Published Aug 25 2023

‘What Happens Next?’: How Can We Balance Work and Play?

Susan
Carland
Academic, author and social commentator
Margaret barrett
Professor, Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music and Performance
Marilyn fleer
Professor (Research), School of Educational Psychology and Counselling
Rob walker
Author, “The Art of Noticing”
Mike rucker
Author, “The Fun Habit”

The next time you’re on a crowded train or waiting for an appointment, take a look around you. Who’s wearing the most ridiculous outfit? How does that couple know each other? What did that guy eat for breakfast today? Who’s hiding a terrible secret, and what could it be?

Last week on Monash University’s podcast, What Happens Next?, host Dr Susan Carland and her expert guests uncovered how neglecting play and taking ourselves too seriously in adulthood can lead to decreased creativity and escalated burnout rates. This week, the podcast explores the future of play and offers some realistic suggestions for injecting a little more fun into our busy schedules – even if it’s just during your commute.

 

Take a trip to the Conceptual PlayLab, guided by Laureate Professor Marilyn Fleer from Monash University’s Faculty of Education. This living laboratory is pioneering play-based methodologies to instil complex STEM principles in young children, changing early childhood education and encouraging tomorrow’s scientists, engineers, and innovative thinkers. Marilyn and her team aren’t just nurturing curiosity – they're equipping children with a foundation for a future in vitally important fields.

Play’s benefits don’t end after primary school. Professor Margaret S Barrett, head of Monash University's Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music and Performance, reveals the profound connection between music and creativity. Margaret’s research shows how a music-rich environment can fortify cognitive skills, and nurture confidence and connection in learners of all ages.

Listen: What Happens When We Stop Playing?

As adults, we often sideline play in favour of our many responsibilities. In today’s episode, Dr Mike Rucker, author of The Fun Habit, explains how engaging in playful activities rejuvenates our minds, cultivating vitality, innovation, and resilience. He’s ready with practical advice to reintegrate play into our lives – and perhaps strengthen our relationships while we’re at it.

Rob Walker, author of The Art of Noticing book and newsletter, adds his insights, highlighting that play is a form of focused attention, honing our creative abilities and even creating a gateway to becoming more mindful. There’s always a game to be found in your chores, however mundane they may be. Rob’s approach reinforces that mindfulness need not be a tedious practice, but can be a dynamic and engaging journey.

Fostering playfulness isn’t just a luxury – it’s a necessity for personal growth and wellbeing. And as you’ll learn in this episode of What Happens Next?, no matter how busy we are, there’s always time for a little fun.

“First of all, cut yourself some slack. You don't have to be perfect. In fact, that's not even the point. The point is to play with something, to play with something that you love and to explore. Find some like-minded people … and take the risk of exposing yourself.” – Professor Margaret S Barrett

What Happens Next? will be back next week with an all-new topic. Subscribe now on your favourite podcast app.

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Listen to more What Happens Next? podcast episodes

About the Authors

  • Susan carland

    Director, Bachelor of Global Studies, and Lecturer, School of Language, Literature, Cultures and Linguistics

    Susan's research and teaching specialties focus on gender, sociology, contemporary Australia, terrorism, and Islam in the modern world. Susan hosted the “Assumptions” series on ABC’s Radio National, and was named one of the 20 Most Influential Australian Female Voices in 2012 by The Age.

  • Margaret barrett

    Professor, Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music and Performance, Monash University

    Margaret is a leading figure in Australian and international music education, and Head of the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music and Performance at Monash University. Among her achievements, she was awarded a Fulbright Senior Research Fellowship in 2018 to undertake preliminary investigations of children’s singing and song-making in the archives of the Smithsonian Institute, and the Library of Congress (Washington DC). She is currently Founding Director of the Pedagogies of Creativity, Collaboration, Expertise and Enterprise (PoCCEE) research focus at Monash. Her research encompasses the investigation of the role of music and the arts in human cognition and social and cultural development. Her research has addressed problems in the areas of aesthetic decision-making, the meaning and value of arts engagement for young people, young children's musical thinking, young children's identity work in and through music, teaching and learning practices in the arts, and the pedagogy and practices of creativity.

  • Marilyn fleer

    Professor (Research), School of Educational Psychology and Counselling

    Marilyn holds the Foundation Chair in Early Childhood Education and Development at Monash, where she's also a Kathleen Fitzpatrick Australian Laureate Fellow. She researches in the areas of early childhood science, engineering and technologies, with particular attention on digital visual methodology framed through cultural-historical theory. Her Laureate Fellowship on the theme "Imagination in play and imagination in STEM" investigates how families and teachers create conditions for children’s conceptual thinking in play-based settings.

  • Rob walker

    Rob Walker is a journalist covering design, technology, business, the arts, and other subjects. He writes the BRANDED column for Fast Company and has contributed to The New York Times, Bloomberg Businessweek, The Atlantic, NewYorker.Com, Design Observer, The Organist, and many others. His latest book is The Art of Noticing (Knopf). He is on the faculty of the Products of Design MFA program at the School of Visual Arts.

  • Mike rucker

    Dr. Mike Rucker is an organizational psychologist, behavioral scientist, and charter member of the International Positive Psychology Association. He has been academically published in publications like the International Journal of Workplace Health Management. His ideas about fun and health have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Fast Company, Psychology Today, Forbes, Vox, Thrive Global, Mindful, mindbodygreen, and more. He currently serves as a senior leader at Active Wellness and is the author of the best-selling book The Fun Habit, which is out now.

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