Much of the work I’ve done as an adult has been unpaid – housekeeping, childcare, volunteer activity so I consider both paid and unpaid activities to be work. Much, but not all, work is pleasurable so that is not necessarily a line I draw between work and play. If something advances a goal or objective, then it’s work. Leisure activities have no outcome expectation other than happiness. Going to movies, playing games on line, some, but not all, social media posts and reading are examples of play for me. In regard to reading, I daily read online, in print or on TV the Washington Post, New York Times, Indy Star, StarPress, Indiana Capitol Chronicle, Statehouse Files, MSNBC, CNN, and other news sources. I consider most of that as work because I need to know and have an opinion about current events. On the other hand, going to movies (I’ll be going to the new Indiana Jones movie tomorrow) is play. Playing free cell and wordle are leisure activities although I think they sharpen skills and the mind. Depending on the book, reading or listening to audiobooks, is mostly play. I spend a lot of time in my car so I listen to audiobooks more than read books. Gardening is play for me although it is definitely physical labor and I produce fruits and vegetables I put on the table. It’s play because I could just buy stuff instead. Travel is another type of play for me. Sometimes there is an element of work, for example, when a trip is for a legislative conference. Most people would say that cooking is work. It is but its a source of enjoyment too. Work that I don’t enjoy is cleaning house and ironing.
Social Media
Work & play are discussed in the above paragraph about work and leisure/play.
Socialize. I definitely socialize electronically. I have a personal FB account and a page. I consider the page a work account and the personal one to socialize with family and friends. Sometimes they overlap. In both cases I socialize on the account but with the page, it’s usually political or issue oriented while the personal page is more about things my family, pets, or something friends and I are doing. My daughters live out of state so we don’t see each other in person very often. We catch up on Zoom, text messaging and email and an occasional phone call. My extended family has an 18-member text group. It’s quite active for family news and just fun such as planning a family tenderloin tour around Indiana. We’re talking about renting a bus for the tour. Lots of texting and emails with friends too, such as my Merry Widows group: four women who lost their husbands around the same time. We travel in and out of state. Emails and texts are part of the planning process although we also get together at each other’s houses for lunch or dinner and trip planning.
I also have twitter and instagram accounts for mostly work. I have a tiktok account but don’t do much with it. Same with LinkedIn. I email a lot with friends and for work, especially committee work. For example, I’m on the League of Women Voters Natural Resources Committee that is advocating for a strong Delaware County solar zoning ordinance. We have meetings but communicate more frequently by email.
Seek information: Already mentioned above. I also find recipes online. A couple of my favorites are from online.
Seek entertainment. I stream music, movies and TV shows. I don’t watch much TV. I would be a failure at TV trivia. I’m on the internet instead. Games are mentioned above. I spend more time than I should playing FreeCell. Wordle is limited by the NYT to once a day so it’s not as addictive as FreeCell. I’ve started playing the NYT Spelling Bee. These are a source of relaxation and play too.