TPM® Starter Toolkit
As a leader in the 21st century, you are facing unprecedented levels of pressure, complexity, and change. The Pause Method® for Leadership presence is a system for creating essential space to build resilience in everyday work and life by harnessing the power of pausing.
The started tools included below are designed to help you consistently and reliably shift from autopilot survival-brain mode into wise-brain awareness.
WISE BRAIN REPS
10-60 second pauses to shift out of autopilot and return to presence
Purpose:
✓ Shift out of survival mode reactivity
✓ Give your brain and nervous system a mini-break
✓ Strengthen your wise brain circuitry
How To:
1️⃣
Pause what you’re doing
2️⃣
Pay full attention to a sensory experience (10-60 sec)
3️⃣
Re-engage your task with fresh awareness
Examples of sensory anchors:
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Take 3 conscious breaths
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Feel the sensations of your feet on the ground
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Listen to sounds
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Look out the window
Integration tips:
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⏱️ Set an external cue (watch/phone alarm, calendar reminder)
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🔗 Link your reps to existing transitions—like right before a meeting, when returning to your desk, or before eating.
Resilience isn’t just about navigating hardship—it’s also about amplifying what’s good. That’s where Savoring Pleasant Moments comes in.
SAVORING PLEASANT MOMENTS
15-30 second practice to help you notice, appreciate, and fully absorb small moments of joy throughout your day
Purpose:
✓ Calm your nervous system
✓ Counteract the negativity bias
✓ Train your brain to focus on and amplify the good
How to:
1️⃣
Recognize that a pleasant moment is happening
2️⃣
Give yourself permission to single-task
3️ ⃣
Linger for 15-30 seconds to truly enjoy and soak in the experience
Integration tips:
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📝 Put a "SAVOR" sticky note where you'll see it (e.g. on your coffee maker)
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☕️ Choose just one reliably pleasant activity to savor for a full week
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👥 Buddy up with a colleague or an "accountabillibuddy" and make it a habit to report a few pleasant moments to each other weekly (the more you share, the more they'll be on your radar!)
Alongside savoring, pausing at the bookends of your day—morning and night—primes your wise brain for greater clarity, restful sleep, and a deeper sense of presence in your daily life.
MORNING + EVENING REFLECTIONS
1-2 minute pauses to begin and end your day with presence, positivity, and intention
Purpose:
✓ Set a positive tone for your day and your night of sleep
✓ Strengthen your Wise Brain through intentionality
✓ Foster gratitude and clarity
Morning Reflection:
1️⃣
One thing you're grateful for.
2️⃣
Your top 3-5 core values.
3️⃣
A guiding intention (word or phrase). What quality do I want to cultivate today? How do I want to show up?
4️⃣
A commitment to pause throughout your day.
Evening Reflection:
1️⃣
What Went Well today?
2️⃣
Gratitude.
3️⃣
Savor (something in your immediate experience – like your soft pillow – or you could relive a memory of something pleasant/joyful in your day).
Integration tips:
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📓 Keep a journal or reminder by your bedside
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🔗 Link reflections to an existing habit (e.g., after brushing your teeth)
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⏱️ Set an external cue (watch/phone alarm, calendar reminder)
Go deeper with Wise Brain Workouts—short, powerful practices that train your brain for resilience
WISE BRAIN WORKOUTS
2-10 minute mental training practices that strengthen your resilience through deeper meditation and reflection
Purpose:
✓ Deepen self-awareness
✓ Develop your mind-body connection and somatic intelligence
✓ Strengthen your wise brain circuitry
Guided Recordings:
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🎧 Conscious Relaxation (2-min)
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🎧 Mindful Check-In (3-min)
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🎧 Gratitude Reflection (7-min)
Integration tips:
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⏱️ Schedule 2-3 workouts per week on your calendar
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🔗 Link your workouts to an already established routine activity– like while your coffee is brewing, right before lunch M,W,F, etc)
Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.
VIKTOR FRANKL