Playing...is NOT an intuitive concept for everyone.

I have a colleague just a few years older than me, an overachieving workaholic with an MBA, J.D (that is a law degree), a CFA, and oh yeah... no life outside of work.  

When we first started working together, my first thought was (obviously) who is this person?  I've since learned that he most likely has no other activities BUT work... or else doesn't know how to do anything else.  His family lives in another country, and he apparently also has a girlfriend also currently living in another country.  

He literally lives at the office.  In one of life's little dramatic ironies, his landlord threatened to evict him on New Years Eve because he was convinced he didn't actually live there.  So what does he do?  He spends the morning petitioning to the management company, and then comes into the office at 2:30 pm.  ON NEW YEARS EVE.  When the office closes at 3:00.  Per company policy, if you stay at work past 8:30, our company pays for a car service home.  He lives waaaaaay uptown.  (That car service concept is wasted on me because I get to walk to work, not that I would care to be in the office that late anyway).  But it is NOT necessary to work until 10:00 or 11:00 or midnight.  Saturday and Sunday, however, he does inform me he goes home early.  Like 7:00 pm.  ON SATURDAY.

He's also not the best time manager.  In fact, he's one of the least efficient workers I know, but seems to thinks he doesn't have a choice but to stay in the office and work past the point of exhaustion.

I gave him the New York Times article on the importance of playing, and made him read it.  Three times he chimes up with an "I disagree!" or "But...".  I tell him to keep reading.  He gets to the point about natural settings activating this involuntary attention.  

So what does he do?  He proceeds to spend the next 4 hours downloading a PICTURE of a green mountain with a lake.  It will be made into wallpaper on his desktop, he reasons, so he will get to spend his day in front of his computer in front of a natural setting.  Oh Goodness.  It takes so long because there are restrictions for downloading wallpapers, so he has to get IT to do it for him.   Forget actually GOING outside and looking at a tree (or even a city block and fresh air is an improvement), or forget getting your work done quickly and going home before 6pm on a Friday.  No, go download a picture on your computer of a natural setting.

Kids, this is not the point.  Playing should be PLAYING.  Go outside.