For many of us, the life of a child looks not just fun but easy, especially when compared with the pressures of adulthood. Instead of dealing with invoices, appointments, and endless meetings, playing in the sand and taking naps seems like a far better deal. The funny thing is, we connect with our inner child more often than we think. Have you ever played a harmless prank, or doodled to pass the time? As adult mammals, we need an element of play in our lives to help us to manage stress and release endorphins, and once we allow ourselves to act like children again, we will likely want to do it more often.
Bringing playfulness to the workplace boosts productivity and can induce a flow state, that in-the-zone feeling when we’re concentrating hard on something we find challenging, but also creatively stimulating. Studies show that the simple act of laughter can mitigate the effects of stress, strengthen teams, and build better relationships, and that adults who prioritise play may be able to find more happiness, fight off depression, and lower their risk of dementia.
Here are some ideas to help you tap into your inner child at work:
1. Ask questions – As a parents, we’re expected to be the font of all knowledge for children, but it’s good to try stepping out of our parent ego state from time to time, and leaning into the fact that we can’t possibly know everything all of the time, exploring the idea that it’s OK to admit that we don’t have all the answers, and instead try asking questions to work out a way forward. Try posing open-ended questions, such as: ‘What seems to be the problem?’, ‘What else do I need to know about this?’, ‘What’s holding us back from succeeding?’, ‘What do you think we should do?’.
2. Talk to someone new – Have you ever noticed that children are experts at making new friends? They don’t think twice about inviting newcomers into their space to talk or play games. We adults are a different breed entirely. According to a poll, just a quarter of older Brits report having made a friend in the past six months, and only 18% over the age of 55 have made a new friend in the past six years. But reaching out to a colleague could be the ticket to boosting job satisfaction, because small talk has been shown to improve executive functioning in the area of our brain related to focus, prioritisation, and organisation. The next time you try to avoid that after-work event, consider what your inner child would do and whether it would be good to join in as it might be fun.
3. Gamify your tasks – Reward charts are common in academic settings because they are brilliant motivators to get students engaged in learning, but this can be applied to modern workplaces, too. Say you’ve got a pile of boring paperwork to complete, why not split it between you and a colleague, and whoever finishes last must buy the other one a coffee? Alternatively, set yourself a deadline and reward yourself with lunch from your favourite sandwich place. You could even bring health and wellbeing goals into work and get others involved, trying to walk 10,000 steps every day, or taking short meditation breaks together.
4. Be curious – As children, we’re endlessly curious and encouraged to make mistakes. There isn’t a person on Earth who learned to speak without uttering lots of garbled gobbledegook beforehand and none of us learned how to walk without first crawling and stumbling. Our inner child chooses curiosity over ego every time, so trying to accept that failure might occur at first when we try new things is helpful. That said, having a curious mind doesn’t have to involve big scary challenges. Something as simple as changing the time you have lunch will offer up new experiences, such as hearing an interesting radio programme or bumping into an old friend. Take on that new project, volunteer to do something you’ve never done before, and embrace being a beginner.
Life, and work, can be fun, if we allow our inner child to get involved with making choices. I wonder if we can all make more room for that in our lives in 2024?
