The Importance of Pausing
When Hesitating has its Benefits
Money is tight this month, which is why I spent more than I should have on tea recently. To be honest, I instantly regretted paying what I did, and as I reflected on it, replaying the events in my mind a dozen times, I realized a few strategically placed pauses would have helped me avoid the situation. While sniffing different teas in search of what I wanted, the shopkeeper kept bringing more and more to try. This was the first opportunity to pause and think if I needed to test such a wide variety of options.
The second moment came in a few moments when I asked the shopkeeper how much the tea cost. They responded that the cashier would tell me. The second moment to pause appeared and I ignored it. Finally, at the cashier, I waited for them to ring up the total without asking them the cost. When they named the amount, I was shocked but did not pause in paying the amount. Why was this? It seems that the rush of modern living has caught me in its current. It is so easy not to pause today. Instead of rummaging through a purse, wallet, or pockets, looking for the amount of money owed in a shop, a swipe of a card, or even a phone completes the transaction in a matter of seconds.
Technology reduces the time you spend on routine tasks that once occupied the minutes of our lives, thereby giving you resources to do more with your time. The result is also that the steps in common transactions that once gave you the opportunity to pause have disappeared. As in the example of paying at a shop above, the ease of online shopping which now includes grocery shopping and eating out offers another illustration of this phenomenon. No longer does a trip to the store or takeout place provide the time and space to pause and consider how strong your desire is for a particular clothing item or tasty treat. Likewise, the ease of sending messages, both text and audio, reduces the helpful moments of reflection any author should use to check their creation before pressing “send.” How many typos have led to misunderstanding and how many words of anger have been sent in haste? With a single click, all of these deeds are done.
Expediting these actions has engendered a sped-up culture that requires quick decision-making and can cause you to ignore the need to review what you are doing. Pausing too much causes others to slow down, a modern faux pas. While it may cause a slight inconvenience to others, is it not wise to incur this small infraction on their time to avoid making a mistake that will hurt you more? Hesitation may have acquired a bad reputation, but that does not mean it is a tool to avoid using.
The necessity to pause takes form in such slogans as “be in the moment” or “reflect.” The essence of these is the same — do not rush. While reflection can sound heavy and connotes time spent thinking over your actions, that is not the only means of employing it. Before pressing “buy” or “order” or swiping your phone across the pay terminal, a few seconds are all that is needed to think “Do I really need this?” There is no need for meditation sessions with calm music in the background. 30 seconds can save you hours of stress and worry later.
The changes that are speeding up your life are not by themselves good or bad; however, by reducing the time required to perform basic tasks, they leave you with less opportunity to reflect on your actions. With technology easing the routine of daily life more and more, it is important to not ignore the human tools needed to ensure that these advances work for you and not against you. To avoid mistakes (or overpaying for your tea), it is essential to pause. “Think before you speak” has now become “think before you pay, send, call, etc.”
