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April 28, 2004
Putting things on "pause"....
What are your "pause buttons"? I was on stage with Beverly Kaye this morning in Phoenix, and she mentioned a wonderful little trick that we all do, but probably not enough. She said, "What do you do to put the pause button on, so you can just stop and reflect about what you've been doing (like, this week) and what you want to be doing (like, next week)?" I reflected on what my own "pause buttons" were, and was heartened that I was able to come up with quite a few. A hot bath, pruning my trees, a nice dinner with my lady and friends, a good massage, a good movie, playing GO on my computer, to mention a few. These are real doing-nothing-with-a-vengeance kind of things that interrupt my patterns and give me very different kinds of zones to get into. I also do spiritual retreats at least once a year, sometimes more, and those are a biggee in this regard.
My a-ha is that I could use more of that pause that refreshes during my weekly review, or perhaps once a month, that's neither a completely think-of-nothing space nor a totally operational kind of debrief like my weekly review. Writing in my journal comes close to what I think I need more of, but it's still not exactly what I saw I could use. There's still a place to develop for myself for a kind of self-reflection about how things are going...perhaps mapping to what I consider "20,000-ft" thinking - the checklist of areas of focus and interest in life and work. Hmmm. And I teach this stuff...!
Posted by David at April 28, 2004 09:22 AM
Comments
I think the more I get ramped up on GTD, its now becoming possible to enjoy pauses. I think I've always taken them as my body and mind need a time to reflect and refocus. However when you are so overwhelmed, they don't give the return you are hoping for. Being focused and having a clear mind makes the "pause" that much more enjoyable.
Posted by: Chris Kunicki at April 29, 2004 01:55 AM
Strang, I had a 'pause' moment at work today and used my work cellphone voice record feature to record my thoughts:)
So I'm taking the next week off from work to:
-Visit a dying friend of the family before he dies
-Take my grandmothers out to dinner!
-Celebrate 7 years of being together with my wife:)
-Make a Indian meal for my friends-You're invited too, only it's in Jerusalem:)
Cheers and thanks for your insightful blog!
Avi
Posted by: Avi Solomon at May 2, 2004 06:39 AM
This entry reminds me that some years ago I started the practice of taking a half day a month as a bit of a "Mental Health Day." I would plan on doing something interesting and engaging and totally unrelated to work or family obligations.
Posted by: Joel at May 14, 2004 12:44 PM
That is certainly puts down my thoughts on the matter. West Wing did a similar episode in which the characters have the 20,000 feet effect happen to them and Martin Sheen's character waxes poetic about it. Some people might call it daydreaming. Which, to the observer has no value. To the thinker who has extracted themselves from the daily ebb and flow, it is invaluable. I do it while on long bike rides on empty country roads.
cheers.
Posted by: Mike at June 1, 2004 08:38 AM
