The Necessity of Play: Why Turbo Thinkers Need It Most
The Necessity of Play: Why Turbo Thinkers Need It Most
When William first walked into my office, he had a story about his marriage that felt all too familiar: his wife had become a 'nag,' their home was filled with negative energy, and their evenings had devolved into silent screen time punctuated by arguments about unfinished projects. What he wanted, he told me firmly, was strategies to deal with her negativity.
What happened next reveals a truth that many Turbo Thinkers© miss. As we explored his own thinking patterns rather than fixating on his wife's behavior, William's language shifted. He began to name what he truly missed—the playfulness in their relationship, the spontaneity they once shared, the safety he used to feel being silly together. The problem wasn't just his wife's negativity; it was the complete absence of play in their lives.
This realization strikes at the heart of what so many of my clients struggle with. As high-achieving adults with busy minds, we systematically eliminate play from our lives, believing productivity must come first. We convince ourselves that achievement trumps amusement, that work must precede wonder. Yet what Diane Ackerman calls 'deep play'—those transcendent moments when we lose ourselves completely in an activity—may be precisely what our overactive brains need most.
The System Requirements for Human Play
What conditions must exist for authentic play to emerge? Like any complex system, play requires specific elements:
Safety and psychological security to lower our guards and be vulnerable
Time and mental spaciousness—an absence of the constant urgency that typically drives Turbo Thinkers
Autonomy to direct our own experience rather than having it imposed upon us
Social connection with others who accept our authentic selves
Basic needs met—it's nearly impossible to access play when exhausted, hungry, or in discomfort
Conversely, play is killed by excessive anxiety, rigid time constraints, judgment from others, performance pressure, and the exhaustion that comes from constantly pushing ourselves beyond sustainable limits.
Look at these factors! Is it any wonder that we lose the ability to play over time? Yet, armed with this knowledge, we can examine our current ecosystem to identify what constrains our play and create strategies to protect these essential conditions.
Perhaps that seems like a lot of work for a grown-up to do. Even William's brain resisted at first the trouble it might take to create opportunities for play. It felt indulgent, unnecessary. Why would a successful full-grown businessman throw away precious time and energy for such trivial matters?
Play Is Not Optional
What our achievement-oriented minds often miss is that play isn't a luxury—it's a biological necessity. For Turbo Thinkers© especially, play offers five critical benefits:
Dopamine regulation without the burnout—play naturally boosts dopamine, which ADHD brains often seek through work hyperfocus or constant productivity
Cognitive restoration—play allows the overactive ADHD brain to engage without the pressure of performance
Enhanced executive function—certain playful activities strengthen the same skills that Turbo Thinkers find challenging
Improved emotional regulation—play provides low-stakes opportunities to practice managing frustration, excitement, and collaboration
Identity beyond achievement—regular play helps develop a self-concept not solely defined by productivity or accomplishment
For Turbo Thinkers© especially, we crumble without play in our lives. Our high-octane minds need the regulation, restoration, and release that only genuine play can provide.
What Does Adult Play Even Look Like?
When we think of play, perhaps we imagine childhood playgrounds or structured sports. Ask an adult how they play, and we might be met with a long silence. How sad that so many of us have forgotten!
Yet adult play can take many forms, particularly well-suited to Turbo Thinkers:
Creative expression through art, music, writing, or cooking—activities that harness our divergent thinking while providing immediate feedback
Physical movement that combines challenge with flow—hiking, dancing, recreational sports
Strategic games that engage our problem-solving abilities without real-world consequences
Playful social connection through humor, storytelling, or improvisational activities
Solo explorations that allow for hyperfocus on enjoyable tasks—gardening, building, tinkering
"But I have no time to play! I signed up for coaching because I need to be more productive at work!" The Turbo Thinking brain fights. The automatic pilot wants to force sheer willpower and grind away. It wants to "be normal" and grind through the boring work all by itself in isolation.
Does it have to be work or play? What if it could be both?
Weaving Play Into Work
How can play naturally emerge in healthy workplaces?
Spontaneous creativity sessions where ideas flow freely without immediate judgment
Brief connection moments that incorporate humor and authentic interaction
Physical movement integrated throughout the workday
Collaborative problem-solving that feels engaging rather than draining
Celebrating small wins and milestones in ways that genuinely energize rather than obligate
Notice how these aren't scheduled "team building" activities that feel forced. Authentic workplace play arises naturally from a culture that values creativity, connection, and psychological safety.
Yet many of my Turbo Thinker© clients struggle with accessing play at work. Kevin initially came to coaching to help him remain focused and more productive at work. He also struggled with depression. His job required him to sit at the computer for hours calculating cost estimates for large-scale construction projects.
Because he worked from home, we integrated routine breaks with physical movement and variety into his day. He learned the value of creating activities he could look forward to—planning weekend excursions to the beach or camping and fishing with friends. He also scheduled activities after work so he could wrap up his day and transition to "play time."
Most importantly, Kevin experienced shifts in mindset that allowed him to see the bigger picture and work toward his long-term vision. When his organization recently mandated a return to the office, Kevin panicked. But he soon realized that the mindset shifts and focus strategies he'd developed could transfer to the office environment. Once he knew what worked for him, he found many opportunities for play in the office as well.
Cultivating Play in Your Life
How can Turbo Thinkers seamlessly weave play into our lives to improve mental health and support executive function?
Create environmental triggers for play—keep games visible, art supplies accessible, instruments within reach
Start with micro-play moments—even 5-10 minutes can shift our neurochemistry and perspective
Identify and protect activities that naturally induce flow states for you personally
Build playful rituals into transitions between activities—especially before and after intense work periods
Surround yourself with people who value playfulness and set boundaries with those who criticize or judge it
By the end of our session, William realized he was the one preventing play in his relationship. His journey to reclaim play evolved from first wanting to retreat alone to his woodshop, to reconnecting with a cigar-smoking buddy for evenings of jokes and laughter, and finally to planning a romantic weekend getaway with his wife. These intentional play experiences created a newfound source of energy that transformed his work, home projects, and most importantly, his perspective—he stopped viewing his wife as the source of negativity and began seeing her as a potential play partner again.
Play is not an option. It is not dessert after a nutritious meal. It is part of the nutrition itself. For Turbo Thinkers© especially, we need to recognize that what feels like an indulgence may actually be the medicine we need most.
What would change in your life if you made space for authentic play? How might you approach tomorrow differently if you saw play not as a reward for productivity, but as a prerequisite for it?