Have You Taken a “Time-Out” Lately?

What is a life “time out”? Well, as you read-on, I will explain the concept of time-out, provide 5 strategies for implementing time-outs, and explain the importance of how taking a time-out can help bring different aspects of your life into focus.

Time-Out: Watching sports, we see coaches and players calling “time-outs”. They might want to stop the momentum, change game strategy, draw-up specific play, give players rest, or fire-up the team. Well, I would like you to know that this same technique can be used in your life!

Five “Time-Out” Strategies that Can Help you Throughout Life

  1. Stopping the Momentum
    Stopping the momentum can be important if you want to complete goals you have set for yourself. Think about gaining momentum in your life.

    • Is it time to start setting goals?
    • Do you want to improve something or be more motivated with an aspect of your life?
    • These are questions that you might want to consider if you are contemplating life decisions.
  2. Changing the Strategy
    It could be time to stop what you are doing and head a different route. Think about your goals in life.

    • What do you need to accomplish to get there?
    • Are you heading in the right direction to meet your goals?
    • Sometimes, you need to take a step back and think about the direction you want to go.
    • Are you happy with your present status in life?
  3. Drawing-up Specific Move
    Sometimes, it can be hard to make decisions that can cause some major life changes. This type of “time-out” is helpful when you need to take some time to figure-out what is the right move for you to make and if this change will bring you into a positive trajectory.

    • In a sport game, there might be a “time-out” used to tell the players to perform a specific play/move.
    • In sports, there is a good and bad time to use certain plays.
    • In your life, a decision can be difficult to make if it impacts not only you, but also the people you care about.
  4. Giving Players a Rest
    Life can be hard, and a rest is needed in order to rejuvenate, restore, and heal. At other times, we may just need time to gather our thoughts and take a break from reality.

    • Taking a step back can also help your decision making.
    • Seeing things from a more objective standpoint can open your mind to consider alternative ideas.
    • Taking time to rest allows stress to be lifted from your shoulders as your body relaxes.
  5. Firing-up
    Everyone has ups and downs in their lives. Try not to let the downs affect you more than they should. Taking a time-out can help you feel fired-up and ready to keep going.

    • If something disappointing happens or something does not go your way, then it can be easy to let yourself feel sad.
    • Taking this time-out break can help you remember why you are committed to a certain path in life or provide great insight to understand the meaning behind your life choices.
    • This type of time-out can help you gain motivation needed to reach higher accomplishments in your career, sports, or life in general.

These 5 time-outs help you gain motivation, introspection, insights, and direction in life. Everyone needs to take short breaks in their life by calling a “time out”. Think about when you will you choose to use one of your 5 time-outs, and why it is needed to help with relaxation and recharging your life.