“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?
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Further Reading
Pritpal says
All the points are very relevant in the current scenario wherein don’t even have time to wish our loved ones a Happy birthday, thanks to we being so called Busy!!
Scheduling rest, power of saying no and relaxing activities like meditation makes a huge difference. I myself make it a point to do meditation at least twice and day in order to remain efficient and keep my mind calm.
Thanks for another awesome article.
Sarah Davies says
Good read Josh. I always find the best way to not be busy is to lie on the couch with my meditation app and just listen.
Suresraj Therambarajoo says
Thoroughly enjoyed reading this. :)
Monory says
great post!!!
Robert Racek says
Thank You Joshua for very poignant article! I am definitely lucky when it comes to life. I am able to enjoy it as it comes simply because I have set up my life carefully according to my own needs and wants.
No doubt it has been challenging journey but without it I would be different person. Growing up and working I kept my “moral radar” turned on to see who in life around me was happy and what were they doing. I decided that it would be smart to emulate them but only to the degree necessary. One has to be very cautious to not jump on band wagon because “one man’s cure is the other man’s poison”.
I have concluded that I was not willing to spend endless hours chasing something that eventually will be taken from me in blink of an eye. Don’t get me wrong, one still has to make a living but how you do it and approach it makes all the difference in the world.
I have concluded that to avoid facing big problems in one’s life later one must acquire sensible way of living and then acquire the lifestyle.
Unfortunately many people acquire the lifestyle first and the thirst for it becomes unquenchable. Then they are regrettably forced into working long hours and months which turn into years if you are healthy enough to live long time. As such main question stand: what’s the point of having long life if one is not enjoying himself / herself? Even living long life like that, is it truly satisfying? Not just on surface but truly deeply at your soul’s level. One can flash nice smile but only him or her can know how they feel deeply inside. I would rather live true to myself and face whatever consequences come my way. Living this way brought me much satisfaction. You must become become your own surgeon of life and live it accordingly. There will always be people judging and disagreeing but at the end of it all you will have to answer to yourself. And at that moment you want it to feel good and right and then finally take the final leap into the unknown.
Be strong, be you, live long.
Danielle Beres says
i appreciate this article however, with 2 children with special needs I would LOVE to be less busy! My husband works 2 jobs so that I can have a slightly flexible schedule (substitute teaching) so I can manage one child’s IEP (lots of meetings) medication, psychiatric appointments, attend a parents of depressed children support group with my OTHER child while she goes to her own group followed by an individual therapy session and frequent psychiatric appointments. Then I’m single parenting at night while husband works and there is dinner to be made, clean up, homework help, do laundry, etc. on the weekends we try to be low key even though that often means stuff doesn’t get done, but we MUST have family time! The other day I had a few minutes in between work and pick up and was cuddling with my dog on the couch. A friend called, I told her what I was doing and she said, “I wish I had time for that.” I know she didn’t mean to be hurtful at all, but I immediately felt guilty that I wasn’t “busy.” Truthfully snuggling with my dog was MY turn for therapy!
Scott says
Don’t ever feel guilty for taking some time for yourself – you need it. In part, so that you can continue the meaningful and demanding work of being a mother. I think this article is about finding our priorities. You have those figured out!
Brenda says
One of your best articles! And they are all good!
Ravi says
This Ravi, an Indian, currently working in Japan. My wife and kids are in India. Without knowing minimalism earlier, i used to not to exercise, dont cook by myself (even though Japanese foods are not fit for my tongue), full of stresses due to my financial commitments, and worry for my past mistakes, etc.
Those days, all i was doing was work, worry, watch movies….
i started searching why am i like this…. cant i change this behaviour.. i read so many articles from auto-pilot mind, meditation, mindfulness, minimalism, saintly books of Hindu, etc etc….
of which, the most helped was mindfulness and minimalism and decluttering (not just room, but also mind and my activities)….
my current life style : wake up early in morning, cook, exercise, office, cook dinner, read book for 1 to 2 hours, talk to family, friends and relatives, and sleep from 9 to 5:30….
I feel much much better and it cannot be compared to my previous life in any means….
Thanks for minimalistic and mindfulness technique (thich naht hanh) ideas….
princevinco says
This interesting and as well as an educative article.
Erin says
Great tips, especially scheduling time for rest and relaxation. I personally keep every Sunday as a day to spend with my son and spouse and schedule friend time during the week some time after work. Other ways I have found to be less busy and FEEL less busy are to try to get up early and get some of my chores done before work, and to completely disconnect from tv and internet every other evening. Making sure household chores are evenly divided between family members also helps and not procrastinating on things. If you procrastinate, it adds stress to your life by giving you the feeling of something you have to do later. After awhile you feel overwhelmed.
Rin says
I like your ideas of waking up early to do some chores before work and not procrastinating on things. Ill try doing these as well. Thanks.