Inspiration and Life

The Power of the Pause

Transform your career and your life

Do you find yourself rushing from one project to the next? The pace of life today can be exhausting. So much to do and so little time to do it in. What if I told you there is a way to slow down to make more progress? That would be an easy sale, wouldn’t it? Only you slow down for a few minutes to understand how it works!

Some years back, in the middle of my hectic life, I came across an idea that caused a major transformation in my career and life. I went from a fast-paced life to slowing down and accomplishing more. It may sound contradictory, but it is true. There is a simple way to achieve this. It is all in the power of the pause.

The power of the pause

While I had discovered parts of the concept some years prior, the idea of pausing crystallized when I found a book by Kevin Cashman titled The Pause Principle. Cashman was able to clarify what many had experienced, but few could explain.

The basic concept is in the subtitle of Cashman’s book, “step back to lead forward.” The concept applies to anyone with a busy life who struggles to keep up and move ahead.

“What sleep is to the mind and body, pause is to leadership and innovation,” Kevin Cashman (1951-present)

Think about sleep for a moment. Sleep is a pause of sorts. It is vital to life. Without sleep, it isn’t easy to function, but with enough of it, you are renewed and energized. Like sleep, pausing can also revitalize your abilities to lead and make decisions.

Look at a typical day in your life. If you are one of those who are going full speed all of the time, without occasional periods to rest and rejuvenation, your effectiveness inevitably declines. While many studies show the adverse effects of not taking breaks on productivity, we innately know it is a fact. To operate at peak efficiency, you must rest your body and mind.

Self-awareness is critical to high-level functioning in the workplace and in life. Building your ability to self-reflect is key to living a better life. Self-reflection requires pausing. Stepping back from the hurriedness lets you see more and make better decisions.

“I cannot stress the importance of pausing to take a few deep breaths throughout the day. It’s simple and effective.” Nikki DeLoach (1979-present)

For example, have you had days when email consumed all of your time? Who is in control, you or your email? This happened many times during my career. When I finally decided to pause and look at what I was doing, I made a huge leap forward. Without pausing, I would have continued allowing email to consume my time for who knows how long.

I realized I had lost control, creating unnecessary stress in my life. I knew I could take charge of my time with a little planning by pausing. I had wrongly treated too many emails as urgent and important when they were not.

I started limiting my email time to an hour a day. In my case, I found I could get through the most important emails in less than an hour. As a result, I scheduled about 30 minutes mid-morning and 30 minutes late in the day. I later realized that putting time limits on this activity was crucial to its success.

To say my productivity soared is an understatement. What happened to all of those unopened emails? I put them in a folder and deleted them once a month. Was this a risk? Yes, but a very slight one. If I made a mistake and missed something, I apologized and suggested the person call me if it was an urgent matter or needed immediate attention.

The stress I had self-inflicted by trying to read and respond to every email dropped considerably, allowing me to focus on more important things. Many in my circle of influence have adopted the pause in their lives to great benefit.

“Pause, like sleep, is a natural transformative process that cannot be ignored if we want to operate at peak levels of performance.” Kevin Cashman (1951-present)

How to use the pause

To use the pause effectively in your life, you must make room for it. This only comes through building your self-awareness and ability to self-reflect. Becoming self-aware in the moment is a topic for another article. Suffice it to say the term is self-descriptive, and we will touch on it lightly here.

Becoming self-aware is what it says: to become aware of yourself and what is happening in your mind, body, and world. The more you get to know yourself, the better off you will be in life. Learn in an unfiltered way, what has conditioned you to think and behave the way you do, what gives you energy and what takes it away, and so forth.

“This is the key to life: the ability to reflect, the ability to know yourself, the ability to pause for a second before reacting automatically. If you can truly know yourself, you will begin the journey of transformation.” Deepak Chopra (1946-present)

For example, ask yourself, “Where do I come up with my best ideas?” For some, it is when they have a conversation with a friend. For others, it is when they are running, walking, or traveling. Yet others get their best ideas when going to bed, waking up, or showering. What do these have in common? They are during periods when you take a break, calm your thoughts, or otherwise relax your mind.

Did you know 72% of people get their best ideas while showering? Why is this? Is it because you are alone, with no aural stimulation other than the calming effect of running water? Is it because you are usually relaxed and find the shower refreshing? Yes, yes, yes, and yes!

Pausing is simple to do in everyday life, so long as you remember to use it. The great thing about pausing is you can do it anywhere at any time.

Whenever things are hectic, pause. If you have a big decision to make, pause. If you need an idea, pause. Whatever you seek, slow down, clear your mind, calm your heart and being, and allow your conscious and unconscious thoughts to work for you by pausing. Don’t struggle. Allow whatever comes of it to happen. At times you will take a modest step forward. At other times you will make huge leaps.

Final thoughts

Of anything you can do in life to improve yourself, self-awareness is foundational. The better you know yourself, the more you will benefit from using the pause at work and in your life.

“To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom” Socrates (c. 470–399 BC)

Practice pausing whenever you can. The more you practice, the more you benefit. Start small and stick with it long enough to experience larger strides and occasional huge leaps forward in your life. This must-have skill is easy to develop with a little effort and consistency.

I cannot recommend any of Cashman’s books more strongly. He is a master of self-leadership and self-awareness. His books are well written and filled with wisdom.

I leave you with this final quote from Cashman. While he speaks of managing and leading in the quote, it also applies to your personal life. Why not become the best manager and leader in every area of life. It will benefit not only you but your family and friends as well!

“Managers assert drive and control to get things done; leaders pause to discover new ways of being and achieving.” Kevin Cashman (1951-present)

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Bill Abbate Leadership Writer and Editor in ILLUMINATION

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