22:57
Faizan
I think that playing games, rather than being a waste of time, can actually teach us valuable lessons in running our business.
Business is a serious affair - yes? So many things to think about - sales, marketing, revenue, employees, taxes, legal issues - and the list goes on! We can get so immersed in the serious side of business that we lose sight of the time needed to play - the thing that creates balance in our lives.
We can achieve this balance in many different ways - going for a walk, spending time with our families and friends, and a particular favourite of mine, playing online games. Whenever I find myself overloaded, I switch off and play a game. Now, I have to admit I'm not a serious gamer - if I was I doubt I'd ever get any work done because it can be extremely addictive. However, what I have found so enlightening is that, by playing these games, I have learned so much about myself and the ways I have of dealing with situations, and it has subtly changed my approach to my business.
These are the lessons I learned along the way.
Lesson One - Perspective
Sometimes it's difficult to see the wood for the trees. We get overwhelmed and can't find a solution. I found that doing jigsaw puzzles gave me the added dimension I needed. For instance, how many times have we looked at a puzzle piece and from a distance we think - that will never fit there, it's the wrong colour and shape, but the closer we bring the pieces together, the more we see that somehow it merges, and we just need to turn it round and hey presto - perfect fit. So I've learned not to discount any solution, to look at things from all angles and not to reject it until I've actually tested it out.
Lesson Two - Focus
I don't know about you, but my mind wanders off all the time. One thought leads to another thought and before I know it I'm miles away from where I started. My imagination has taken over and it's very pleasant, but it doesn't get the job done. I found hidden object games particularly helpful with this. Some are extraordinarily difficult and take enormous amounts of focus to see the object. Once you've found it however, you often wonder how you overlooked it for so long - it just seems to jump out at you. We invariably see what we expect to see and our minds can block things out. For instance, I know that I can read the same paragraph many times over and still miss a glaring mistake, just because my eyes have got used to seeing it and no longer count it as out of place. So learning to focus on one area at a time, and not allowing my eyes to wander, has helped me hone my focusing skills on various elements within my business.
Lesson Three - Strategy
This particular lesson has often had me pulling my hair out. The games where there are deadlines and you have particular tasks to complete. There are a variety of options here - whether it's running an airport, a supermarket or building a village. If you don't plan your strategy you can have customers walking out and produce going to waste. These games really help you sort out your priorities and procrastination isn't an option. These are especially useful related to business as it made me look at what is really important at any given time, and to be adaptable, as priorities are changing all the time.
Business is a serious affair - yes? So many things to think about - sales, marketing, revenue, employees, taxes, legal issues - and the list goes on! We can get so immersed in the serious side of business that we lose sight of the time needed to play - the thing that creates balance in our lives.
We can achieve this balance in many different ways - going for a walk, spending time with our families and friends, and a particular favourite of mine, playing online games. Whenever I find myself overloaded, I switch off and play a game. Now, I have to admit I'm not a serious gamer - if I was I doubt I'd ever get any work done because it can be extremely addictive. However, what I have found so enlightening is that, by playing these games, I have learned so much about myself and the ways I have of dealing with situations, and it has subtly changed my approach to my business.
These are the lessons I learned along the way.
Lesson One - Perspective
Sometimes it's difficult to see the wood for the trees. We get overwhelmed and can't find a solution. I found that doing jigsaw puzzles gave me the added dimension I needed. For instance, how many times have we looked at a puzzle piece and from a distance we think - that will never fit there, it's the wrong colour and shape, but the closer we bring the pieces together, the more we see that somehow it merges, and we just need to turn it round and hey presto - perfect fit. So I've learned not to discount any solution, to look at things from all angles and not to reject it until I've actually tested it out.
Lesson Two - Focus
I don't know about you, but my mind wanders off all the time. One thought leads to another thought and before I know it I'm miles away from where I started. My imagination has taken over and it's very pleasant, but it doesn't get the job done. I found hidden object games particularly helpful with this. Some are extraordinarily difficult and take enormous amounts of focus to see the object. Once you've found it however, you often wonder how you overlooked it for so long - it just seems to jump out at you. We invariably see what we expect to see and our minds can block things out. For instance, I know that I can read the same paragraph many times over and still miss a glaring mistake, just because my eyes have got used to seeing it and no longer count it as out of place. So learning to focus on one area at a time, and not allowing my eyes to wander, has helped me hone my focusing skills on various elements within my business.
Lesson Three - Strategy
This particular lesson has often had me pulling my hair out. The games where there are deadlines and you have particular tasks to complete. There are a variety of options here - whether it's running an airport, a supermarket or building a village. If you don't plan your strategy you can have customers walking out and produce going to waste. These games really help you sort out your priorities and procrastination isn't an option. These are especially useful related to business as it made me look at what is really important at any given time, and to be adaptable, as priorities are changing all the time.
Posted in: business
