Becoming Minimalist

Own less. Live more. Finding minimalism in a world of consumerism.

A Helpful Guide to Becoming Unbusy

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It doesn’t have to be this way. Each of us can take intentional steps to unbusy our lives. Consider this Helpful Guide to Becoming Unbusy.

“Those who are wise won’t be busy, and those who are too busy can’t be wise.” ― Lin Yutang

It was in this video from Jeff Shinabarger that I first heard the phrase, “‘Busy’ has become the new ‘Fine’.” As in, when you ask somebody how they were doing, they used to answer, “Fine.” But nowadays, everybody answers, “Busy.”

Seemingly, busy has become the default state for too many of our lives.

But is the state of busy really improving our lives? Certainly not. Statistics indicate 75% of parents are too busy to read to their children at night. There is a rising number of children being placed in day cares and after-school activities. Americans are having a hard time finding opportunity for vacations these days. 33% of Americans are living with extreme stress daily. And nearly 50% of Americans say they regularly lie awake at night because of stress. This is a problem. We have become too busy.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Busy is not inevitable. (tweet that)

Each of us can take intentional steps to unbusy our lives.

Consider this Helpful Guide to Becoming Unbusy:

1. Realize that being busy is a choice. It is a decision we make. We are never forced into a lifestyle of busyness. The first, and most important, step to becoming less busy is to simply realize that our schedules are determined by us. We do have a choice in the matter. We don’t have to live busy lives.

2. Stop the glorification of busy. Busy, in and of itself, is not a badge of honor. In fact, directed at the wrong pursuits, it is actually a limiting factor to our full potential. It is okay to not be busy. Repeat this with me: It is okay to not be busy.

3. Appreciate and schedule rest. One of the reasons many of us keep busy schedules is we fail to recognize the value of rest. But rest is beneficial to our bodies, our minds, and our souls. Set aside one day per week for rest and family. Intentionally schedule it on your calendar. Then, guard it at all costs.

4. Revisit your priorities. Become more intentional with your priorities and pursuits in life. Determine again what are the most significant contributions you can offer this world. And schedule your time around those first. Busyness is, at its core, about misplaced priorities.

5. Own fewer possessions. The things we own take up far more time and mental energy than we realize. They need to be cleaned, organized, and maintained. And the more we own, the more time is required. Own less stuff. And find more time because of it.

6. Cultivate space in your daily routine. Take time for lunch. Find space in your morning to sit quietly before starting your day. Invest in solitude, meditation, or yoga. Find opportunity for breaks at work in between projects. Begin right away cultivating little moments of space and margin in your otherwise busy day.

7. Find freedom in the word, “no.” Seneca wrote, “Everybody agrees that no one pursuit can be successfully followed by a man who is preoccupied with many things.” Recognize the inherent value in the word “no.” Learning to say “no” to less important commitments opens your life to pursue the most important.

Busy does not need to define you. Unbusy is possible. It’s okay to be happy with a calm life. And doesn’t that sound wonderful right about now?

Image: Moyan_Brenn

Joshua Becker

About Joshua Becker

Writer. Inspiring others to live more by owning less.
WSJ Bestselling author of The More of Less.

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Comments

  1. I love my unbusy times. I especially enjoy the wee hours of the morning (like now), drinking my coffee and reading blogs, (like this one). I also enjoy writing posts on my own blog. Yet, when I tell people about my blogging, I get this response, “It must be nice to have that much time on your hands.” I find that remark very insulting.

    • Lorraine – maybe you could tell them “Those who are wise won’t be busy, and those who are too busy can’t be wise.” ― Lin Yutang – :)

    • Yes or “It is nice, I highly recommend it.” and follow any protest by explaining that bussyness is a choice.

    • It is insulting to be told “it must be nice” or “you’re so lucky” about something you have worked very hard toward.

    • I’m sure those same people don’t realize that they probably spend a lot of time staring/playing with their cell phones or checking their Facebook pages. I don’t have either one of those things.

