News from Hit Pause, Then Play
Here's what's happening over at Hit Pause, Then Play these first two weeks of February 2022
Oh my goodness - what a week. Busy, productive times here at Hit Pause, Then Play - sprinkled with long moments of pause and reflection.
How has your week been? Playful? Full of pause? Passionate? Full of purpose?
I hope a bit (a lot!) of all of the above.
📚 Great reads of the week
The Sweet Spot, by Paul Bloom (2021) - It’s been a while since I read a book that had me talking out loud. Do you talk to authors as you read? I occasionally do, and this one has got me verbalising both my disagreement and agreement. I don’t tend to gravitate towards scary movies or sad songs, but I do love spicy food and hot baths/saunas. Enjoying these are examples of benign masochism, and apparently, depending on how (and when) you partake, you can/will up your pleasure. Okay. Now. What do you think of this:
Finding your life to be relatively easy is related to more happiness; finding your life to be difficult is related to less happiness and, though it is a smaller effect, more meaning. Do you consider your life a struggle? You’re likely to be less happy but more likely to see your life as more meaningful.
The Power of Fun, by Catherine Price (2021) - I read this book with delight as part of my research. Catherine stumbles on writing it when she realises during a tech shabbat that she has no (or few) interests, hobbies or passions outside of her phone. She goes on to brilliantly research and develop a theory of fun, which she defines as being about playfulness, connection and flow.
🧑🏽🤝🧑🏽 What I'm playing (and pausing) with
Last week saw an experiment in the area of play and a reflection on passion, which turned into two posts on Medium:
And continuing with one of my bigger experiments related to pause, I am having fun with:
I am also really enjoying:
The Optimal Week Challenge (which started 8 February): We kicked off the inaugural edition of the Challenge with a fabulous international cohort this week, and are already having fun thinking about the elements that help us live those amazing moments in life. We’ll be running the course live each Tuesday for five more weeks. Talk about play and passion!
⏰ What's coming up
Make Time Workshop (11 March) and podcast: I am thrilled to be running a Make Time workshop with designers in Rome here in a few weeks. And in the lead-up, I’ll be talking about the joys of making time on a local podcast. If you want to listen in, let me know and I’ll send you the link.
First 10K since 2019 (20 March): Yes! I may be 50-something, but I’m not letting that stop me. I’ve been running three times a week, more or less, since August, in preparation for what used to be my annual race. I had a bit of a setback a few weeks ago with an injury, but I’m coming back up to speed and looking forward to running a comfortable 10K in just a few weeks.
Productivity Coaching: Do you want to overcome distraction, reduce stress and feel less over-stretched this year? I help people with their productivity and making time for the things that matter. Let's chat about how I can help. The good news is I have 1-2 spots open now and can slot people in on a waiting list from April.
🧐 How are you playing this year?
What are you experimenting with, toying with or actively building or creating? The 4Ps project is closely related to this question, and I’m going to ask it of you again and again: how are you playing this year? Reply in the comments or send me an email. I’d love to know!