The month of the mini-pause

Happy July 1st.

Photo by Abhinav Anand on Unsplash

"Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes… including you." Anne Lamott

It’s July 1st.

On the one hand: the promise of summer. On the other: the juggling act intensifies. Childcare, holidays, deadlines. More work, not less.

But what if July wasn't about doing more? What if it wasn’t about organising the perfect summer but about reclaiming moments instead?

I’m calling it: The Month of the Mini-Pause.

Tiny, sacred rituals hidden inside the chaos.
Little rebellions against the cult of busy.
Scheduled stillness.
A pause to stare into space.
A refusal to attend one more “just a quick” anything.

CANCEL SOMETHING.

Be radical. Look at your calendar and cross one thing out.
Say no to the BBQ you feel meh about.
Ditch the Zoom.
Cancel the call.

Then, diarise something that gives you a glimmer.
An Artist’s Date, Julia Cameron-style but make it a whole summer series.

A creative staycation.

Awe in your own postcode.

Here’s my personal list of mini-pauses and micro-holidays I am going to try this month:

• A bonfire on my secret beach

• Swimming in the rockpools at Howick Point

• Dinner and a twilight tour at Ad Gefrin

• Nature and poetry walk with Paul Mein (poet-in-residence at Hauxley Wildlife Discovery Centre)

• Otter-watching at dawn

• Golden eagle spotting in Kielder

• The brass band festival in Durham

• Ludovico Einaudi in Edinburgh castle (already booked!)

• A walk across to Holy Island at low tide (watching out for Danny Boyle’s Zombies)

  What I’m craving isn’t “time off”—it’s time IN.
  In nature.
  In joy.
  In that delicious zone where the world goes quiet and the soul perks up.

  So that’s what I’m gifting myself this July: mini-pauses and moments of awe.
  Tiny time-outs that make everything else more bearable, beautiful—even meaningful.

  We are going to talk about more inspiration in our first ‘writing rehab’ session tomorrow at 7pm. (The first time I’ve run one so do come along if you can)

  Oh, and don’t forget TODAY: Writing Hour at 9am. (Zoom link below)
  That’s a mini-pause too. Just you, your words, and your wild inner world.

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  Your prompt for today:
  What could you cancel this week to create space for joy—and what would you do instead?

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  Heart Leap is about tools, ideas, and people who help us make a leap in thinking so we feel inspired and uplifted rather than trapped, stuck, and downhearted.

  Heart Leap is for writers who want to write and get their words out into the world but who find writing a hard slog but don’t want to give up the dream. Think of Heart Leap as your very own cosy writing nook, which gives support and accountability .

  I run two writing hours a week at 9am (BST) on a Tuesday and Thursday and a ‘writing rehab’ on the first Wednesday of the month at 7pm (BST) where we discuss ways to boost our creativity, set ourselves delightful artist’s dates and realistic writing goals while drinking tea.

  Heart Leap is for people starting again, literally or metaphorically.