    • My reaction to that is to take a deep breath and realize their comment speaks to their motivations, values, guilt, and jealousies, not to my pursuits at all. then I nod and say, “yes, it is. Thank you for affirming that.”

    • Your words this morning seem to be written just for me. Just this past week, I decided to say no to anything that I don’t really want to do and get up to solitude and peace.

  2. Great article….a reminder to myself to slow down. I’m there now, awake at night with a million things buzzing around my head. I’m not saying it because I feel important, I’m saying it because I feel I have too, and expectation from my work. Thank you for writing this. I took a day off today and I have my 12 year old daughter with me. I’m going to snuggle with her and watch movies all day. I’m going to do nothing………..

  3. Perfect! “Stop the glorification of busy” was my inspiration for taking a year off of work. I was doing it all. But I wasn’t happy with the results. Thanks for raising the awareness.

  4. I love the first point – Being busy is a choice! If I had only realized that earlier – I had packed my schedule with a lot of random stuff so that I would always be moving, never standing still. So that I wouldn’t have to think about the important questions – like whether I am happy or not, or am I living the life I want? It only works up to a certain point, and then it all comes crashing down on you. Thanks for the post. :)

  5. Native American Ohiyesa wrote “The Soul of an Indian” in 1911. He addressed ‘minimalism’ in his work: “It has always been our belief that the love of possessions is a weakness to be overcome. Its appeal is to the material part, and if allowed its way it will in time disturb the spiritual balance for which we all strive.” His wisdom is as valuable today as it was over 100 years ago.

    • Thank you for posting this. I just purchased the book you mentioned as I find the Native American way of life to be fascinating. My favorite quote with regards to minimalism is that of Jackie French Koller, the author of “The Primrose Way” (a book about Native Americans and the Puritans): “There are two ways to be rich. One is by acquiring much; the other is by desiring little.” I apologize if I messed it up at all – I don’t have my copy of the book in front of me!

  6. Thank you. I especially like “busyness at its core is about misplaced priorities” and “it’s ok to not be busy”. :D

  7. I like all the points. Some I have been working on already, I take time for yoga, pilates, walking and lunch and I own less things than I did.

    Some I need to do some more work on, like saying no to some things to give time to other things.

  8. Yes!
    I never even realized how busy I was, or that there was an alternative.
    I read a book (Breathe: Creating Space For God in a Hectic Life) that changed my life.
    I decided that I wanted to change. I took what I called a one year sabbatical. I finished up what I was already committed to and took nothing else on for the next year.
    It was kinda scary, especially having to tell people no who simply expected I would say yes because I always had. I even said no to a few events that I mostly enjoyed working on bc I knew that while I enjoyed the final project, I was miserably stressed in the process of making it all happen.
    That was…over five years ago.
    I’ve survived and even thrived. My husband is thrilled. And my default setting when asked to do something is to stop and think and usually say no.
    I know have the time to LIVE.
    I get comments all the time about how much I do. I homeschool our three kids, we’re restoring an old homestead, I grow tons of stuff, make 99% of our food from scratch, can and preserve, make herbal products and sell them at markets, raise chickens, tried goats & a cow (ugh) and generally learn new things. And this is a total city girl who never did anything like this before five years ago. I was too busy. ;)
    While yes, I really do a lot, I am not busy. I’m not on a single committee, I don’t go to meetings (except a prayer meeting with a group of ladies) and my overall stress level is so much lower. I make time to read, drink my tea, go on picnics with my kids, even lay in one of our four hammocks. I see the sunsets.
    Not everyone wants my life, and I get that. I am just writing this to say that real change IS possible. I only thought I was taking a year off. It wasn’t as scary that way and it helped with the guilt. Now, I’d never go back.
    Another thing that was interesting, almost everyone I told no to that first year understood and said they wished they could say no as well. Besides, looking back now I really question all the special events I planned and worked on and wonder why any of us spent so much time and energy and money on it all. So many times, everyone at the event was just trying to cram it into an already too full schedule.
    I wonder what would happen if we all just took a year off and spent the time with those we love just being with them at home or in nature instead of running to events and rehearsals and endless meetings?

