Pause. Yes . . . but

Most folks I know have a whirlwind life. Kids to care for and transport as their interests grow and change. Jobs and families to balance. Fitness to attain or maintain. Travel for work. Just keeping up with work. Everyone is running to or from somewhere. It's the way of the world.

I was listening to a book while driving to work (always multi-tasking . . .). It's called Do/Pause by Robert Poynton. This is a refresher for me; I read the book last summer and fell in love with the concept of building in pauses to be more productive. This is what hit me this time around:

"Slowing down your movements can create a sense of time and space where there appears to be none." p 44

The author was making the point that when you're late, arriving in a rush only makes the situation more stressful. Instead, he suggests, walk slowly to arrive in a mental state ready to function.

It's a good point. I have a chronic disconnect with the clock, so I'm always running past the planned time. Sometimes that makes me late, sometimes it makes things run long. I have clocks everywhere to help, but alas . . .

I've stopped worrying about time so much by building in more time than I need, especially for arriving. It seems like a game I play with myself, but at least it keeps life on track, at least a bit. However, it doesn't give me time to plan or get things situated as calmly as my mind configures it. It's always nice to remember I'm a work in progress, and long-time habits are hardest to change. But I'd like it to happen faster!

Spring is a time for new beginnings, and as the ground thaws and plants burst forth, I thought I'd build a new habit. Based on Poynton's work, I'm going to try again to implement pausing into my life. Here are some ideas to start the thought process.

DESIGNING A PAUSE

1.     decide the purpose for the pause: What do you want to create for yourself?

a.     feel less frantic

b.     more ideas

c.     connect with people you know

d.     meet more people

e.     make better decisions

f.      appreciate what you have

g.     live with more curiosity

h.     have more space in life

2.     make a calendar and designate a name/reason for the pause

3.     build steps for implementation – make them small!

Follow AT&Me on Facebook / at.judy on Instagram to get some reminders that are helping my journey. Maybe this will get me to resume my Midweek Pause videos soon.