Against Tranquility! Pac-Man, Time Management, and Distractions.

You think you want tranquility; but you don’t. A close look at Pac-Man shows us that distractions and interruptions are an essential factor in success and productivity. Pac-Man can be understood like a tutorial on time management’s relationship to happiness.

Serenity is a bad fantasy, a plight with which we mistakenly beg to be cursed.

Think about it. Or even better, imagine it like a video game…

Your avatar looks just like you. He or she moves the way you move. He or she runs along a flat, vibrantly colored gamescape as you press the buttons on your controller. You keep going and going. There is nothing to stop you. There are no obstacles, and no friction. There are no platforms to jump from. There are neither enemies to fight nor coins to grab. There is no boss to conquer. There is no princess to rescue at the end. In fact, there is no end to the game; it just keeps going and going and going.

This is the uninterrupted gamescape. Sounds kind of dull, doesn’t it? It’s tedious, flat, and bland. Nobody wants to play a boring video game.

Consider Pac-Man. If you take the ghosts out of the game, there's really no motivation to eat the little Pac-Dots. Outpacing Blinky, Inky, Pinky, and Clyde is what gives you a sense of accomplishment.

The entire point of playing video games is to overcome obstacles or opponents. A game without problems is not a game at all. The hurdles along the path are what make the game interesting. We choose games by looking for the finest challenges. We want to be confronted with things that are original, surprising, difficult, and provocative.

Why don’t we adopt the same attitude in the life world?

In our work lives, our businesses, and our relationships, we often yearn for tranquility. We don’t want to be disturbed. We tend to see each barrier, snag, impediment, and obstruction as an unwelcomed interruption to our untroubled existence.

But experience happens in relationship: when one thing comes in front of another. This is called “confrontation,” a word we tend to hear with negative connotations. Confrontation can be unpleasant, or it can simply mean authentically and honestly meeting something face to face. Just as we confront anger or jealousy, we also confront pleasure and joy. Being present involves encountering life’s confrontations head-on.

The red, pink, cyan, and orange Pac-Ghosts are not really opponents (in the sense that they are not trying to outplay you or compete toward the same ends). Instead, they are hurdles that exist for the sole purpose of increasing your enjoyment.

If you’re keen on Pac-Man, it is likely that you intuitively understand three unconventional truths about time management:

1. Distraction is Spontaneity. When prioritizing your goals, don’t just factor in the possibility of interruption; expect it. Yes, a rupture in your habitual routine is irritating, but remember that it is also a spontaneous opportunity to approach things in a new way. When the pink ghost draws near, the game gets exciting. Quick! Turn the other direction. You’ll still munch-up all the power-pellets, but maybe not in the way you originally anticipated.

2. Great Ideas Are Interruptions. Did you actually create any of your great ideas? I doubt it. We don’t think thoughts; thoughts think us. Notions arrive like invisible whispers (or colorful ghosts) that distract us from our intellectual monotony. In fact, great ideas come when we are most open to receiving them. One of the biggest hindrances to creativity is a closed door. Being open-minded involves a willingness to confront whatever approaches.

Jordan Shapiro is author of FREEPLAY: A Video Game Guide to Maximum Euphoric Bliss and co-editor of Occupy Psyche: Jungian and Archetypal Perspectives on a Movement.