💡 The Circuit Breaker Bank

Twenty years ago, during my year of study in New Zealand, I got briefly 'trapped' in a bank. Here's how it worked. The entrance had two glass doors. The first slid open, I stepped into a small empty space - and then I waited.

The second door stayed shut for about 8 seconds before it let me through.

It annoyed me. Those 8 seconds had broken my momentum. I came in 'fast' into the bank and wanted to get things done fast.

But the moment the second door opened, something had shifted. Those few seconds had forced me to slow down, and I'd reach the counter calmer than I left the street. Magical, and I remember how perplexed I was about how different I felt.

I've thought about that "circuit breaker" ever since. Most of us wait for calm, or clarity, or motivation to arrive on its own. It rarely does.

Here's what I personally believe: We can design this into our lives

I try to build my own pauses now - five quiet minutes before I open email, one breath before I answer hard feedback. Tiny, deliberate gaps that interrupt the rush.

Where could you install a 10-second door this week?