If you’re like many people, playing games is a great way to enjoy leisure time. But games can also help you build skills. That’s why early childhood education is full of games, to provide learning in a fun atmosphere. It works for adults, too. Here are a few reasons that playing games can help you build the skills you’ll need to run a contracting business.

Get Better at Math
When you run a contracting business, you may need to be able to do simple math figures on the fly. A lot of people didn’t do very well at math in school. Part of the problem is that math can seem intimidating, which disincentivizes people from getting better at it. Playing games can help. Buy a couple of board games that require quick thinking or money handling. Give yourself enough time to practice, and you may notice that you are getting in the habit of figuring out the numbers more quickly.

Try Out New Strategies
Most games require a strategy in order to win. Repetitive games that take only a few minutes to play give you an opportunity to test out new strategies. When you run a business, you need to be willing to develop a strategy and make changes over time. If you’re worried about making a mistake, you may end up with a bad plan that you don’t dare to change. Games can help to expand the number of approaches you are able to take in order to achieve a goal, and lower your fear about the risks. You may have a few failures along the way, but you’ll have more opportunities to learn from them.

Plan Your Decisions a Few Moves Ahead
Games that focus on strategy often require you to think first, if you want to win. In essence, you can’t just think about what you are going to do right now. You have to plan ahead at least a few moves, to make sure that your approach will help you make progress toward your goal. If you have to balance multiple projects at the same time, this is a great experience. You’ll learn how to meet the demands of the short-term without compromising your needs a few days or even a few years in the future.

Practice Conflict Resolution
Competitive games tend to bring out moods and reactions in people that they didn’t expect. If you are a particularly competitive or aggressive player, these attitudes can present themselves in a variety of possible situations. Although wanting to win, and being able to do what it takes to succeed, are helpful attitudes when you’re running a business, they can have disadvantages. People who act like this when they are dealing with a conflict can create more stress for clients, other contractors, and employees. If you struggle to cope with disagreements without getting flustered or angry, playing games can help you work on it.

Learn How to Lose With Grace
As a contracting business owner, you’ll have instances where you don’t get the project. It can be difficult to manage because it feels like losing. The good news is that when you play games regularly, you get the opportunity to lose on a regular basis. You can practice how you cope with the loss, and ensure that you avoid alienating people around you. Similarly, games help you learn how to be a gracious winner. That way, when you earn the contract against lots of competitors, you remain humble.

Playing games can give you a nice distraction from life‘s complications, but they can also give you some handy skills for your contracting business. To learn more about how you can become a licensed contractor, visit CSLS today!