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psychology of play

Good Words: Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich. Be wise enough to control yourself.

An odd subject for a first newsletter about entrepreneurship and productivity, right?

But you probably already know the basics for success: discipline, work ethic, perseverance, etc.

But what’s often overlooked?
Play.

For years, I thought: "As long as I'm working, I'm not messing up."

But my guilt-driven overwork led to burnout, constantly getting sick, and low energy—leaving me stuck in a draining cycle with nothing meaningful to show for it.

So, what helped me break free?

Decompressing with something that made me feel like a kid.

It wasn't to replace work ethic or justify slacking -- the work still needs to get done -- but to use my brain better.

Especially as a knowledge worker, temporarily shifting your focus allows your mind to subconsciously process problems.

That's why you get "Eureka!" moments in the shower when you weren't thinking about the problem.

the shower?

So, reconnect with hobbies that let you blow off steam:

• Trey Parker (co-creator of South Park) builds Legos because instead of building a story from scratch, he can just focus on following instructions.
• Paul Graham paints because it's an entirely different type of creative outlet with color and emotions, rather than programming with logic and order.
• Steve Jobs just watched TV.
• Woodwork, cook, work on cars -- whatever.

This isn’t another venture. It's supposed to be fun and amateurish.

It’s play -- so treat it like a hobby, and have fun -- even if only for half an hour a week.

For me, it's playing video games and electric guitar.

Video games force me to be engaged, but there's no thinking required -- just plug in and go. And electric guitar allows me to refine the art of practice -- it's a puzzle of tension and release.

Even if both activities aren't extremely demanding, they both demand being present in the moment.

And, if inspiration strikes in another direction for my business, I capture it and return to play.

So, find your play and your brain will thank you.

PS -- when hardcore gamers ask me to play video games