
What’s with the glorification of busy anyway?
As with any self-destructive behaviour, the first step is admitting we have a problem. And, as a society, we are starting to grasp that concept!
People talk about ‘finding time for me’ and contemplating moving to the country for a slower, less moneyed, but quite possibly richer, life. More people are working part time so they can spend time with children, and more employers are accepting remote hours and glide-time as productive ways of working. And more of us are creating time for health and wellbeing in our lives.
What if all this ‘busyness’ is self-imposed?
It all began in 2012 with an incredible article in the New York Times by Tim Krieder – “The Busy Trap”. He began:
“If you live in America in the 21st century you’ve probably had to listen to a lot of people tell you how busy they are. It’s become the default response when you ask anyone how they’re doing: “Busy!” “So busy.” “Crazy busy.” … It’s not as if any of us wants to live like this; it’s something we collectively force one another to do.
Notice it isn’t generally people pulling back-to-back shifts in the I.C.U. or commuting by bus to three minimum-wage jobs who tell you how busy they are ... It’s almost always people whose lamented busyness is purely self-imposed.”
Are we trying to sound important by complaining about being busy? Is this how we validate ourselves? Has busyness become a measure of self-worth?
How are we self-programming our bodies to feel about this continual state of busyness? And how does this complaint make listeners feel if they aren’t lucky enough to have full employment, or children to run about after?
Creating time - designing a less busy life
Yes, life can be incredibly jam-packed and there are things we need to do. But let’s look at removing some of the clutter and focusing on the things that truly matter in life.
Here’s a simple exercise to create more time – and room to thrive! Just for a moment, pretend you aren’t living such a busy life, and make some notes.
Now think of a normal week in your life.
We shared a post with 10 tips to beat busy last week! Follow Suna for more on how to avoid the busy trap.
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