The Valuable Art of Pausing to be Productive

Pause and productivity are seemingly at odds with one another. To pause means to stop temporarily, to take a break, or—my personal favorite—to linger for a time. 

To be productive, on the other hand, is to produce something in abundance. It is the act of yielding results. 

In the business world, we traditionally link productivity to profitability. We increase output in order to increase profit. With this mindset, being productive is evidenced through tangible rewards in the form of money, leads, or opportunity. It is the forerunner to busyness.  

The drawback of this approach to productivity is that we fail to recognize a more powerful understanding of that word—to be effective in bringing about results. 

What if, rather than measuring the quantity of input and output, we focused on the quality? Success in business comes by many different avenues, but none of them are paved in busyness. Instead, we find success linked to something far greater: thoughtful, mindful action (read: effective productivity) that is augmented by the ability to pause. 

When Did We Become So Busy? 

In our fast-paced world, busyness has become our war cry. It penetrates everything we do, from the home to the office, and everywhere in between. Our lives are dominated by a culture of busyness, and research even reveals that to be busy in the business world has become a badge of honor. 

When asked, “How’s business?” if your first answer is “Busy,” take a moment to unpack what that really means. 

In the midst of your busyness are you experiencing productivity? Here’s how you can tell the difference between the two: Is “busy” fulfilling, meaningful, impactful and profitable? Is it energizing, inspiring and creative? Does it bring you and your team joy and abundance? Prosperity and belonging? 

Effective productivity does not fall into the trap of busyness. It is meaningful, energizing, fulfilling. It is not so overwhelmed with time and pressure as we like to think it is. 

It is this juxtaposition between busyness and productivity that gave rise to the 4-day workweek at the New Zealand-based estate planning firm, Perpetual Guardian. During a trial period, employees cut their hours from 40 to 32 per week, while still maintaining their normal salary. Stress levels dropped, work-life balance improved, and productivity increased by 20%. In essence, they became more effective in their work. The company chose to implement the 4-day work week as a permanent solution.  

Learning to Linger

My default has always been to respond to emails, texts, and notifications immediately. Get it done. Move on. I’m slowly learning the art of sitting on things for a bit, rather than responding immediately. 

My reasons are twofold. First, in my effort to be responsive and efficient, I can easily fall into the trap of choosing busyness over mindfulness. 

Second, while I am still a big advocate of touching things once, being as efficient as possible, and I’m deeply committed to being responsive to clients and colleagues, respectful of deadlines and expectations, sometimes a pause to reflect is important. It gives me time to be more thoughtful in my response. 

It also helps me manage my time and energy so I can give my best, in return.

This idea—learning to pause—should not surprise us in the least. Pauses are everywhere in our lives. It is used to great effect in the music we listen to, in speeches and sermons, in poetry and punctuation. Even that tiny dot at the end of a sentence denotes a pause. These pauses are there to remind us that sometimes the best way forward is simply to stop momentarily and linger. 

And when your team is involved, it creates space for others to step up, be heard, be creative, or take the lead. 

By pausing, we place more emphasis on the quality of our work. It slows us down, promotes focus, allows for reflection, reveals new opportunities, reduces risk—all of which can make us more productive.

The Art of Pausing

The next time someone asks you, “How’s business?” take a moment to think about it. What would your answer be if “busy” wasn’t an option? 

Learning to pause is not always easy, particularly when the pings of notifications are ringing in our ears and the pressures of responsibility weigh heavy. Yet, look at everything there is to gain from taking a moment to linger. Insight, energy, creativity…these are all foundational to an impactful, profitable, and meaningful business. These are the building blocks of quality over quantity, productivity over busyness. 

Next time you find yourself chanting the anthem of “I’m too busy,” consider simply taking a moment to pause.     

Purpose First Advisors supports small businesses, growth-stage companies, and organizations by providing strategic business consulting and coaching. Contact us to learn more or to book a consultation with our team.