Attitude Adjustment

 I hate waiting in line.

Yesterday I was stuck in line CVS, waiting on a prescription, when "Midnight Train to Georgia" drifted out of the ceiling speakers. Gladys Knight was singing with range and emotion, the Pips were answering with those perfect little harmonies, and the orchestra wrapped around the whole thing like a favorite well-worn coat. Somewhere between annoyance and the chorus, I forgot to be annoyed.

We spend a lot of time chasing the next thing because that's what the algorithm orders for dinner. Then a fifty-year-old song strolls through the pharmacy and reminds you that great art doesn't interrupt life … it sneaks up behind it and improves it.

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Is this  great song or what?

In CVS I was just enjoying the music. Now that I relisten to this classic and focus on the lyrics and the way Knight sings with warmth, longing, and quiet strength, it feels deeply human. Choosing love over ambition feels intimate and universal. The song leaves you with a bittersweet sense of devotion, sacrifice, and comfort reminding us that home isn't always a place, but it can also be a person.

Performance vs Value

Being a freelancer has helped distance me from a frustrating feature of modern work: we have built increasingly sophisticated systems for measuring employee performance while remaining remarkably primitive at recognizing employee value.

We have dashboards.

We have metrics.

We have quarterly objectives.

We have calibration meetings.

We have competency frameworks.

We have seventeen different ways to say “good job.”

And somehow the conversation about actually paying someone appropriately still seems to require the organizational equivalent of a hostage negotiation.

I realize budgets are complicated.

I realize businesses have constraints.

I realize money doesn't grow on trees.

But neither does expertise.

And unlike money, expertise tends to walk out the door to be around people who understand that creativity needs oxygen, that good ideas rarely emerge from exhausted people staring at dashboards, and that human beings are not software licenses that can simply be reassigned when someone leaves.

When I asked a friend why she just left a high profile job, her one line answer perfectly summed up a situation many of us find (or have found) ourselves in: “I want to remember what it feels like to finish a day without mentally drafting my resignation letter.”

Pattern Interrupt for Marketing Writers

I dropped the phrase “pattern interrupt” in a meeting the last week.

One of the execs in the room (who shouldn’t have been in the room, but marketing seems to be run by committee too often these days) asked what I meant.

I responded with something along the lines of: “Pattern Interrupt is a psychological technique where you disrupt the audience’s routine thought patterns to grab their attention. In marketing, we use it to shift the prospect's focus to your message.”

Even to me, that sounded more academic than helpful (maybe being in a room of "suits" brought that out of me), so I continued:

“Imagine you're scrolling through your social media feed ... everything looks sort of the same. Suddenly, a bold, unexpected headline or a quirky image stops you mid-scroll. That’s pattern interrupt in action. It shakes up the ordinary and forces your brain to pay attention.”

 
Ahh, that sounded better, so I capped it off with “The goal is to keep audiences engaged, curious, and wanting more ... to turn passive readers into active participants.”
 
I had the room, but one person still had a “I’m not convinced” look on their face. So I added, “The human brain loves predictability but is wired to respond to novelty. By introducing something unexpected or unusual, you create a cognitive jolt that draws people in.”
 
Now I was rolling.
 
“Think about an unexpected headline or humor or shocking statistic that pushes people to not rely on their go to responses.”

And that interaction inspired this blog post … so here's a quick outline of  how marketing writers can use pattern interrupt effectively:

How to Use Pattern Interrupt in Marketing Copy

1. Unexpected Headlines

• Example: Instead of a predictable headline like, “Struggling with Your Finances?”, go for something jarring like, “Why Saving Money Is Ruining Your Life”. The latter creates curiosity and demands explanation.

Why it works: The reader’s usual expectation (that saving is good) is challenged, sparking intrigue.

 

• Another Example: “Fire Your Morning Coffee—This Will Wake You Up Faster.” 

Why it works: This headline disrupts a cherished routine and replaces it with a bold claim. Readers feel compelled to find out what could possibly replace their beloved coffee. 

 

2. Humor or Absurdity

• Example: "This Soap Is So Natural, It Pays Taxes." 

Why it works: Humor paired with exaggeration disrupts the norm and creates a memorable moment.

 

•  Another Example: “Our Toothpaste Won’t Make You Rich, But Your Smile Might.” 

Why it works: It combines a playful twist with an indirect compliment, sparking a grin and curiosity. The humor lightens the pitch while emphasizing the benefit. 

