Last week’s Pause e-zine with a Pick ‘n’ Go theme prompted a lot of reader comments. I’ve pulled them together and pasted them here. Enjoy, and feel free to talk back, yourself. Just toss in your two cents worth in the Comments box at the end of the posting.

YD writes: About “pick and go”…  Another option could be to simply say “today is such a day”: accept / live / “experience” (as in “feel” / meditate on…) that today is not a day to cross items off the proverbial to do list but rather water the plants, drink coffees and read e-mails. Maybe tomorrow will be the day to cross off twice as many items…

CD writes: “Reminds me of going to the lake last weekend. I was out for a walk and was passed by a woman who was out jogging. We said hello in passing. How I wished she simply slowed down for five minutes and walked with me as I really enjoy her company and miss her.”

SM writes: “Often I find when I get into the puttering mode, feeling reluctant to get started on “the list”, I find it renewing … that indeed I do need a bit of a break from diligence, and the dreaminess of watering plants and browsing on email can be quite rejuvenating … then when I feel I really have given myself a break from the pressure of the ‘must get to’ on the ‘lists’, I feel renewed — I’ve larked about, and then I’m ready to attack #1 … and it usually feels easier than if I pushed myself to do it from some sense of ‘should’.”

NG writes: “Sometimes the procrastination/inaction on important things is because the focus has been there for some time and the brain just needs a rest to de-stress and re-centre; thus the puttering.  I think back to Hilary Clinton (I believe) talking about campaigning for Bill’s second presidential term. She said she could go out on the buses for 4 days or so and then she had to come back and putter-straightening out drawers etc. (in the White House!) to be effective the rest of the time. To get out of it, if is goes beyond what is reasonable or practical, for sure, you have to pick one and start and that relies upon devoting time to keep current the “To Do” and “Wish” lists. Sometimes the root cause of my inaction is that I have not had the time to do the puttering jobs or keep these lists up to date, but once I update them, usually the “To Do” list, I can refocus and move on, often dealing with some items that can have me feeling overwhelmed. “

CG writes: “You are so right!  I’m very organized and successful when facing many concurrent deadlines.  I thrive in busy/stressful situations.  However, when I have a lull with some not-so-pressing tasks to accomplish, I tend to take a mental vacation and play computer games or read a book all morning. While I am not a procrastinator, I do tend to let some things go that aren’t pressing, sometimes until they too become pressing.

I prefer to think of this time of less productivity as a well-deserved break.  Our brains NEED to water the plants, watch Y&R, read a book, or go on Facebook. Doing something brainless, while not productive, should be considered rejuvenating (and restful for the brain) so that we can then get back on track with a re-charged brain shifted into gear.”

SR writes: “Don’t be hard on yourself when you relax your discipline because the outside prompts are less pressing.  You might miss some great opportunities. I think our subconscious brains know when we need to take a break, and let us drift for awhile.  I am confident that we achievers are always able to pick up the pace.”

CB writes: “Ah, perfect timing for me this AM. I lay in bed wondering how in the world I would tackle the seemingly endless but non-urgent tasks.Decided to set the stove buzzer (rather than my computer so I would get out of my chair) for 15 mins or 1 hour times throughout the whole day to MAKE myself stick to a task, and feel accomplishment… Gotta fly… only have 5 more mins to clean-up the AM’s email before another project!

BH writes: “I’m amazed at how dedicated I can be about getting out of bed and into the office (short commute in both places) and into a work mode when I know I have a flight booked and want to be on it, and ready…”