 I wish I could remember where I heard about this book. I suspect it was an impulse purchase on a bookshop online store, where the lovely cover illustration and tagline appealed to me: You are not a To Do list.
Part philosophy, part self-help, this manifesto advocates introducing conscious and deliberate pauses into one’s day as a way of clearing and calming the mind, and makes a compelling case for the necessity of doing just that. The purpose of pause is to disrupt or change our work or thoughts to shift our thinking and ensure we’re getting and giving our best. It’s not about getting things done; it’s about recognizing that, unlike machines which are designed for constant work and maximum efficiency, humans need to shift gears regularly and take a breath (literally and metaphorically)
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 January is the traditional time for me and many others in the world to revisit priorities and goals, both from last year and for the year ahead. This year I waited until mid-January to review these, allowing some time and space between the years to get a clear and calm picture of past, present, and future.
In reflecting on 2024, and especially on the slide into 2025, I noticed that I felt less calm and rested than I have in previous years. December was hectic, and the first while of 2025 is pretty much the same. I had planned to use some of the time over the holidays to work ahead on things, but the opportunities to decompress and unwind were just too tempting, so not much got done over that break. By 02 January, I was pretty much back to full days of work.  Recently, I was talking with a group at a networking event about their experiences with their managers and the promotion pathway within their organizations. One point we discussed was about how, too often, a person is given responsibility for supervising and leading others without any consideration of their management or leadership abilities. They advance to that leadership role based on their technical competence and tenure with the company without the requisite leadership competencies.
As often happens for me, the next morning an article about this the very same topic arrived in my inbox.  Recently, someone asked me how I think about the remaining time in my life. Not because of anything immediate or impending - just as part of conversation of how we use our time, and whether or not we can truly make it more productive.
 Is this familiar? You're trying to remember something - it's on the tip of your tongue but you just can't get it. You try hard to think of it, but get even more frustrated, and the answer seems even more elusive. Then, as soon as you think about something else, the answer comes to you.
Or this: you're working on something and it's going really well. Before you know it, an hour or two has passed by and you didn't notice. You don't recall exactly what you did during that time, but you can see what you accomplished, and it feels brilliant. Yep, me too. |
Who is Robyn?
My career as a research project manager is rewarding, dynamic, challenging, and fun. I'm looking forward to sharing my knowledge and experience in communication, organization, and common sense approaches in research management and leadership, and to enabling others to learn and grow in this exciting career. 
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