People who often say they’re “too busy” or “crazy busy” sound like buzzing busy signals. And when you start sounding like an appliance, it makes it hard to connect with you.
The Meaning Behind “Busy”
When you go on to other people, or to yourself, about being so busy, you’re often engaging in doublespeak. Let’s dig a little deeper to translate what you actually mean when you get in the habit of saying or acting like you’re too busy:
I matter. […]
I am super-important. […]
I’m giving you an easy excuse. […]
I’m afraid. […]
I feel guilty. […]
The worship of busy-ness as such a virtue is where the trouble begins, providing the foundation to its indiscriminate use as a front or an excuse. It’s easy, even enticing, to neglect the importance of filling our time with meaning, thinking instead that we’ll be content with merely filling our time. We self-impose these measures of self-worth by looking at quantity instead of quality of activity.
Break Free
[I]f you find yourself feeling frazzled, habitually explaining away things with a busy status, it’s probably time to slow down and pay attention to the important, difficult stuff. Examine what is keeping you so busy compared to what you really should and want to be doing.
Here are a couple ways to start:
Track yo’ self. In the quest to better connect your attention and action, do an attention audit. Track your time […]
Change your language. Instead of putting things in terms of time and activity, frame them in terms of priority […]
Press pause. Not only do we need to rest and renew, we also have to slow down and pause to acknowledge our feelings, celebrate our accomplishments, and gain some insight.
Do less and feel more joy. […] Pay attention to what’s in front of you, and you’ll gain control and find joy.