If there’s no fun involved, please count me out.

I insist on taking my inner child with me wherever I go. We come as a package deal.

Playing dominoes, cards, and board games, outdoor activities like hopscotch, roller skating, and bicycle riding, and creative art projects with paint, clay, and crayons were the lifeline to fun when I was a kid.

Then there was swimming in the icy cold Allegheny River — which tempered me in steel and boosted my immunity to all things bug-ish and bacteria. (Heaven only knows the germs lurking in that river!) But, hey, it worked.

Jumping off the dock was pretty scary but it was also a thrill. Oh, you didn’t know introverts are some of the biggest thrill seekers? Yep. It’s true.

Saturday mornings as a kid meant ONE thing: Cartoons. Yippee! And then weekend household chores to follow. Ugh. Boo.

Here’s the thing:

At about age 7, I learned to kill two birds with one stone. Marrying chores with fun was the goal.

I dusted and polished all the furniture, knickknacks, window sills, and baseboards in my parents’ living room while watching my favorite cartoons. (Plus I made a habit of lifting the couch cushions during episodes of the Road Runner or Mr. Magoo, which usually awarded me a nickel or dime and sometimes even a quarter in tips.)

Once I entered adulthood, nothing much changed. I remained steadfast in my goal to find ways to accomplish tasks while making sure I’m having a good time.

Come to my house on a Saturday morning and you’ll hear music playing before you reach the front door. Is there a party going on? Nope. Clean sheets are going on the beds.

Wondering how I put the Productivity + Fun duo to work in my business?

When I’m writing: I sit down and settle in to enjoy the background sounds of a thunder storm. (I LOVE the rain.)

When I need to edit blog images: I play around with PicMonkey, Canva, iPiccy, or Pablo. Playing is important, y’know. It’s the perfect companion to working your butt off.

When I’m listening to marketing podcasts: I write poetry. You can find some of my poems in the comment boxes at Web.Search.Social. They’ve awarded me the esteemed designation of Poet Laureate.

When I want to develop an idea: I’ll always be a kid at heart. I doodle it out with crayons, pencils, or colored markers. Or I wordle it out. Right now I’m developing an idea for a blog post about how and where I spend my time online (and probably “why”).

Here’s how I’ve wordled out my idea:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While the morning coffee is brewing: I do a six-minute exercise workout. Yes, it’s fun and it doesn’t involve weights, machinery, or pain. I’ve discovered pain and productivity don’t play nicely together. Just ask Tea Silvestre Godfrey to share her broken ankle adventure. She’ll back me up on that.

Where do you go from here?

I’m giving my highest recommendation to this stop.

Being wicked productive doesn’t have to come at the cost of fun. Joy can be had when you’re at your most efficient. Each month, a group of wickedly smart business owners come together for the Word Carnival to discuss a business topic, this month – we’re covering Fun and Productivity, and how both can exist, side-by-side.