What do your hit play and hit pause habits reveal about you?

This morning, as I did my daily online workout, the fitness instructor said something simple that immediately clicked – and caused a few pangs of guilt:

‘Just hit play.’

I realized this morning I’d been a slow starter. I’d wandered around YouTube, watching trailers for upcoming movies, rearranging my water bottle, adjusting my mat, scanning through email. Doing everything other than the thing I actually showed up to do.

I didn’t even have the excuse of not knowing what to prioritize. This is my morning routine – I do it every day!

I thought about this in the context of work – and productivity – and the importance of recognizing this patter.

Does my behaviour of avoiding hitting play ever happen to you?

What’s your pattern?

What kind of person are you when it comes to hitting play or pause – and in which situations? Do you recognize yourself as a person who:

• Gets straight to it – the kind of person who hits play and goes all-in. Once you start, you’re focused, committed – you always get the job done.

• Immediately hits play but then quickly drifts off – checking email, jumping between tabs, starting three tasks at once – and finishing none by the end of the day.

• Never hits play for key projects. And it’s not because you’re lazy. It can be overwhelm disguised as avoidance. A feeling that something else is more important – and choosing where to begin feels impossible.

• Always hits play when someone else sets the objective or asks for support. You find motivation in prioritizing the needs of others, not your own goals.

• Consistently hits play but fails to hit pause. You keep going – even when you’re getting signals from your body, mind and emotions that you need a break. It’s a mindset where hitting pause feels unproductive – or just downright wrong.

This last point is not about situations where people are in ‘flow’ and tuned in fully to what they’re doing – or situations where there is a one-off ‘all in’ deliverable. It’s the unhealthier sticking at a task when it’s time for a break – whether that break is needed during the day, at the weekend – or for a much longer period of rejuvenation.

Conscious Choice

Perhaps your ‘hit play – hit pause’ patterns say less about willpower and more about your relationship with proactivity, commitment and self-preservation – and ultimately your ability to meet your goals, whether self-defined or delegated.

Can there be a consistently ‘right’ approach? Possibly not – but there’s probably a right approach for you with specific projects – and there’s probably a right approach for you right now.

At different times, we may engage in all the ‘hit play – hit pause’ patterns. What do you notice about which patterns you need to engage in more – and which do you need to engage in less?