Stopping is easy. Knowing when to stop isn’t.
Work can stack up and spiral fast. It’s tempting to push through, force the problem into shape, or just hope it sorts itself out. But when everything’s going bat guano crazy, there’s usually one thing you really need to do. And it’s simpler than you think.
My dad ran his own design business for decades. He spent 40 years at a drawing board, designing glazing and curtain walling systems for the construction industry. Always with his trusty Staedtler propelling pencil. Never a computer.
As a kid, I loved going to his office. I wanted to be like him. Go to work, draw stuff, take phone calls. Then magically, and seemingly without any fuss, a cheque would arrive in the post.
Draw stuff. Get paid. Lovely.
During the school holidays I’d tag along. He’d settle in with a cup of tea and go through the post: letters, bills, folded A1 drawings bound with elastic bands, and sometimes a cheque. A couple of hours later, after marking things up, replying to letters, licking stamps and making a few calls, he’d be ready for a full day of focused graft.
That was the rhythm. That was the job.
Compare that to now, where the morning post hits our inboxes all day long. Notifications ping non-stop. We feel pressure to respond instantly. And if we don’t? We carry the stress until we do.
It’s not just email. It’s Slack, WhatsApp. It’s clients. It’s colleagues. It’s all of it, all the time. Everyone wants everything yesterday, even if they don’t quite know what it is yet.
It’s exhausting.
When the notifications are flying, the phone won’t stop, the deadline’s looming, you’re out of coffee, out of loo roll, and the client just emailed, “We’re nearly there but…” — it’s OK to stop.
STOP.
Before you say “That’s easy for you to say,” I’ll say it’s even easier to do. What’s easier than doing nothing?
Stopping is a skill. It’s part of the job. Whether you’re building brands, solving technical problems or trying to land the perfect line, things won’t always go your way. And that’s OK.
What matters is that you come back. You try again. You learn. You iterate. Then you do it again.
No one has it all figured out. We’re all making it up as we go. The trick is to stay aware. Take the hit. Reset. Go again.
And if you’re working with others, get them to stop too. Hit pause as a team. Gather round. Pour a brew. Swear a bit. Cuddle (HR permitting). Do whatever it takes to ease the tension and reframe the problem.
If you don’t reply to that email straight away, the world will keep spinning.
Fast doesn’t always mean forward. It’s hard to find the right solution with a broken neck.
“Don’t put your foot on the gas pedal until you’re sure that you’ll never have to take it off again.” — Jackie Stewart
If you want to make it to the end of the race and enjoy the ride, ease off once in a while. You might be surprised at what happens.
Something wonderful, even.
Damian Connop
Damian is Founder & Creative Director at G&V. If you'd like to connect and discuss how G&V can move your brand forward then please do get in touch.