 

3. Surprising Visuals or Words

• Example: Imagine an ad for noise-canceling headphones showing a rock concert with the text: “Hear Silence. Even Here.” 

Why it works: The unexpected juxtaposition of a loud environment with the promise of silence creates a stark and memorable image.

 

• Another Example: Pairing unexpected imagery with copy. Imagine an ad for a sleek electric car showing a gas powered car being pulled by horses with the caption, “Time for an Upgrade?”  

Why it works: The image contrasts with modern expectations, making the message stand out.

 

4. Break Grammar Rules

• Example: “Comfy. Stylish. Affordable. Nope, not your couch—your shoes.”

Why it works: The clipped sentence fragments break conventional grammar, creating a conversational tone that mirrors how people naturally speak and think. 

 

• Another Example: "This isn’t a normal ad. Because normal doesn’t work anymore. You’re here for different."

Why it works: Short, choppy sentences and unconventional grammar create a rhythm that interrupts the expected flow.

 

5. Address the Reader’s Thoughts

• Example: “Yeah, we know—‘Not another skin cream.’ But this one’s different. Here’s why...” 

Why it works: You disrupt their assumptions and establish a connection. The copy acknowledges the reader's potential skepticism, instantly building trust by showing the brand “gets” them and their concerns. 

 

• Another Example: ‘Oh, no … another weight loss program.’ Don’t worry …this isn’t one. It’s a life upgrade.” 

Why it works: By preempting the reader’s likely reaction, the copy breaks their defenses. It reframes the product in a new light, encouraging them to reconsider their assumptions. 

 

6. Shock with Statistics

• Example: “80% of jobs in 2030 don’t exist yet. How are you preparing for the future?” 

Why it works: The statistic is both surprising and forward-thinking, triggering urgency in the reader. It also positions the product (related to education or skills) as a solution to an unexpected problem. 

 

• Another Example: “The average person eats 7,000 pounds of food a year—that’s like eating an elephant. Ready to rethink your diet?” 

Why it works: The startling comparison grabs attention and contextualizes the statistic in a way that is visually and emotionally engaging.  Stark, unexpected statistics demand attention and prompt action. 

 

7. Start in the Middle of a Story

• Example: "She was running late—coffee in one hand, toddler in the other—when the car refused to start. Sound familiar?"

Why it works: Dropping readers directly into the action creates urgency and interest.

  

• Another Example: “The email subject line read: ‘We need to talk.’ His heart sank ... until he read the rest of it.”

Why it works: This opening is emotionally charged and universally relatable, making readers eager to know the resolution. It also sets up an intriguing entry point for the product or service.

 

Tips to Make Pattern Interrupt Effective

• Keep It Relevant: The disruption should align with your brand message; don’t be weird for the sake of being weird.
  
  
• Know Your Audience: What interrupts one group might confuse or alienate another.
  
  
• Follow Through: Once you’ve grabbed attention, ensure the rest of your message delivers value and clarity.

 

Final Word: Creatively break the monotony ... but after you captivate, convert.

_________________________

Back to the meeting: At that point in the meeting, even though I had made a small gain, I knew that the real challenge was going to be getting too large of a group of people, each with too much input (and ego), to approve a campaign without watering down the concept to a point where it would be anywhere close to pattern interrupt.

The Anarchy of My Desk

 

My desk is a disaster. Not the dramatic kind. No moldy sandwiches. No opossums living in it. Just stacks of papers, half-used notebooks, receipts, sticky notes, and pens that seem to reproduce at night.

Every so often I try to organize it. The desk usually wins after about 14 minutes.

Which is not a terrible thing. Because the mess has some magic to it.

While a clean desk is efficient with everything sitting exactly where it should waiting politely to be used, it’s a bit lifeless. A messy desk, however, has side quests and plot twists. It creates accidents. Good ones.

I go looking for one thing and trip over 3 others. An old idea wanders out from under a pile like it just woke up from hibernation. A forgotten observation clears its throat from beneath a stack of unopened mail like, “Hey. I’m relevant again.” The desk, in its chaotic wisdom, refuses to let my thoughts become too obedient.

Neat systems are good at storage. A clean desk says: “Everything in its place.”

A messy desk says: “Maybe these things belong together and nobody noticed yet.” The mess creates friction. Friction creates wandering. And wandering is where some of the best ideas live.

I’m not saying chaos is a productivity strategy. Neat systems are good at storage. Mess, however, is good at collisions. And collisions fuel creativity.