  9. I’m afraid I’m slowly falling victim into this default setting as my mind is constantly in work mode. However, you are right. Business IS a choice. Even though there are tons of things I could be doing or have to do, there are still many ways to move things around to give yourself time to breathe or time to be busy. Unfortunately, people don’t realize that they’re not always busy and they default into telling others they are busy.

    That only feeds their mindset and makes them really believe themselves.

  10. Great piece! I’ve also realized much busyness is created by “wanting things”, which means spending more hours working for money and shopping. The less I want the more time I seem to have.

    • Hey Anne, I think you’ve hit the nail on the head there. I wish my “wants” would diminish altogether though. I lost my job 3 months ago – so was forced to be less busy (although there is always something to do!), and spend less money. It’s been hard but a good lesson – if I don’t truly need something, I don’t buy it.

  11. My office mates pride themselves on how busy they are, complaining about all of the meetings they are in and how far behind they are while at the same time wearing it as some sort of badge of honor. I learned years ago that was the fast path to burning out.

  12. thank you for the post. As a full time mom it is easy to get busy all day long. I used to say that I work from midnight till midnight.

    Indeed being busy is a choice and I am choosing different. I am writing again, go to the gym and enjoy time with my little girls. Thank you for making me aware!

    • Any tips on how to carve out me time as a mom to a toddler? I find its busy from 12-12 too as a SAHMOM. I need to care for me more so I can mother better. I need to need & want less, and enjoy what I already have.

  13. I really enjoy the message of your post here, Joshua. I think at it’s core lies the limiting belief that busy is admirable and therefore the ego feels worthy being busy. Society is powering this belief (busy is the “new” nice). So re-evaluating this belief is the key to change the busy lifestyle. This post is a good start at that!

    Cheers,
    Myrko

  14. Today I wrote about the same thing on my blog: it’s really ok to be happy with a calm life! I used to be super busy but now I am just the opposite and I love it! :)

  15. Today I wrote about the same thing on my blog: it’s really ok to be happy with a calm life! I used to be super busy but now I am just the opposite and I love it! :)

  16. Sure, of course it is “OK” to not be busy. It’s OK to be busy too. Sacrificing rest to improve your future is a common practice of successful people. I would say that it is absolutely a “badge of honor”. I admire many hard working people. I also recognize the value of rest. I frequently sense a tinge of jealousy in people that dislike the phrase “i’m busy”. Rather than be happy for those that are busy working hard on something that they love some people just get jealous and distant. That is not the fault or responsibility of the busy person. It’s a personal problem for the jealous person.

  17. …The tag at the top of this post is “Own less. Live more.” Living “more” would require being more busy. Busy doesn’t always mean busy working. I have the privilege of doing what i love for a living so I am frequently “busy” having fun. Sometimes saying “I’m busy” means that you’ve chosen to say yes to the right things and are now saying no to the wrong things… simply because you’re to busy doing the right things, following the right opportunities.

    • I get what you’re saying, Andrew. And there is a delicate (and ultimately individual) balance to strike between hard work and down time. If we don’t work hard then we probably won’t progress or succeed in the ways we would like.

      But I personally read the post as rallying against the idea of being busy simply for the sake of being busy. Complaining about all the meetings/committments/tasks/whatevers that people have on their schedule, all the while not taking ownership of those committments.

      We all have a lot to do – with work, home or child-raising – but, like Kimberley said above, doing a lot is different to being perpetually busy.

  18. The use of time is so important, techniques like Pomodoro can improve that, and you will have more time to use in things that really matter. Programming tasks and focus can help dramatically. I think focus is the key

  19. You have some good points but unfortunately lost me a bit with “There is a rising number of children being placed in day cares and after-school activities.” I don’t believe those activities by themselves are the problem and am offended that you look down on all “day care” kids. Being “busy” can be viewed as a good thing by some as long as it doesn’t reach the point where it is stress inducing. Hard work can also be a good thing.

    • I agree and that was my first thought too! I don’t put my children in daycare because I am too busy. They are there because I have a job that I require to earn money for the things my family NEEDS, not extra stuff I don’t need.

