The front page of the Business section in this Friday's New York Times hosted two articles tying work, play and family together closely. In Sweden... an experiment enforced a 6-hour work day for workers with no pay cut. The results showed increased productivity for the company due to well rested, happier workers. These workers frequently cited quality time with their families as the most rejuvenating outcome of the change. Not to mention the benefits for the children who had meaningful connection with well rested parents.
In Sweden, an Experiment Turns Shorter Workdays into Bigger Gains, NYT 5/20/16
Meanwhile retirees in the US are finding it harder to let their work lives go... completely. These retirees attempt to balance paid work with volunteer contributions in their communities and build connections with grandchildren.
Work a Little, Play a Little: A New Retirement Strategy, NYT 5/20/16
Often work and play are presented as opposites when in fact they are more like cousins, sisters. Playworker and scholar Brian Sutton-Smith said, "the opposite of play is depression." Self-directed time and space is valuable and healthful for the individual and the society and should be enabled, across the lifespan.