Are You Pausing for Productivity?

When you set your mind to something—something that demands your time and full effort—how can you even think about pausing?

You want to stay late.
Eat while you work.
Push it until it’s done.

That’s how it gets finished… right?

But then something happens.

You take a break—and feel guilty.
You slow down—and feel less productive.

At least, that’s what it feels like.

But what if the opposite is true?

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As a filmmaker, I used to obsess in the edit.

Hours of footage.
Hours of thinking, refining, adjusting.

It drained me.

So instead of more caffeine, more force, more pushing—I started doing something different.

I ALLOWED myself to pause.

Sometimes for an hour.
Sometimes a day.
For bigger projects, even a week.

Not procrastination—perspective.

Because when you step away, something powerful happens.

You come back fresh.

Problems that felt impossible suddenly feel obvious.
Solutions rise without force.

Your mind clears itself when you give it space.

And something else shows up too:

Excitement.

That’s fuel for creativity.

The pause creates a kind of silence that can feel uncomfortable at first. Most high achievers avoid it.

But if you plan for it—and trust it—it will make you more productive, not less. And that’s how you transition into what Brendon Buchard labels a High-Performer.

We all need to hit the pause button throughout our day.

Without these resets, we burn out, get sick, and end up out of the game far longer than any intentional pause.

Your Move

Don’t wait until you’re forced to stop.

Plan your pauses.

Use them.

Then come back sharper.

P.S. Want to start every day like a director, not a passenger? Get my free Daily Direction one-sheet — your 2-minute morning reset. Grab it here →