    • +100

      My first thought as well. I don’t work for “more things.” I work because I love what I do, and my kid loves his daycare. Frankly, my life is less busy/stressful because I have awesome caretakers for my kids during the day. Constantly coming up with ways to entertain them would stress me out!

      • Agree!! I was ready to read a nice article, because I agree with the author that I can’t stand people who basically brag about how busy they are…then had to throw out the daycare comment. Working moms get enough crap about our choices from our hairdressers, strangers sitting next to us on the plane, etc.

  21. Please, please, please read to your children AND have them read to you. When you do this both of you get quality time together and memories but you are setting up a strong educational foundation. I see too many preteens and terns struggle with reading.

  22. This is the hardest lesson for me. It’s easy to get rid of things, but harder for me to get rid of social activities and work. This is a great reminder that you can’t really right-size your life without examining those as closely as you do the things you aquire…

    Thanks!

  23. Being too busy can be a problem for some of us. I personally made a number of choices that kept me running in high gear for many years. Eventually, I realized that stress from my crazy busy life was hurting my health. Being healthy became more important to me than being busy. I gradually cut back on how much I was doing which helped me get my health back on track. I am very happy these days living a life that is less busy and more calm.

    • Karla ~ You said exactly what I needed to hear today. “Being healthy became more important to me than being busy.” I’ve had a few health issues lately that I need to address with better eating and exercise, but I keep telling myself that it’s just one more thing I need to add to my to-do list and I don’t have time to address it. It’s probably part of the perfectionist in me. I want to give it my all or it’s just not worth it because if I screw up, I’ll feel like a failure. Being healthy will help everything else fall into place though. I’ve got to make a change.

  24. You’re totally right – it’s a choice. But many of us are so used to it now that it’s hard to stop and to say ‘no’.

  25. I loathe being busy with the passion of a thousand suns. I work in an inbound call centre and this means I have no control over my workload as I am a slave to the never ending queue. I am leaving this job and I am looking forward to learning how to do one thing at a time since it’s been 9 years.

  26. I am not sure which I prefer. There’s a lot of things about being busy that I like – the sense of accomplishment, the rush of staying up late to finish a project, the drive and the urgency. But I also like morning coffees and lounging in my bed at 1pm with the afternoon sun coming in!

    It’s a good balance right now. My job keeps be busy busy busy, but at home, I can be pretty chill.

  27. I love all the points but to me number one (as it should be) is the most important. Being busy is a choice. Seems to me many people over schedule, over commit and over consume because they are not happy with their current choices. If you find it necessary to distract yourself from you life it may be time to reexamine your life.

  28. It has taken me many years to realize what was written in this blog post. But once I realized it, it has changed my life. I am also an introvert, so I NEED (from a physiological perspective) down-time to calm and reinvigorate myself. I was running on empty all the time and was wondering why I was stressed, irritable, and angry. I was so busy (mostly from my own doing) and so over-stimulated that I could not enjoy my family and my life. I still struggle with this issue, but when I find myself sucked into the busyness philosophy, I force myself to pause, I schedule rest and down-time, and that helps me put everything into perspective. Mindfulness meditation has also been very beneficial in this pursuit. I used to glorify busyness and wear it as a badge of honor as it was destroying my mental and physical health and making me unhappy. No more.

  29. Thank you for #5, especially! As I prepare to pack my apartment for a move later this summer, I am once again reminded of the value in minimalizing. What do I not need anymore?? What can I live without??

    Because as you said – having more requires more – time, energy, etc.

  30. This is such a great and refreshing post. I love moving to a new area, because all of a sudden 90% of my previous commitments have ended and I’m not “busy.” Unfortunately that lasts for about 2 weeks, and I start taking things on again that lead me to the unwanted “busy” state! I love the simple, yet profound, advice that you offer here! Thank you so much for sharing it!

