7 Reasons Why Writers Need to Play More

The other day, I spent the afternoon looking at bikes.

The last time I rode a bicycle was over 10 years ago, and it wasn’t mine. I haven’t been on one since then, and have preferred to jog rather than ride anyway.

But lately, I’ve been thinking that biking might be fun.

I know myself well enough to have an idea about what’s going on: I need a little more “play” in my life.

Parents frequently worry about their children getting enough play time, particularly in today’s world when it seems the competition for achievement begins younger and younger.

But we tend to forget that as adults, we need play time too—writers perhaps even more than most, because we must stay in touch with that childlike openness and willingness to experiment to keep the imagination alive.

Signs You’re a Writer Who’s Not Playing Enough

“Adult playtime” is a phrase we rarely, if ever, hear. In our hectic lives, we’re so focused on taking care of our families, doing our jobs, making meals, running errands, and getting the writing done that there’s rarely enough time even for a hot bath or TV show, say nothing of pure playtime.

But adults suffer when they don’t get time for pure play. They become tired, irritable, dull, and eventually, burned out.

Writers who don’t get enough play time often fare much worse. If you’re experiencing the following symptoms, it could be because you’re working too much and not playing enough:

• Chronic fatigue
• Writer’s block
• The blues or symptoms of depression
• Lack of ideas
• Chronic aches and pains
• Low motivation
• Trouble focusing; easily vulnerable to distraction
• Feelings of resentment toward work or responsibilities
• Lack of patience
• Falling behind on your writing goals

Fortunately, the solution is easy enough—you just need to schedule in some playtime. I’m not talking about time off, per se, but time invested solely in play—in some activity performed simply for enjoyment and recreation.

“Play is a basic human need as essential to our well-being as sleep, so when we’re low on play, our minds and bodies notice,” psychiatrist Stuart Brown, founder of the National Institute for Play in Carmel Valley, California, told the Washington Post. Over time, we can get cranky, rigid, or stuck in a rut. A better approach is to incorporate play into our everyday lives, “not just wait for that two-week vacation every year.”

What Is Play Time for Adults?

There can be some confusion when it comes to defining playtime for adults. The activity itself matters less than the mindset with which you approach it.

What feels like play to you? There are a number of options, including the following:

• Playing sports
• Going for a bike ride
• Playing a board game with friends or family members
• Coloring
• Crafting
• Solving puzzles
• Cooking up a new recipe
• Painting or drawing
• Gardening
• Riding horses
• Grooming or caring for a pet

Whatever activity you’re doing, it can count as play if it fits these criteria:

• You enjoy doing it simply for the activity itself—you need no reward, competition, or other motivation. You do it “just for fun.”
• It’s voluntary—something you do simply because you want to.
• The time is unstructured and creative. You don’t have to accomplish any goal.
• It leaves you feeling good, happy, and positive.

Because of these criteria, it can be difficult for adults to allow themselves time to play because it feels so indulgent and perhaps even selfish.

But playtime is actually necessary if you want to be a healthy, well-adjusted, creative, and productive writer.

7 Benefits of Play Time for Writers

Below are seven reasons why writers absolutely must make time in their weekly schedules for play.

1. Play Releases Stress

Writers are stressed out much of the time. We have so much on our plates and we’re always worrying about how we’re doing—whether our writing is getting better, whether we’ll hear back from that agent, whether the reviews will be positive, etc.

We desperately need to relieve that stress, and play is a great way to do it. Active play triggers the release of “feel-good” endorphins that boost mood, ease pain, and create an overall sense of well being.

In a 2013 study, researchers found that playful individuals reported less stress than their less playful counterparts, and also used more positive coping techniques to deal with the stress they did experience.

2. Play Creates Energy

Play—particularly when you do it outdoors—boosts energy and vitality and can even help you feel younger. Being out in nature evokes positive emotions, which are linked to more energy.

Playing inside can have similar effects, especially if it involves laughter, which boosts feel-good endorphins, or if it requires you to try something new, which livens up the brain and body.

In fact, if you’re in a writing slump, trying something new is one of the best ways to get yourself out of it. Creative people need a regular dose of novelty, so visit a new place, try a new hobby, sign up for a new class, or try a new game to boost your energy.

As George Bernard Shaw said, “We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.”

3. Play Boosts Creativity

When you engage in play, you don’t worry about being perfect, making mistakes, or reaching a goal.

You simply enjoy the moment, bypassing your rational, editing mind and opening up your creative side. Play allows you to make believe, imagine, and let go—all necessary steps for creative thinking and writing.

