When You Pause You Start to See

Quote by Alyson Stoner: “I’m a thinker and a feeler and an explorer.”

In August 2025, I picked up the book, Today Matters by one of my favourite authors, John C. Maxwell. The focus of this book was on how we choose to make use of our time. After reading this book, I reflected on time stealers and time growers.

We live in a fast-paced world where many things demand our attention and time. One of the things that Today Matters did for me was to re-evaluate what competes for my attention over a twenty-four-hour period. This basic self-reflection left me feeling regretful and reflective. I regretted the things that had dominated my time, and I reflected on how I could start taking steps to make a change. Reflection made me realise that my time stealers made me less productive because:

• I volunteered myself for many work tasks and responsibilities, and this meant that my own self-care was neglected.
• I indulged in petty gossip, inserted myself into other people’s drama and neglected my own personal goals or agendas.
• I filled my day with many tasks that kept me busy and less focused on pausing, reflecting and developing good thinking routines.
• The busier I became, the less I planned and the more vulnerable I was to blind sided attacks.

My busy season left me feeling tired and lacking vision. This busyness left me at the mercy of others to do my thinking for me and provide me with ideas and answers. I am not saying that it is bad to take ideas from others; however, keep in mind that:

                  “One of the tricky things about seeking ideas and perspective from others is that some people have an agenda other than helping you. That’s why it’s important to take responsibility for your own thinking,” (John C. Maxwell, pg. 139)

Crisis mode living leaves you vulnerable to emotional, mental and physical attacks.

Ponder this: if I wanted to take over your daily life, I would distract you with multiple tasks that keep you busy, leaving you unable to see the attacks I can launch and plan against your destiny. But if you had time to pause and reflect, you could anticipate the attack and prepare adequately. Quiet reflection prepares you to anticipate difficulties and potentially turn them into opportunities.

Time Growers

What I learned from this book is that twenty-four hours in a day should not be taken lightly. We make plans for the future but fail to recognise the power of twenty-four hours in our lives. Over the years, I have had to retrain my mind from crisis-mode living to forward-thinking and active strategic planning. My twenty-four hours are structured differently now:

• I make active decisions to own my day and my time, rather than have them own me. In other words, I decide how to spend the day, rather than waiting until the evening and saying, “Gosh, where did my day go?”
• I am learning to prioritise regular active prayer and meditation.
• I believe in strength training your body through regular exercise; your body will thank you later.
• I still listen to ideas; however, I have learned to pause, reflect on what I hear and make decisions after reviewing all facts.
• I prioritise spending time with my husband, family and close friends.
• Most important – I take the time to sit, pause and quietly reflect. It is in those quiet me-time moments that great ideas are formed, and plans come together.

We get only twenty-four hours in a day. Choose wisely.

“Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason why so few engage in it.” — Henry Ford

“You will keep in perfect and constant peace the one whose mind is steadfast [that is, committed and focused on You—in both inclination and character], because he trusts and takes refuge in You [with hope and confident expectation].” (Amplified Bible 2015: Isaiah 26:3)

How do you maximise your days?

References

1. Maxwell, John C. “Today’s Thinking Gives Me an Advantage.” Today Matters: 12 Daily Practices to Secure Tomorrows Success, Center Street, Nashville, Tennessee, 2004, pp. 139–139.

• Amplified Bible. (2015). The Lockman Foundation. https://www.biblegateway.com