Hop, Skip, Jump - 75 Ways to Playfully Manifest a Meaningful Life

hop skip jump book
Hop, Skip, Jump is a fun new book from Marney K. Makridakis, founder of Artella Land - an online community for artists, writers and creative entrepreneurs.

Marney writes about how to have more fun while you're getting more done. She shares 75 techniques for how to be both playful and productive in order to manifest success. She describes why play matters, that it's about more than being silly or killing time or taking a break. Play is a state of mind; it's about how we stay present and how we magnify what makes us human.

The book's title refers to the three phases for making things happen in your life - dreaming (hop), experimenting (skip) and taking action (jump). Marney's techniques for getting the most out of each phase include quizzes, drawing exercises, trivia, word games, doodling, journaling and other creative prompts. She shares lots of examples and talks about the benefits (and potential risks) of spending more time and energy in each phase.

One of the examples I really liked was about kids in a butterfly garden and how it illustrates the value of pausing instead of pushing. Kids tend to run all around, chasing the butterflies to try to catch them. But if you just stand still, the butterflies will eventually come and gently land on your arm, your shoulder, or even your nose. Such a simple thing that should be easier for me to remember to do, especially when I'm feeling completely stuck for a creative idea when I have to write or design something. Stop pushing so much and just pause for a bit...and it will come to you.

Lots of great tidbits in this book to read and reflect on - I'm gonna have fun exploring more of it!