The power of the pause
PAUSE | JULY 2026
The power of the pause
The photo in this month's newsletter was taken during one of those unplanned walks that lead somewhere unexpected. An obscure graffiti wall tucked beneath a bridge on the outskirts of London. A friend in Uganda captioned it: "Serenity in chaos."
I loved it. Because if we're honest, the world feels a little chaotic right now and somewhere amongst it all, we're trying to remember ourselves.
But even in the middle of the chaos, wouldn’t it be nice to create moments of serenity?
As I write this, smooth jazz is playing quietly in the background. One of those three-hour YouTube playlists called No Plans Tonight. It's been one of those beautifully ordinary summer evenings. An early Barry's HIIT class. Dinner. Then sitting on the balcony in my hanging egg chair, the warm breeze against my now very summer-tanned coco brown skin, watching another day gently come to an end.
For a while, I wasn't doing anything.
Just daydreaming. Listening to music.
Not thinking about tomorrow. Not checking my phone. Not planning the next move. And it felt really good.
It made me wonder...
When was the last time you gave yourself permission to simply be still?
Life has a habit of convincing us that every spare moment needs filling. Another email. Another meeting. Another scroll.
For many high performers, one of the biggest misconceptions is believing the answer to most things is to push harder.
Performance psychologist, Jim Loehr, tells us the opposite. Sustainable performance depends just as much on recovery, as effort. Elite athletes don't train at maximum intensity all day. They deliberately alternate between effort and rest, because recovery is what allows them to perform again tomorrow.
The challenge is that modern life isn't always designed for pause.
We're constantly being pinged. Teams messages. WhatsApp. Work emails arriving after hours. Our phones have become extensions of ourselves.
The other day I found myself Googling, "How to live without a phone."
Then I realised that's probably unrealistic for me.
So I tried, "How to live without a smartphone."
That wasn't much easier, either.
One of my friends from Mexico actually lives without a phone. She works for Médecins Sans Frontières and disappears into the mountains during her time off. If you want to reach her, you email and wait.
I admire that.
I'm not quite there.
But I have become much more intentional about switching off.
I've started looking up more. Putting my phone away. Being properly present.
And something interesting has happened.
I've chatted to strangers on the London Tube.
People smile because I'm actually making eye contact.
I spent a whole day with a group of Argentinians in a country where none of us spoke the local language or each other's languages. We communicated through pure vibes. Months later, we're still friends.
It reminded me that some of life's best moments aren't scheduled. They happen when we're present enough to notice them.
They happened because I looked up.
A small invitation this week
Rather than adding another thing to your to-do list, perhaps take something away.
Leave your phone in another room while you drink your morning coffee.
Walk for ten minutes without headphones.
Watch a sunset without trying to photograph it.
Tiny pauses may seem insignificant.
They're not.
Small pauses create clearer thinking.
Clearer thinking leads to better decisions.
Better decisions shape better days.
And better days, repeated often enough, become a better life.
The world isn't going to become less busy next week.
But perhaps, somewhere in the middle of the chaos, you can create five minutes of serenity.
Reset. Look up.
This week I have been…
Listening: Pink by Lex Amor
If you found this reflection useful, forward it to one person who would appreciate it.
Thank you and see you next month.