Remember the “Easy” button campaign from Staples? When you hit the red button it said, “That was easy,” implying that shopping for your office supply needs at Staples made everything simple. I have a similarly- shaped button that I keep on my desk called my “reset button.” It’s there to remind myself to slow down every once in a while, pause between tasks, and reset. It reminds me to practice what I preach.
As the founder of Personal Retreat Day, I challenge people to set aside one day every month to rest deeply, reflect on the past, and reorient towards the future. A monthly Personal Retreat Day is a way of hitting the reset button every 30 days or so, making sure we are using insights from our past to help us reorient to what’s coming next.
But you don’t have to wait for a Personal Retreat Day to hit the “reset” button. We can do this throughout each day as well. I call it the “Power of the Pause.”
Build In Margin
Most of us overschedule our days. We hurry from one meeting or errand to the next without stopping. What would it look like if we were to simply and intentionally pause for one to five minutes between tasks? In doing this, you’ll give yourself a chance to step back and reflect on what you’ve just done, then reorient to the next task on your agenda.
To do this effectively, build some extra margin into your schedule. One time management expert found that tasks actually take 50% longer than we think they will! I recently put this theory to the test. I time-blocked my day and scheduled activities according to the time I thought they would take, then I wrote down how long they actually took. What I found was surprising! I thought I was being realistic, even generous. One of my activities was a 30 minute Peloton bike ride. I scheduled 45, knowing it would take me a few minutes to get dressed and put on my bike shoes. But I forgot about adjusting the seat from the last time my husband rode it, choosing a workout, filling up my water bottle, grabbing a towel, the extra 5 minute cool down ride, the extra 5 minute post-ride stretch, and showering my sweaty body afterwards (of course!) So my 30 minute ride actually took up an hour and 5 minutes!
Test this yourself. Multiply the amount of time you think a task will take by 1.5. So if you think your grocery store run will take 30 minutes, allow yourself 45. Block off 90 minutes for an hour-long meeting. Hopefully you’ll find yourself with extra time to relax between activities instead of rushing from one to the next. The buffer will give you a chance to rest, reflect, and reorient, one task at a time.
The Power of the Pause
Now that you’ve built in some buffer time between tasks, here’s how to use the Power of the Pause:
- REST – After finishing your task, walk away from the computer (or the laundry room, or the meeting). Close your eyes, Take some full deep breaths.
- REFLECT – Think about the task or conversation you just completed. What did you learn from it? List one thing that went well, and one thing that you would change if you could.
- REORIENT – Think about what’s next on your agenda. What quality do you need the most going into your next meeting or activity? Patience, compassion, a positive attitude? Reset to what’s coming next.
Let’s Practice!
Let’s put this into practice this right now:
Close your eyes. Take a deep full breath.
Now with your eyes still closed, think about what you did just before reading this post. What exactly was that task, errand, or conversation?. Whatever it was, how did it go? How was your attitude? What’s one positive takeaway, and maybe one thing you could have done differently?
Now, think about the next thing that you plan to do right after you finish reading. What do you need the most going into that lunch meeting or work task or errand? How can you mentally plan and prepare for it?
Congratulations on hitting the reset button! You just learned how to take advantage of the Power of the Pause.