This month I sent my son off on the big yellow bus to kindergarten. For him--and his parents, I admit--this feels like The Big Time. So far, he enjoys it. He's proud to be learning new skills. But it hasn't taken him long to realize that one important piece of his life is getting pushed to the back burner: play.

There's been a flurry of discussion in our community, and across parenting literature, about the serious lack of play in children's lives. Recess is getting shorter, and kids are losing the valuable learning and social skills obtained through unstructured play.

As parents, we're angry and frustrated that our kids are doing without this critical element. Yet as adults, we stoically tolerate--or even wear as a badge of honor--the loss of play in our own lives.

It turns out we have more in common with kindergarteners than we may think. Play is something we all need.

Executives hear the following themes constantly: Stress is bad. Vacations are good. There's a reason that workaholic rhymes with alcoholic.

We just don't listen.

The entrepreneurs I know usually have some sort of built-in timeline where they will just hold on until the company is:

1. established
2. sold or
3. funded

And unless a heart attack pushes them off track, they are good to go.

It's great to have goals, but research shows that having a balanced life isn't something we should put off until we hit those goals. Play time actually makes you more competent so you can reach your goals faster.

A timely study published in The New York Times this summer discussed the impact of chronic stress on decision-making. We know that stress can cause us to react negatively in the moment. It also causes us to make poor decisions over the longer term. Stress was found to narrow decision-making abilities and to cause repetitive behavior. That, researchers say, explains why when we are stressed and overworked we get in a rut, and aren't able to find unique solutions to problems. The prescription? Vacation--time away in a different setting without the stressors.

Entrepreneurs undergo a hearty amount of stress every day. Many of us feel we can never get away, and the effect compounds over time. I frequently give the article "The Making of a Corporate Athlete" to clients to encourage them to look at their self-care regimen as a training regimen. The authors contend that, historically, we have looked at executive training as a neck-up endeavor, and we must start considering the whole body. Taking care of your mind, body and spirit builds endurance and makes executives more capable. You know this if you've ever tried to come up with a compelling business idea while battling a tension headache.

Finally, as Jack Nicholson says so eerily in The Shining, "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." Part of an entrepreneur's effectiveness is the ability to find commonalities with anyone--whether a customer, employee or prospect at a cocktail party. Having hobbies makes you more interesting and memorable. It gives you an edge in small talk, and helps you connect with other people. Keith Farazzi discusses this in Never Eat Alone. Great networkers are interesting. They engage in a range of activities, stay current on events and pop culture, and exude a joie de vivre. They're the people you want to sit next to at a dinner party.

So here's your homework: Get out there and play. Here are five suggestions:

1. Find a new activity that you can enjoy purely for the activity's sake. Put aside your need to win. Play golf because you enjoy being outside. Take a dance class because you like music. Don't worry if you're good or not, just do it. If you're stumped, think back to what you enjoyed as a kid.
    
2. Make exercise fun. I'm an avid exerciser, and my secret is I only do exercise that I consider fun. I don't run marathons--I walk with a great playlist on my iPod. I work out with a friend who keeps me laughing. I try new classes or equipment when I get bored. I've given up being a Type-A exerciser in favor of enjoyment. Turns out, I work out more.
    
3. Take real vacations. We need to get away from the stress to develop fresh ideas. Don't be ashamed to take vacation time. Your clients and employees won't hold it against you; they'll respect you for it. Just like in any personal relationship, setting boundaries and standing up for what you need show confidence. And do I have to mention that real vacations do not include constantly checking your BlackBerry?
    
4. Schedule personal time. This is hard for anyone, but especially for working mothers. Setting aside pure personal time to do something for yourself--or even just to quietly think--is a good and unselfish thing to do. It makes you a better person to be around. Marcus Buckingham just wrote about this in The Huffington Post. He asked kids what they wanted to change about their mother's work life. Women thought their kids would say they wanted them around more. The kids actually said they wanted their mothers to be less stressed. Schedule the time and be more effective in all aspects of your life.
    
5. Only multitask with friendship. Leadership research has debunked the myth of multitasking. We actually can't think about more than one thing at a time; we just have short mental bursts successively. Practice focusing on one item--especially play--and giving it your full attention. The only exception is friendship. Incorporate friends into as many things as you can--play, exercise, hobbies, even business strategy. The link between women's happiness and friendships is well documented, and as our lives get busy, it's harder to keep up with friends. Find reasons to get together with good friends and to make new ones. Laughter is one of life's most efficient stress relievers.