Working At Play

This text chronicles the history of vacationing in America since the early 19th century. It is concerned with how, when, and why vacationing came to be part of life, charting this social and cultural institution as it grew from the custom of a small elite in to a mass phenomenon

Do games hold the secret to better productivity? If you’ve ever found yourself engrossed in Angry Birds, Call of Duty, or a plain old crossword puzzle when you should have been doing something more productive, you know how easily games hold our attention. Hardcore gamers have spent the equivalent of 5.93 million years playing World of Warcraft while the world collectively devotes about 5 million hours per day to Angry Birds. A colossal waste of time? Perhaps. But what if we could tap into all the energy, engagement, and brainpower that people are already expending and use it for more creative and valuable pursuits? Harnessing the power of games sounds like a New-Age fantasy, or at least a fad that’s only for hip start-ups run by millennials in Silicon Valley. But according to Adam L. Penenberg, the use of smart game design in the workplace and beyond is taking hold in every sector of the economy, and the companies that apply it are witnessing unprecedented results. “Gamification” isn’t just for consumers chasing reward points anymore. It’s transforming, well, just about everything. Penenberg explores how, by understanding the way successful games are designed, we can apply them to become more efficient, come up with new ideas, and achieve even the most daunting goals. He shows how game mechanics are being applied to make employees happier and more motivated, improve worker safety, create better products, and improve customer service. For example, Microsoft has transformed an essential but mind-numbing task—debugging software—into a game by having employees compete and collaborate to find more glitches in less time. Meanwhile, Local Motors, an independent automaker based in Arizona, crowdsources designs from car enthusiasts all over the world by having them compete for money and recognition within the community. As a result, the company was able to bring a cutting-edge vehicle to market in less time and at far less cost than the Big Three automakers. These are just two examples of companies that have tapped the characteristics that make games so addictive and satisfying. Penenberg also takes us inside organizations that have introduced play at work to train surgeons, aid in physical therapy, translate the Internet, solve vexing scientific riddles, and digitize books from the nineteenth century. Drawing on the latest brain science as well as his firsthand reporting from these cutting-edge companies, Penenberg offers a powerful solution for businesses and organizations of all stripes and sizes.

"Do you have a sane work-play balance? Had enough of your job and want to change your life? Here’s how to do it" The Times Stuck in a job that’s boring you to tears? Slogging away at a business that’s never quite taken off? Still can’t decide what you’d rather do? Well, it’s time to change all that. We’ve reached a remarkable point in the history of work. With the right guidance, it’s now possible for anyone to make a living from doing the things they love. Written by a career maverick who escaped corporate life, Screw Work Let’s Play is your blueprint to create a work-life full of fun, freedom and creativity; something more like play than work. Packed full of stories from people who turned their passion into their living – or even a million pound business – you’ll discover10 secrets to transform your working life, starting today. Discover life-changing ideas and practical plans including: · How to win your first playcheque – without quitting your current job · How to beat the doubts and internal blocks that hold you back · How you can play and get rich – even in a recession Whether you want to start a business, create an ideal job, write a book, or change the world, there’s no need to suffer unfulfilling work any more. Ready to play? Unlock exclusive extras at www.screwworkletsplay.com Join the Play Revolution

______________________ 'Too much to do? Stop and read this' - Guardian 'For a fresh take on an eternal dilemma, Overwhelmed is worth a few hours of any busy woman's life – if only to ensure that she doesn't drop off the bottom of her own “To Do” list' - Mail on Sunday ______________________ In her attempts to juggle work and family life, Brigid Schulte has baked cakes until 2 a.m., frantically (but surreptitiously) sent important emails during school trips and then worked long into the night after her children were in bed. Realising she had become someone who constantly burst in late, trailing shoes and schoolbooks and biscuit crumbs, she began to question, like so many of us, whether it is possible to be anything you want to be, have a family and still have time to breathe. So when Schulte met an eminent sociologist who studies time and he told her she enjoyed thirty hours of leisure each week, she thought her head was going to pop off. What followed was a trip down the rabbit hole of busy-ness, a journey to discover why so many of us find it near-impossible to press the 'pause' button on life and what got us here in the first place. Overwhelmed maps the individual, historical, biological and societal stresses that have ripped working mothers' and fathers' leisure to shreds, and asks how it might be possible for us to put the pieces back together. Seeking insights, answers and inspiration, Schulte explores everything from the wiring of the brain and why workplaces are becoming increasingly demanding, to worldwide differences in family policy, how cultural norms shape our experiences at work, our unequal division of labour at home and why it's so hard for everyone – but women especially – to feel they deserve an elusive moment of peace. ______________________ 'Every parent, every caregiver, every person who feels besieged by permanent busyness, must read this book' - Anne-Marie Slaughter, author of Why Women Still Can't Have It All

Vygotsky at Work and Play is an intimate portrayal of the Vygotskian-inspired approach to human development known as ‘social therapeutics’ and ‘the psychology of becoming’. Holzman provides an accessible, practical-philosophical portrayal of a unique performance-based methodology of development and learning that draws upon a fresh reading of Vygotsky. This expanded edition includes new content dealing with how Lev Vygotsky’s work can be applied to profound social issues of our times, including worsening police/community relations, authoritarianism in schools, the medical-model approach to social/emotional life, and the erosion of play in Western cultures. Holzman also weaves together Vygotsky’s discoveries with qualitative case studies from organizations that practice the approach in psychotherapy offices, classrooms, outside-of-school programs, corporate workplaces and virtual learning environments. The new edition of Vygotsky at Work and Play poses a practical-critical challenge to more traditional conceptions and methods of psychology and education, introducing performance as a new ontology and the author’s own activist research performance as a new way to do psychology. It is an essential read for researchers and professionals in educational and developmental psychology, psychotherapy, cultural historical activity, social science, performance studies and education.

Featuring engaging articles by some of Canada's finest historians, this expertly crafted volume explores a wide range of topics and social issues - including constructions of gender and social status, participation in labour, access to education and health care, and more. Well-rounded andup-to-date, this new edition provides balanced coverage of pre- and post-Confederation Canada to help students understand how Canadians have interpreted and experienced home, work, and play across time.

This book is designed to provide Human Resource Development program designers, workshop presenters, facilitators, and consultants with creative, structured learning experiences and detailed guidance on how to use them for effective training, conferences, and workshops. It is a practical handbook containing 36 varied and versatile activities that cover a comprehensive range of learning themes. Although these activities are particularly well suited to team building, group problem solving, and leadership training, they can be used for communication, decision making, creativity, resource management, and a multitude of other learning purposes. Their flexibility, in terms of fit with a broad spectrum of training agendas, makes them particularly useful. Each activity can serve a range of training needs and agendas. Each activity has applicability to a variety of learning themes, some of which can be explored in depth using the activity alone or in conjunction with suggested companion exercises. They can be implemented either at different times for different purposes or used singularly to accomplish a 'variety of related learning objectives.