Try a pause before adding the extra

Week 3B · 6 of 8 · 2 min read

An optional extra can be easy to add without noticing: another explanation, another check of a nonurgent message, or another adjustment to something already usable. You can pause on paper before deciding about it.

The experiment is only to name the addition and the actual need. You do not have to remove anything. That small written pause can give you a clearer description of the choice already in front of you.

One question

What extra am I about to add, and do I want it in this task?

One small practice

Choose a manageable task you are considering, with an extra that is safely optional. Write what is already enough for the task, then name the addition you were about to make.

Finish: "Before adding more, I notice ____." You can stop with the note. Keeping the extra, leaving it out, or remaining unsure are all available observations, with no score attached.

Use paper or a private note. Nothing needs to be submitted.

Optional private note

Your note stays in this browser.

Give this practice a place in your week.

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Questions people ask

Does the pause need to happen during the task?

You can write about a task you are considering or remember one from earlier. The practice is the note, rather than a timed interruption. You do not need to disrupt an essential responsibility to make room for it.

What if I choose to add the extra anyway?

You can keep that choice. The exercise asks you to notice the addition and whether you want it in this setting. It does not make leaving it out the correct result or require an explanation for keeping it.