When we think of productivity at work, we often think of more: more action, more output, more hours. But what if the real way to unlock productivity isn’t about speeding up but about slowing down? Not cramming in more stuff and busy work but creating space?
In a culture that confuses activity with progress, pausing can feel almost subversive. Yet, it’s in those moments of space — between one meeting and the next, one decision and the next — that insight happens. If we look at it this way, space becomes the source of productivity, and it may just be the first building block of well-being at work, for us as individuals and for the people around us.
When Dallas ate my passport
Recently I took a work trip from my homeland in Australia to the United States. It was the first time I’d been overseas since having kids and I managed to get myself into a bit of a state (i.e., complete discombobulation).
First, I left my makeup at home, which meant showing up to meetings looking less the polished professional and more the “mum who ran through the airport.” Then I left my favorite blazer on the plane — now presumably living a second life with an American Airlines staff member (it wasn’t in lost property — I checked).
My problems didn’t end there. On the way home to Melbourne from South Carolina, I had a stopover in Dallas. The plane broke down after we’d sat in the dark for an hour, and then a major storm set in. We were herded off in a fog of cranky passengers and in the confusion I managed to leave my passport on board. To be fair, it wasn’t just me
— my colleague misplaced his iPad and another passenger accidentally walked off with my suitcase. It was less “orderly disembarkation” and more “group meltdown.”
Each incident on its own was irritating. Together, they were a flashing neon sign: I wasn’t paying attention. I was doing too many things at once and badly.
There was irony in that. I know the importance of slowing down and creating bandwidth, but I’d let my own practice slip. Dallas reminded me that the pause isn’t optional — it’s the thing that holds everything else together.
Most of us race through the transitions between work activities unconsciously, dragging the stress of one interaction straight into the next. We finish a difficult call and immediately jump into a team meeting, carrying our agitation with us. We leave work still thinking about emails and arrive home short-tempered and distracted.
The pause between moments is not wasted time — it’s prime time for recalibration. In that space, you get to let go of what just happened, reset your state and choose how you want to show up next.
You need to give yourself permission to pause in order to create the conditions for clarity, connection, and choice for yourself. When you practice the pause, you don’t just protect your own sanity, you model a way of being that makes better work possible for everyone around you.
Are you a human being or a human doing?
So, I’ve revealed the embarrassing state of my mind recently. Now how about yours? Let’s start with a short quiz.
Which scenario sounds most like you on a typical workday? (Be honest.)
A. Racing around in a panic, looking for your keys/phone/wallet/ kid, finally rushing out the door late and radiating stress.
B. Sitting down on time but ending the day with seven open screens, three unfinished emails, a half-eaten salad and half-written to-do list.
C. Starting and ending your day with mindful attention, feeling calm and spreading it to those around you.
I’m going to go ahead and guess that you are somewhere between option A and B. The point isn’t to shame you. It’s to notice that the way we move through our days is the way we shape the culture around us. If you’re scattered, the people around you feel it. If you’re present, they feel that too.
This is another reason why the pause matters: It’s not just about your headspace, it’s about the kind of work you make possible for others.
If there’s one thing I know about brains, it’s this: They get good at what we practice. If you practice rushing, multitasking, and living with one eye on your inbox, your brain will wire itself for exactly that.
Think about it: If your days are a blur of emails, back-to-back meetings and last-minute decisions plus managing your various WhatsApp chats, you’re literally training your brain to be reactive. Your nervous system learns to live in a state of constant alert, rewarding speed over depth. No wonder so many leaders end up exhausted, scattered and disconnected from what matters most.
The good news is that the opposite is also true. When we practice pausing — those small acts of noticing before reacting, of creating space between stimulus and response — we’re rewiring ourselves for clarity, connection, and better choices. In other words, we’re building the mental infrastructure for better, more sustainable productivity at work.
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