and is based on Joy (internally cultivated happiness) while Fun is externally generated, is limited in duration, and is based on Pleasure (externally cultivated happiness).

Work-Leisure Matrix: Inspired (#7 out of 8)

When we combine the joy of playfulness and work we find a magical realm that I call Inspired. Inspired workers are a holy grail of workplaces. These are people who approach problems in creative (imagination being the root aspect of Play) ways and don’t have issues with sick time, etc. This work can be found when there is a right match of work and worker. Unfortunately there are problems with employers offering work that require very little imagination and creativity thus leading to dull work experiences.

“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life”

Work-Leisure Matrix: Recreation (#8 out of 8)

When we combine the sincerity of serious and leisure we find the sanctioned realm of leisure called Recreation. This is where we find socially sanctioned unpaid time. This unpaid time can be activities that expand one’s horizon such as travelling to a new nation, taking on an exercise regimen to improve one’s health, or investing one’s energy into a leisurely pastime to an extent you become a master at it.

“Invest in yourself everything that you do. There’s fun in being serious.” – John Coltrane

The Work-Leisure Matrix provides a conceptual model to help us think about these different terms relate to each other. I believe it will help me further understand my Playstates concept which builds on the conviction that being related does not mean that two concepts are the same. I see too frequently the use of words to capture a feeling that changes the original meaning of that word. While there is nothing inherently dangerous about such activity, it does lead to muddiness of ideas and communication which does have some unwanted consequences. I hope that this Matrix can help provide some guidance.