when is work not work, but play ?
obviously, when you enjoy your work.
when does it happen?
when you work at your own pace, on your own volition, with no expectation of reward or fear of punishment/ failure.
(of course there are exceptions for example, when someone is cooking for his daughter, he doesn’t mind being rushed …)
you can set your own pace if you or are the top man in your organization.
top man doesn’t mean NO 1 in a huge organizaton … it can also mean at the bottom of the heap in an one man army.
well as for the reward, you can afford not to expect if you have enough self esteem, and of course, enough means for day to day living.
so,
under such conditions work will become truly enjoyable, and such work will also be very productive.
So, barring a lucky few, work for most people should start after retirement from ‘regular work’.