Hello Everyone,
Have you heard the expression “eating your own dog food”? Not eating your own dog food refers to when a company or person proclaims their products and/or ideas are best-in-class, but they do not actually use them themselves because in reality, for whatever reason, that is not true. In the spirit of eating my own dog food this quarter, I did a couple of things. One, I was super critical about the way I spend my 168 hours (the hours in any given week). You can learn more about the importance of this practice from one of this quarter’s thought leaders, Laura Vanderkam. Two, I abundantly used the PLAY Model to ensure that any time I had the chance, I was maximizing my opportunities for fun. The result was I had more time for fun. Also, with this extra time, I was making better choices about my options for fun. For example, on an annual weekend getaway to Reno, Nevada, that has generally been spent lost in the casinos, my friends and I went water tubing down the Truckee River. (Until then I never realized the Truckee River cuts right through downtown Reno!) On a business trip to San Diego, instead of an evening meeting at somewhere convenient, a group of us chose to meet at Noble Experiment, a local speakeasy that requires you to find a secret door to enter because there is no signage or exterior entry point. On a family excursion to North Carolina’s coast, I booked a surf lesson to maximize my enjoyment in the water since I have not surfed since my hip surgery. By most accounts, this has been the most fun I have had in a long time. I hope you find the information packed in here as useful as I have and it helps you have more fun as well.
Laura Vanderkam is a productivity and time-management expert who has written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Fortune and Fast Company. In our interview, Laura discusses the importance of prioritizing your activities so you spend your time wisely (you can find the write-up here).
Dr. Anthony Middlebrooks is a professor and leadership expert with multiple research threads, one of which investigates the ways in which individuals can increase their capacity for idea generation. In our interview, Tony discusses the importance and value of fun (you can find the write-up here).
Life Experience: As mentioned above, amazing life experiences were had this quarter. From surfing the North Carolina coast and quality time with the family to water tubing down the Truckee River right through downtown Reno to exclusive little one-offs like the visit to Noble Experiment (pictured below) — a ton of fun was had using some of the principles we have been discussing.
Contribution: I made a few contributions this quarter. I made my annual pledge to Chris Tsakalakis in his ongoing effort to support The American Heart Association. I also made a donation to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans on behalf of my friend Scott Bell. The most fun, however, was a random act of kindness supporting a young man, Jaden Love, who is hoping to attend Duke and pursue a career in health technology.
This is the end of the 11th year of this project. What started off as a self-serving scheme to learn from leaders in business and well-being to keep my proverbial saw sharp has evolved into something much bigger. The idea that we all need to have more fun has really struck a chord, and I am grateful that the reach of what started as a humble endeavor has grown into the movement that is taking shape. This is no longer about me but about making sure we all experience more joy.
Yours in fun,
Mike Rucker, Ph.D.
