“As a general rule, time outs aren’t meant to function as a method of punishment. Instead, they’re a way of allowing the child’s reasoning power to catch up with his/her emotions.  The main idea is to communicate, teach, and encourage reflecting.” (Focus on the Family online newspiece)

First, I will admit that in my very early childhood…TIME OUTS were not really even “discovered” yet.  And if you got in trouble… Mom or Dad would figure out the best correct action to get your attitude and behavior back in the right place.  However, today science and research has shown that pulling a child out of the problem situation and providing separate space for them to calm down physically and mentally… standardly helps in opening the “corrective action” doors.

So what about Taking A Professional TIME OUT when trying to resolve/improve/move a challenging concern to a more positive level… when working with adults?

Well as I have “grown” in the field of professional consulting and have worked with a variety of individuals, students and groups… creatively suggesting at certain times that it is necessary to consider Taking A Professional TIME OUT… is more than appropriate.

Remember the TIME OUT would not be a punishment, rather just a step-back action to give yourself and others a little mental and physical space. Frustrations… attitudes… and disrespect would be lessened during this implementation and strategy of Taking A Professional TIME OUT.  Individuals have even laughed when I have “ordered” an adult TIME OUT. But when I explained my action and announced that if we don’t correct ourselves… who will… the support was excellent!

Bottomline: Try to regularly begin Taking A Professional TIME OUT… even if you are working on a project alone and are stuck! And don’t make it a “forced habit”… because then it can be looked at as punishment. Rather it is just a natural part of accepting personal responsibility at home and at work. Plus I have witnessed that it can work well… if YOU let it.