PURPOSEFUL PAUSING

Saturday, February 18, 2006

A Chinese scholar whose name I do not know said, “When there is no time for quiet, there is no time for the soul to grow. The man who walks through a countryside sees much more than the man who runs. Sometimes, when you have a task to do, try doing it tomorrow instead of today. In the end, maybe you will get more done---because maybe you will live longer.”

Arthur Gordon said, “…pausing can increase efficiency. For one thing, waiting sometimes dispels the tension that results from an imagined urgency, and so you make fewer mistakes. For another, when you get around to working on the problem, often you find that certain elements of it are already solved by your subconscious mind. Another advantage of pausing is that it gives you a better chance to make a decision that is morally right. A central figure in a celebrated scandal was quoted recently as saying “All my life I’ve been in a hurry.” The result is significant. He was hurrying so fast that he had no time to read the signposts on the boundary that divides honesty from dishonesty. Still another discovery I made was that leisureliness, tranquility, little periods of deliberate aimlessness---these things draw people together. Try spending an hour with your husband or wife just sauntering along the street, window-shopping. When you practice the art of pausing, you are really scattering fragments of Sunday throughout the week.”

These men give good advice. I have learned the value of purposeful pausing since I retired two years ago. Much to my surprise, I have discovered that everything doesn’t have to be done today. That being said, I still think there is value in “getting on with it” when something needs to be done and you know you are just procrastinating.