Name: Pause
Rating: 4.2 (121 reviews)
Author: Rachael O’Meara

What’s in it for me? Plan a pause and beat burnout.

How do you feel when your alarm clock rings? Bright-eyed, bushy-tailed and ready to take on the world? Or more like poor old Sisyphus, the king from Greek mythology who was condemned to push a boulder up a hill – and have it roll back down every time he was about to reach the summit?

If it’s the eternally-struggling king you identify with, then it might be time to do what he couldn’t do – take a break and reassess your priorities.

After all, your work doesn’t have to be Sisyphean. There are other hills out there. Find the one that’s right for you, and you may even enjoy the climb to the top.

The question is how to make your choice.

That’s where these blinks come in. Taking time out is a serious business. Plan your pause properly, and you’ll emerge on the other side feeling reinvigorated and much clearer about your true life goals.

In the following blinks, you’ll learn

how to identify the five telltale signs that you need a break;
why understanding your yearnings is crucial; and
how to design a break that makes the most of your resources.

There are five common signs that you might need to take a break.

Have you ever had a job you absolutely loved – until, suddenly, you didn’t anymore? Sometimes the fun’s simply gone and the thought of another day at the office fills you with nothing but dread.

That’s a sign you might need a break.

Call it a pause. A pause is a moment of reflection during which you give yourself the time and space to get back in tune with your intuition. Once you do that, you can start planning changes that’ll put you on the road to a better, more authentic life.

But that comes later. First, you need to recognize that you need a time-out.

The two most common signs are hating your job and poor performance.

The author noticed these herself during her time as a support manager at Google.

At first, she found her work fulfilling, but, over time, she realized that she was feeling stuck. She struggled to get things done as quickly as she was expected to and checked out mentally during meetings. Overwhelmed and burned out, she lost all her enthusiasm.

Unsurprisingly, her performance suffered. Her boss tried to help her by offering constructive feedback, but she just couldn’t get back into the groove of things. Eventually, she was told that she wasn’t a good fit for her job. It was clear that she needed a pause – badly!

Poor performance and discontent are pretty definite indicators that taking a break might be a good idea. But they aren’t the only ones.

You should also pay attention to how you use technology.

Sure, the latest gadgets and gizmos are great, but overusing them is often a symptom of an underlying problem. If you notice that you’re glued to your devices and letting them get in the way of simple pleasures like a walk in the park or spending an evening with friends, you’re probably ready for a break.

Then there are big life changes that demand time and attention. If someone you love asks you for help during a tough period in her life, it’s not a bad idea to hit the pause button.

Finally, there are positive reasons for taking a pause. New opportunities that you’re interested in exploring – a job opening, for instance – fall under this category.

Look out for these signs and ask yourself whether a pause might be right for you.

If it is, now’s the time to start planning it. In the next blink, you’ll learn why understanding your yearnings is central to that process.

Start planning your pause by understanding your yearnings.

A pause can be relaxing and fun, but that’s not its true purpose. Taking a time-out is all about accomplishing something you find meaningful. And to do that, you have to understand your yearnings.

Let’s jump in with a definition. Yearnings are your deepest desires. Some, like the need to feel alive and loved, are universal; others are much more personal.

Get the most out of your pause by freeing yourself from limiting beliefs.

Formative experiences can end up holding you back later on in life. A teacher telling you that you’re not good at painting, for example, might leave you doubting your artistic abilities for the rest of your life.

That’s an example of a limiting belief. Such beliefs are often deeply ingrained, and when the going gets tough, you’ll tend to fall back on them. Ultimately, they can prevent you from doing the things you truly care about.

Key ideas in Pause

What is Pause about?

Pause (2017) wages war on burnout and provides a road map to a more meaningful life. Rachael O’Meara’s prescription for work-related stress? Take a break. That doesn’t just mean hitting the pause button, though. A break is an invaluable moment of reflection, growth and reassessment. Follow O’Meara’s actionable insights and you’ll emerge on the other side of your pause feeling refreshed, recentered and ready for the next round.