Neil,
Nice article!

Nice to know I'm not the only one who'll take a 'time-out'; I do it ALL the time! In fact, BEFORE I fish anywhere, I'll sit, light up the ol' briar, and do nothing but watch everything going on around me; the water, the air, the trees...I try to soak it all in just because it's so darn beautiful and peaceful, but it also slows me down ( like I NEED slowing down!) and makes me think about the proper line of attack as to how to catch those darn things. And when I'm flogging the water with nothing to show for it, I too will stop....STOP...sit down, put down the rod...caarrrfulllllllllllly....AND.. START CURSING!!! (HA!HA! just kidding.....) Like you, I'll stop and think through it all.
I also have a habit of talking to myself on the water. I know it probably looks stupid, but it really DOES help me re-evaluate what I'm doing, and consider what to do next.

You've given me some more things to think about. Thanks!

Cheers!