  31. LOVE this post. I’ll be linking to/sharing it! Too much stress and/or too much busy-ness is health-damaging. And how much is “too much” is different for each person. Adrenal burnout is a very real danger, I suspect many people are suffering from it and don’t know it. Bad part is, it only gets worse if you don’t change something, and the worse it gets, the harder it is to find someone who knows how to help you get better. Life can be simpler. Our culture makes it so complicated. I am much happier with a calm life. Also, my kids are 12 and 10 and they still love to be read to at night. We have shared some wonderful book adventures because of it!

  32. I find it very hard to not be busy. Especially since I am trying to turn into a minimalist.
    I work from home, so I’m trying to keep my business going plus do all the housework, shopping for food, clothes…, cook, weed the garden, exercise, pay bills… and now on top of that I am trying to squeeze in time each day to de-clutter my basement (a major undertaking, and there are closets and drawers and cabinets awaiting their turn). I often feel guilty at the end of the day because I didn’t have time to walk my dog. So, I don’t know how to not be busy. But I am tired of the frantic pace of just trying to keep up with everything.

    • I know it can be very overwhelming all the household tasks when you are working too. Have you thought of outsourcing some things. ie weeding. Also I found shopping once a fortnight helped me save time. A few other tips..Food shop online and get it delivered, cooking 2 meals at once and freeze one for another night, automatic payment of bills online, getting kids to help (if you have them) with some tasks like housework, weeding, walking the dog. Maybe you can combine some tasks (walk the dog for exercise).
      Can you enlist the help of family or friends to watch kids so you have a day free to get really stuck into the basement de-clutter?
      Also, if I have extra things on I try to minimize the housework. ie how long can something be left until it REALLY needs to be cleaned. This is not ideal for long-term, but can help relieve some-short term stress.
      Definitely try to allocate a few jobs to other family members if possible to share the load.
      All the best!!

  33. A beautiful post that helps redirect a busy life to a full one. It’s not about doing less, but rather choosing what’s important and giving those priorities enough “white space” or margin that they retain their significance. On #7, I’ve learned that saying “yes” to one thing always says “no” to another. If I can discern what I’m losing by saying “yes,” it often frees me to say “no”.

  34. I love this phrase, because I value wisdom. Thanks for bringing it into my awareness! :-)

  35. I love this article. We need to stop and think and take moments to rest, and let the brain process and digest the day, not throw more information and stuff at it!
    We try and encourage people to create a special space where they can reconnect to their inner self, the inner voice is the quiet one and the wisest one.
    Thank you

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  37. My busy-ness stems from the desire to have a more inviting region in the rural area I live in for my 24-year old daughter who has Rett syndrome. Options and choices for people who have intellectual and developmental disabilities are extremely limited and nothing at present seems a good match for someone who needs assistance throughout her day, cannot speak or care for herself, but who understands at a rather mature level. Then, there’s the never-ending reality that most people just ‘don’t get it’ with special needs, and resources and services are their own struggle… so I’ve joined an organization to work at making progress. Little improvements have come about in eight years, but how do I shut off this busy? Low functioning people with I/DD do not attract the amount of volunteer effort as other programs… It’s hard to describe, but my mind is distracted on any given day with questions of where will my daughter live and who will be her loving, caring friends when she’s my age. I love this post and blog site, just can’t seem to unload this busy-ness the way I’d like.

  38. Terrific message, I wish I would have heard it fifteen years ago! So often I think this addiction to busy-ness starts when we are in school or just get our first jobs….

  39. This message is great! Reading everyone’s comments gave me a new perspective on my own life. I consider myself too busy quite often, and yet when I look at what other people are doing I feel like I’m getting nothing done and therefore not living up to my potential or something. Even though I think myself way too busy, I do have time to read, have solitude, play and read with my children, and I have few stressful days. These are things I refuse to cut back on. All those projects that seem to be looming over me since we started having kids 7 years ago, have waited all this time, and our lives have not fallen apart. So then, are they really very important? I feel I have even more to be thankful for.

