The Value of Pausing

 

We live in such a fast-paced time when we are expected to make split second decisions about so many things. This can often result in a feeling of sensory overload. There is not much we can do to alter the pace of things, but there is something we can do to cope more effectively with it.

Just pause. I discovered the benefit of this only recently, but I know that this technique was in my consciousness for a long time. I have often observed that my reactions to things and the decisions I made were rushed, and though I didn’t intentionally create that dynamic, I went along with it. I also observed that my choices, with a little bit more deliberation, could have even been better (not that I’m into regret at all….haha)

The French have a great expression that relates to pausing, and what happens when you don’t do it. It’s called “defense de l’escalier,” and it literally means the defense of the staircase. What it really means is that you often think of the best response to a comment by another when you are leaving and going home (down the staircase). I have noticed this, too.

So I propose that we all incorporate a little pausing in our daily routine. In the middle of an actual conversation, a phone conversation, or even a text, tell the other party that you need a few minutes to think about what they just said. If in their actual presence, go to another room or outside; if on a phone call, tell them you will call back in about five minutes. That five minutes, that pause, is all you really need to let the answer come to you, and it will often be a much better response than if you just regurgitated something on the spot.

Try pausing in your daily routine. You just might like it.