Welcome to the Lizzie Book Review for Do Pause by Robert Poynton.
Welcome to the Lizzie Book Review for Do Pause by Robert Poynton.
All Lizzie Book Reviews are a 3 minute read, and in this format:
- Why I Chose This Book.
- The Review (under 300 words).
- My scores for Creativity, Insight and Precision.
1. Why I Chose This Book.
Being and maintaining your strength as a leader requires you to Pause. So the title got me curious. What does this mean and are there any realistic methods that may be useful. As a small and easy to hold book it also meant I could slip it into a bag.
QUOTE: “A pause is an opening. It acts as a Portal to other options and choices, giving more dimension to your experience”
2. The Review.
This book is a mix of practical application, stories of success and research. The book is built on layers. The layers of our own behaviours and layers of time. It is recognised that a ‘pause’ allows us to optimise the nonlinear and complex mind that we all have. When we can see life like this, we have the opportunity to see how we can break habits to form new patterns with pauses, design opportunities within the layers of time and create new cultures (environments) where having a pause is part of everyday life. This will allow you to build pauses into your routine for strength and success.
‘Do Pause’ has a framework of why and what of pause, habits, design, culture, tools and time to pause. The reader is brought along on a journey with a mix of practical tips and intellectual thoughts to ponder on. The book reinforces what we know, that pausing renews our approach and presses the refresh button on our perspective. We then reap the reward in being better at who we are and what we do. The good news is that we don’t need to have a holiday all the time. We need to get in between the layers of what we do and how we go about our business to ensure we can bring pauses into everyday living.
QUOTE: “Pause undoes the technology-driven flattening of time and gives it back some depth”
3. My scores for Creativity, Insight and Precision.
CREATIVITY — How interesting and innovative was it?
Combination of new and old ideas to creating pauses in our lives. There are many ways which have been part of culture for centuries. It’s just we put more value to busyness than we do stopping. Yet as is argued and you may know, it is in the stopping we are the most creative resulting more progress than just doing.
CREATIVITY SCORE: 6/10
INSIGHT — What will it teach you?
For those who are new to the idea of pausing. The book will offer tips and opportunities that you can build into your daily lives. For those of you who know what they need to do but havent made the shift, you may pick up one thing that you can introduce that will get you started. The best and strongest leaders pause.
INSIGHT SCORE: 7/10
PRECISION — How exactly can you apply what it teaches?
Can you apply what it teaches, yes. Poynton suggests it could be as short as a second. You can add pauses at a point(s) in your annual calendar or just before a meeting and or anything in between. You will need to decide what is relevant and realistic for you. The key will be to keep the action going once you put the book down.
PRECISION SCORE: 7/10
OVERALL SCORE: 20 / 30
Should I buy the book?
If you would like a book that gives you a brief background and shows you how:
No
If you would like a book with stories and long hand examples that you could twist a little to fit your context:
Yes