  40. It is not at easy as that. How do you say No at work when we are in an economic crisis and your employer will sack you if you don’t do the extra work? How are you going to pay for your daily food and living costs? How do you find more time when you spend 12 hours commuting and working every day? When you come home exhausted and collapse in a heap only to do it again the next day, because there are no local jobs and you have to work to gain money? How do you sit down and do nothing, when you have family across the world who rely on you to send them money or things to survive in their lives? You have a responsibility towards others. The attitude of this article of saying no, ‘relaxing’, doing less, go agains the principles of finding solutions to our global problems, it sounds more like a selfish act of thinking just of oneself and ignoring the person next to you who needs help. These pieces of advice above do not solve our problems of being busy.

  42. Lena, I don’t know your circumstances. It sounds like from your comment that you are having to support your family from a far. I relate to that feeling of responsibility because I was the same way and still am. However I approach my responsibility in a different way now. I am an attorney and 2years ago I was in the same boat. I worked for my self. I put in long hours and the stress was unreal. I got to the point were I would come home and just sit in the recliner and do nothing. There were times I would come home and cry because some of my cases were so upsetting. When I was with family and friends I would be there physically but mentally I would be thinking about what I needed to do next on the current cases I was working on. That caused a lot of guilt for me. I finally talked to my family about the situation because it had gotten so bad. Every single one of them told me to quit! That is saying a lot because both my daughters worked for me so if I quit they lose their income. My husband would become the primary bread winner. My parents and sibling can’t brag about having a daughter/sister that is an attorney. Not that they thought like that but I did not want to embarrass they by giving up. It has been 2 years since I started transitioning out of law. It has taken that long to finish my cases. Next year I will be starting my new life. I have made a commitment to not let my choice in career overwhelm me again. Family has always been important to me so they are always at the center of my decisions, along with God. I can honestly say that my life has never been better and I know that my family is just as happy with my decision. I realized that my family just wanted me to be happy. They did not care about all that other stuff. I have a better relationship with my husband. He’s no longer a strange man that lives with me but my best friend. I get to spend more time with my parents who are getting up in age. They love it also, there is nothing like your parents greeting you with a smile when you go to see them. I get to pick my grand kids up from daycare on a regular basis. Nothing like hugs from small chubby arms and great big smiles. My point is that maybe you need to have a talk with your family. Sometimes what you may think they want is not what they really want. If you have already done that and they are saying a resounding yes you need to keep working then maybe you need to think of a different way to make money so that you can make the money needed to support them but at the same time enjoy your life. I’ve always read that if you are going to do something for a large part of your day then it needs to be something you love. I am a firm believer in that now. I’ve tried to have a JOB that did not work so I am going with something that I have always dreamed of instead. I’ve never been happier and my family is the same way. What I got from the post was not laziness but instead what is important to each individual. Some want to sleep til noon. If they want to do that and all their obligations are being met then so be it. If someone feels that they want to spend more time with family instead of working a ridiculous amount of time then they should be able to do so. If someone wants to follow a dream but that dream means less income then they should be able to do that. I get a strong impression from your comment that you are very angry and frustrated with your life. As a mother/grandmother/sister/sibling and from a place of love and acceptance I encourage you to look at your life and see what is important to you and then speak to your family. You may be surprised! I wish you the best!

  43. I think part of the challenge is that many people confuse being busy with being productive. So not only are people over busy, but it is often on stuff that isn’t what is most important stuff or in aligning with their core values. In order to redress the balance I think we each need to reject busy as the norm and get back in touch with the real pace of life.

  44. Thank you very much for your post. I’m on the other side of your 5 years, but I’m headed towards your process. I have felt guilty to have downtime and not accomplish anything. But as you said and your responders said, this is the guts of life and we need it to be able to think clearly. I’m also someone who rarely says no, and if I do, it’s in a defensive way. I want to move forward and get some down time and reassess all of my priorities.
    Thank you again!

