Think of the Present as a gift
The word present can be interpreted multiple ways. It can mean to demonstrate or show. A present can also mean something given in celebration. At its best, the present means right now. This particular moment. It is a spectacular gift.
Stop and smell the present
Actively pausing is difficult. It takes a lot of discipline. It takes practice to create a good habit. I want to improve my present. My plan is to have as many moments to mean something as possible. I am not in favor of delaying life, but I know that rushing steals the feeling of now. Time use is my single biggest asset in enjoying life more.
Pause times
To encourage my progress, I insert exact times into my day to build my tolerance to not moving ahead. We are taught that productivity means getting stuff done efficiently. But that usually signals the speed. Pause times give me a little buffer and a big reason to slow down and even stop. They are delightful respites in a world of calendared activities and planned work. They work brilliantly with my deep work habit and reinforce my desire to beat the constant attention of email-checking and bored scrolling. The pauses keep me on a better track between stretches of flow. I don’t even miss the distractions anymore.
Let’s make a deal
There are rewards for mindfully and mentally pausing. It allows space, brain rest and increases the chances of my experiencing more gratitude. Taking two minutes is my mantra. It’s not much and so much at the same time. My heart beats smoother. My eyes take a break. And my whole body breathes. Deeply. And best of all, it is free and waiting for me to gift it to myself. I deserve it. And so do you.
Can you stop yourself from plowing into the next project thinking that you are better because you are more productive? Could your self-care use an excuse to start a program of pausing? What are you afraid of finding if you stop a moment?
