Protect Your Pause

I have every reason not to rest. But here I am!

Hi, I’m Jess.

I just moved houses this past weekend.
I’m in grad school, and I’ve got two papers due this weekend.
It’s Holy Week, and I’m a local church pastor.
And my kids are on spring break.

Life is… full.
I have every reason not to rest.

But this week’s UNBUSY tip isn’t just something I’m offering to you, it’s something I’m preaching to myself in real-time:

PROTECT YOUR PAUSE.

We’re not wired to go nonstop.
Even God — the Creator of all — paused. Rested. Called it holy.

So why do we believe we’re the exception?

Sabbath isn’t just a suggestion.
It’s a strategy.
And more than that - it’s a holy pushback against the kingdom of darkness that wants us living in a constant state of defeated, exhausted acceptance of the status quo.

You might not be able to take a whole day off this week - but where can you PAUSE?

Here are some of the ways I’m inserting quiet and rest into the following very full days:

• I just told my team I’ll be taking the day off of work tomorrow. (For reference - I rarely ever take unexpected days off, but I knew I couldn’t go into work again until I find the box with my hairbrush).

• A few times this week, I’ve taken TWO showers in a day. Not because I’m particularly dirty but because my body and mind needed the mental reset.

• I’ve given myself the week off of social media. Maybe I’ll post, maybe I won’t! I haven’t shared any pictures of our new house, or of the kids on spring break, I haven’t posted about Holy Week, and I haven’t shared anything I planned on sharing. Maybe I will and maybe I won’t.

So I’m wondering - where and how can you PAUSE.
And then, protect your pause.

Not because you’ve earned it.
Not because everything else is done.
But because you’re allowed.

Your mind, your heart, your life, and your week is sacred ground.
What kind of pause will help you relish and celebrate that truth?

Next week, I’ll share another tip for living as unbusy as possible — so we can live as fully awake as possible.

And don’t forget — for paid subscribers, we’re gathering on April 23rd for a live lunchtime webinar:

UNBUSY: Strategies to Live at Ease in a World That’s Anything But.

We’ll pack it with simple tools, spiritual wisdom, and practical rhythms you can start using immediately.

Let’s make sure April doesn’t steal our peace — and May doesn’t own our time.

With you in it,
Jess