Looking back over the years, my favorite work moments resulted when I took the time to pause, look at the big picture, and think deeply. Bill Gates famously set aside a week for such thoughts in his Think Week. I hate to admit this but most of the time I don’t pause; I just skim and react. By way of analogy, I forgo the rich depth of a novel, blaze past the extended editions of the best movies, pause at the movie trailers, and frequently react to memes.
I made this little video to show how much we can sacrifice just to save five minutes. Boromir was a flawed and tragically human character whose heroic death was one of the most moving scenes in the classic 2001 movie, “Fellowship of the Ring”. In the book (Chapter 1 of “The Two Towers”) Aragon and Legolas pause to sing over their departed friend. Okay, five minutes of singing would not work in this movie, but still, it is a powerful moment. Here is that scene as read by the genius narrator, Australian-born Rob Inglis.
Granted, this is a truly geeky analogy, but it reminds me to pause daily without a computer or buzzing phone, even for a few minutes, just to think and feel.
The Elements of Simple 