Next Time, Just Pause

There is so much power in the pause. We rush around from place to place doing so many things all the time. Every day, all day we are making decisions. It seems like we are on auto pilot throughout the day just to get everything done.

Making knee jerk decisions can sometimes cause pain or stress due to the results of our actions or inactions. And yes, inaction is actually a decision.

At those times when we need to make a decision, and it can be something small or not so small, taking a pause to make a more considered decision can make all the difference in the world in terms of the consequence.

The pause can help you to think about the consequences of the action or inaction short-term as well as long-term. The idea is to slow down and give careful consideration to making smart choices. There are always choices, maybe not many, or you may not like them, but there will always be choices.

When you take some time to think about the consequences of a decision, you will make smart choices and avoid overwhelm.

Take a look at the scenarios below to see if any of them ring true for you. If you have other scenarios, please leave a comment below.

Just pause when...

• saying yes or no to a request from someone else: Make sure you understand all the facets of this request in terms of time, effort & associated costs. The consequence could be that you take on too much too fast and become overwhelmed. It could end up that something for you that is more important may not get done and your goals will not be accomplished. It really is OK to say no.
• shopping and you come across a sale item: Ask yourself these questions - do I really want this? Do I really need this? Do I have space to store this? Do I have something similar? Is this just an impulse purchase? The consequence could result in excessive clutter. You may no longer have the space for the things you need, use and love. You could end up stressed out for all the clutter.
• you don't feel like putting something back where it belongs: I get it, you say I'll just put this thing here for now and put it away later. Then you get distracted by any number of other things and forget. The consequence could result in not being able to find that thing or things if you do this all the time. Then, I guess you can figure out what I'm going to say next - you end up with piles of clutter. Always put things back in their homes after you finish using them.

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