BL&T No. 114: Finding Pause Among the Action

Borrowed

"When David was younger, he was a long-distance runner, and I think there’s a line connecting his former sport and his current work: They both require that combination of gradual forward movement and intense patience. One of the things David taught his students is that when you’re first trying to control a lump of rotating clay everything speeds up, but you have to learn to slow down. He didn’t mean this literally—the wheel moves as it moves—but you need to slow down the speed in yourself. Our instinct is to speed up when something new and strange is coming at us, but our reaction should be the opposite."

From “A Craftsman's Legacy: Why Working with Our Hands Gives Us Meaning” by Eric Gorges and Jon Sternfeld [Book]

Learned

Last week seemed to pass by in the blink of an eye. Maybe it's the energy of seeing the year's end in sight, daylight savings time ending, or simply that there's so much in motion that the weeks rarely feel slow. I enjoy the pace and am grateful to have a job I can get lost in, but continuing to find pause has been beneficial.

We've started walking our dog Gizmo in the mornings to capture the sunlight; it's been a nice change (and a reason to get to sleep earlier!). Morning walks, workouts, and other activities like curling up with a book have been positive ways to be in the moment, reflect, and re-energize.

I've also found that weekday or night events can have a similar effect and act as a milestone among all of the action — having my parents over for an impromptu dinner last week, for example. This Thursday, I'm looking forward to participating in a LinkedIn live session with our Design Director, Christine. It is part of an ongoing series with Adobe and SoDA (Society of Digital Agencies).

Speaking of the action of the week, here are some key highlights and topics from last week:‍

• 2023 Account Planning
• Integrating Regular, Real-Time Feedback
• Timelines for Monthly Initiatives

Thought Starter

What are some rituals that might help me slow down and be in the moment when the week is moving at full speed?

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The E-Commerce Corner

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