Play can also help improve problem-solving—as you play, you engage more areas of the brain into the activity, which can trigger the solution to that plot problem you’ve been struggling with.

4. Play Improves Brain Function

It’s especially important to have periods of “fun” if you’re learning something new, and writers are frequently doing that. The publishing industry is changing so quickly that we must often learn new marketing techniques, social media platforms, methods for updating our websites, and more.

Injecting some fun into the learning process improves cognitive function and raises the odds that we’ll learn what we hope to learn. In a 2014 study, researchers found that adults responded really well to having fun when learning something new, stating that it helped them not only enjoy the experience, but concentrate better, absorb more of the information, and maintain a higher level of motivation.

Regularly tackling new things also helps keep your brain healthy. Studies have found that learning new things—those that take you out of your comfort zone—reduces the risk of dementia as you age.

5. Play is Good for Your Health

Because we writers tend to spend the majority of our time in front of a computer screen, it’s important that we get active and make our bodies move. Engaging in sports, biking, working with animals, or other active types of play can help iron out the kinks that develop after sitting at a writing desk for hours. Play can also make your workout fun if you choose a type that gets you breathing a little harder.

Physical play is good for the heart, in particular, as it burns calories and lowers blood pressure over time. Whatever is good for the heart is good for the brain, so whenever you engage in active play, you’re getting three major benefits:

• Reduced risk of dementia
• Reduced risk of heart disease
• Overall fun!

A recent study conducted by 25 European doctors and international experts concluded that playing golf was linked with better physical and emotional health, not only because it provided good exercise, but because it involved social interaction.

6. Play Helps You Sleep Better

Anytime you exercise and boost positive endorphins during the day, you will naturally sleep better at night. Moving your body and challenging your muscles contributes to healthy fatigue that will promote relaxation, while positive emotions ease stress and keep you from ruminating over difficulties while you’re lying in bed.

A 2011 study reported that engaging in 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity each week provided a 65 percent improvement in sleep quality. Making that activity fun increases the likelihood that you’ll actually do it.

Go play tennis with a friend, take a bike ride through the park, or join a local community softball team. It will get you away from the computer and out enjoying yourself so that when you do come back and write, your body and mind will feel refreshed and ready for the task.

7. Play Helps Boost Productivity

In a 2018 study, scientists showed that when teams played a collaborative game together for 45 minutes, they increased their productivity on a task by 20 percent.

Play does a number of things that can help boost productivity, including relieving stress, encouraging creativity, and boosting energy.

According to the Association for Psychological Science, “Research has found evidence that play at work is linked with less fatigue, boredom, stress, and burnout in individual workers. Play is also positively associated with job satisfaction, sense of competence, and creativity.”

So if you want to get more writing done, find more ways to play throughout the day. Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Take a bike ride
• Play a game of fetch with your dog
• Join a community sports team
• Keep a toy basketball hoop and Nerf ball in your writing nook
• Take your family for a round of miniature (or regular) golf
• Have a board-game night
• Build a model car, airplane, or ship
• Try some of those new meditative coloring books
• Join a quilting club
• Do a jigsaw puzzle or play some online word or puzzle games
• Build something with blocks or Legos
• Help your child create a scavenger hunt for a friend
• Go to the zoo
• Fly a kite
• Take a cooking or dancing class
• Visit an amusement or water park
• Spend more time with playful people

How do you work more play into your life?

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“Sources
Association for Psychological Science. (n.d.). Playing Up the Benefits of Play at Work. Retrieved from https://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/minds-business/playing-up-the-benefits-of-play-at-work.html

“Brower, T. (2019, March 7). Boost Productivity 20%: The Surprising Power Of Play. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/tracybrower/2019/03/03/boost-productivity-20-the-surprising-power-of-play/#677925777c05

Loprinzi, P. D., & Cardinal, B. J. (2011). Association between objectively measured physical activity and sleep, NHANES 2005–2006. Mental Health and Physical Activity, 4(2), 65-69. doi:10.1016/j.mhpa.2011.08.001

Lucardie, D. (2014). The Impact of Fun and Enjoyment on Adult’s Learning. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 142, 439-446. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.07.696

Magnuson, C. D., & Barnett, L. A. (2013). The Playful Advantage: How Playfulness Enhances Coping with Stress. Leisure Sciences, 35(2), 129-144. doi:10.1080/01490400.2013.761905

Wallace, J. (2017, May 20). Why it’s good for grown-ups to go play. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/why-its-good-for-grown-ups-to-go-play/2017/05/19/99810292-fd1f-11e6-8ebe-6e0dbe4f2bca_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.96dd09fa0d5d