A Simple Technique You’ve Been Using All Your Adult Life is The Key to Productivity
A Few Seconds Can Improve A Few Hours of Work
A Few Seconds Can Improve A Few Hours of Work
Do me a favour. Take a piece of paper and write your name on it.
Done? Now think of the same piece of paper as an important bank document, and put your signature on it.
What was the difference?
Chances are you paused before you put your signature. You took a moment to prepare yourself so that your signature will be as close to perfect as possible. You might have adjusted your grip on the pen, you may have tightened your forearm.
Why did that happen?
The Pause
Most people love their names, and so wouldn’t think twice about writing it down on a meaningless piece of paper. But when there are stakes, like bank or government documents, we try and get our signature “correct”. We take a few seconds to treat the act with importance.
I noticed this many years ago, when I was maybe 16 years old. I had been reading a YA book about handwriting analysis, and was talking to a tutor about it. I showed him the section about signature analysis and how it represents how focused a person is. He said that signatures might vary wildly based on the person’s mood.
I then absent-mindedly mentioned the pause before signing, because I’d seen my father do it many times. He stopped, and he thought about it, and he agreed. He said “you’re right, we all pause before our signature”.
The appreciation he gave me because I made him think about something stuck with me. It is one of the earliest instances of me stumbling onto an aspect of human behavior. Until he said “we all pause,” I hadn’t thought that other people might share this behavior.
Where Else is The Pause Easily Found?
I’ve been performing on stage in some capacity or the other since the age of 4. Without realizing it, I had been using The Pause to prepare myself just before going on to stage. Just a few seconds to get my mind right and treat the performance as important.
Years later, I saw Shah Rukh Khan talk about a similar pause on a podcast. (Timestamp: 2:58 to 3:18)
When I saw it, I immediately connected it to my own experience. Here is someone far more accomplished than myself, using the same technique.
After that, I started looking at people who were about to go on stage.
Dancers entering the stage in the middle of a routine always took a half step back before entering.
Speakers at Toastmasters always looked down for a couple of seconds before taking the stage.
Singers always held their breath for a second before starting to sing.
Performers are subconsciously using The Pause to prepare themselves and to treat the performance as important!
How Can This Improve Your Productivity?
There is no reason The Pause cannot be applied to any other activity you do. If you’re going to commit some time to write, or read, or draw, or do the dishes, or go running, you can benefit from The Pause.
Simply take a few seconds to set your mind and commit fully to the act you’re performing. You’ll see an instant improvement in focus.
I know because I’ve been trying it for the past few days with my writing. My last blog post outside of Everyday People or Zendrive Blog was on May 27.
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I’ve been using The Pause to build my focus and write more each day — blog posts, work writing, and other personal projects. I love the fact that it only takes a few seconds to see a big jump in focus and productivity.
Because my love language is touch, I put my face in my hands and take a big breath in while committing myself to a couple of hours of writing.
I plan to make The Pause a part of my regular writing routine, to see what the long-term benefits of it. I’m excited to see if the ritual becomes easier over time and has an incremental benefit.
I encourage you to try it too. Why not spend a few seconds towards your personal ambition?