  45. I am drawn to the ideas in this post, but am not sure all of them are realistic for everyone. I get the sense that most people who are enthusiastic about these ideas, may mostly have themselves to worry about, or maybe just a spouse or toddler. I think it is harder if you have a house full of kids who already have their own interests and activities — that is currently what takes up a good bit of my “spare” time. I can’t exactly say “sorry daughter, I know you have worked really hard to get to this level of playing soccer, but I’m tired of driving you around — so we are going to quit.” Of course one could say, well — don’t get involved in travel soccer (girl scouts, odyssey of the mind, karate, whatever) in the first place! If you don’t have children yet, or only toddlers, warning! — this is easier said than done. Kid’s activities start out as very manageable; 1 practice a week (1 hr) and a game on Saturday (45 min) — easy! and they are having fun!. But if they are good at it, and in fact love it, and have a “never quit” attitude — it can grow and grow. I try to keep a philosophical approach to it — one of my mantras is “If you say yes to it, embrace it!” because I hate when people commit to something and then whine about it. So I am at a stage of my life that is pretty “busy” by most people’s standards — I teach full time, and then most evenings I drive one or more of my three children to something that they love to do. Each of them only has one main activity, but it is still enough to keep a parent very busy! But on the other hand, I do take a lot of joy out of watching my children’s enjoyment, and we have met some good friends ourselves from many weekends sitting together on the sidelines. I guess this long rambling post is just to say, a lot of it is mindset. For me, the avoidance of stress is the key, not the avoidance of busy-ness. I try to maintain a calm center, even in the midst of a busy life. I think the time will come, in about 6-8 years, when I will have a much less busy lifestyle. It will be interesting to see if I feel relieved, or, more likely I think, if I will miss it.

  46. I disagree. Unbusiness sounds like lazy to me especially when you have little ones. They need and deserve your energy. If you’re just using the “I’m so busy” excuse to look like you’re important at work – then I agree – that’s total b.s. But there are real times in life when you had better be more than willing to bust your a## for the sake of your children, elders, neighbors, etc. You blow any of them off ’cause “you don’t FEEL like being busy” – karma is going to come back and bite you.

  47. I really appreciate this thoughts…but I think you’ve to be able even to be unbusy…I mean…someone (like me time ago) forced his or herself to be unbusy, but the free time was always full of thought about what should I do, what should I say, and so on. Now I’m learnig how to be quiet and therefore unbusy with yoga, meditation and buddism…I had a so busy mind before that I had to learn how to “clean” it…hope everyone will find his/her way!

  48. God has already scheduled one day per week for our rest. He blessed it and called it Sabbath. You should try His rest ‘just because He says so’ , if ‘because I need it’ is not compelling enough. Its a good first step towards managing and prioritising our time.

  49. I loved this post! And the truth is I am always busy :) But in the last 10 years I went from busy (worried-stress like busy) to busy doing things I love! I am very active, and I am always looking for things and projects that inspire me and recharge my energy. So, in between moments dedicated to work, I also read posts like this :) or go outside and eat a fruit under the sun, or stop working and go for a walk of +7 km in the park, go to the gym, volunteer for causes that are dear to me, do yoga, go to the gym, write… I also have time to enjoy family and friends along the week. Busy for me is a choice, absolutely! There is sooo much I want to do, experience, soak in, that I am definitely busy, but in my case, I don’t feel it as an excuse for hiding out. I am a freelancer by choice (love my work!), and all of my other activities (no stress, I just choose to do them and do not them if I don’t feel like it) are in my schedule because I choose to have them. Being a freelancer also lets me take naps no matter the time or place! So that’s nice, too. I agree “busy” should not be the new “fine” in the way this article puts it, but in my case, I know I am busy and it definitely means more than just fine –it’s creative, it’s expansive, it’s fun!

  50. There are many who dont have the luxury of taking a day to themselves…single working parents for example. A blog entry for them prob. would be nice. Im not a single parent but I can only imagine how hard things are for them. Even carving out minutes here and there for themselves is a huge challenge. To those that have people commenting on how they wished they had the privilege of free time…when they see you taking it…say thank you..it was a necessary change for my sanity. It’s amazing how many will share about their stress. We live by example. Not always easy and not every attempt is successful (life just gets in the way sometimes) but the effort needs to be there if you want change to happen regularly. A little rest goes a long way…baby steps.

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