Want to be more creative? Try this 10-second trick!

We have all been told that to reach the top of the ladder, we have to keep running. We believe that the more we run, the greater our chances of being successful in life. But what if you came to know that real success – the secret to academic success in school and professional success later in life is all about making a stop? But what does it mean to stop?

It can be a break, respite, or even a deep breath. It can take a minute, and then think before answering the tough question of class. Or take a short walk to clear your head. But how many forms of pauses exist? Some for seconds, some for minutes, and even several days’ rest.

Types of pauses

There are countless ways to pause. A ‘micro pause’ might simply be 10 seconds in which to take a deep breath and calm down. A ‘short pause’ might be a five-minute walk or stretching session between homework assignments. A ‘long pause’ might be a vacation or a weekend without any screen time; your mind is given a break from constant information.

Why is pausing important?

Pausing allows the brain to rejuvenate, especially for students who are taking the Board exams in 2025. If you thought of your brain as a computer, you would know that, for it to work out the best, it should not be running too many programmes at once. Your mind grows tired and loses its creativity if you do not take some pause.

A well-placed pause lets the brain breathe and replenish; it will come back stronger as well. That is why the most innovative people, like Thomas Edison, who invented the phonograph, would pause before coming up with new ideas.

How to use the power of pause?

Start small! Try fitting a few pauses into your day:

·         Before you respond to that question in class, take a deep breath and collect your thoughts.

·         When do you feel like you’re stressed? Take a few minutes, step outside or catch a glimpse out the window 

·         As you sit down seriously to get to work on your homework, close your eyes for 30 seconds and take a deep breath.

Under these conditions, it does not necessarily waste time but rather turns out to be a smart way of resting and coming back to the task with more concentration and energy. So the next time you feel like packing up, think of this: Sometimes the best thing you can do is just ‘pause’.