“I’m sooo busy…!”

First published 23 August 2024

How often have you heard this refrain?  How often have you used it yourself?  And when did it become a badge of honour?

For some bizarre reason, so many of us have at some point fallen into the trap of measuring our worth or our productivity by just how busy we are.

Is constantly being busy really something to strive for?

Today I am going to attempt to debunk the “busy fallacy” and explore the benefits of slowing down.

I almost fell into the trap when it came to writing this!  I ‘should’ have been more organised in writing my ‘weekly waffle’ and then scheduled it to come out yesterday as per usual (thank you to those of you who have called me out on it being late – I guess you do actually read my musings 😉)… and I very nearly started by apologising for being late because I was busy.

In all honesty, I remembered it was Thursday after I was tucked in for the night and made a conscious decision to not get back out of bed to write it there and then!  In my defence, I had a really fun day shooting behind-the-scenes footage for a photographer friend as she worked with her clients in a sunflower field – it was just what I needed to get my creativity flowing again!  But I digress… (slightly…)

Stating that I was busy wouldn’t have been a helpful comment.  Being busy was only half of the story.  Yes, I could have written this on Tuesday when my day was a little quieter, but I didn’t.  I could have just written something today and pretended that everything was on schedule and nothing was amiss. (I think I am too honest for that one though 🤦‍♀️).  Instead, I am going to accept that my priority this week was a little different to normal.  As I come up on 4 complete years of almost always getting this into your mailbox on a Thursday, I am not going to beat myself up for being a little late – and I hope you won’t be too upset with me for the delay.

Let’s take a moment to look at the Downside of always being ‘busy’:

Stress & Burnout – been there, done that and bought the t-shirt!  I do not recommend!  When we are constantly on the go and busy we can fall down the slippery slope to chronic stress, burnout and a huge decrease in productivity.
Missed Opportunities – when we are constantly rushing, we can miss out on valuable experiences and connections.
Decreased Creativity – when we are overwhelmed, our ability to think creatively can be hindered stopping us from being able to come up with innovative solutions.
Unhealthy Habits – we can end up neglecting sleep, movement/exercise, and forget what eating healthily looks like.

On the flip side, there can be great benefits in slowing down (even if you feel like this is impossible)

Increased Productivity – yes, you read that right!  When we take breaks and then focus on one thing at a time, we can actually improve our productivity (and it leads to a lot less rework too!)
Improved Mental Health – slowing down can reduce stress, anxiety and depression (and I know that spending a day in a sunflower field did me a world of good! Even if I do now have more photos to edit…)
Enhanced Creativity – when we take the time to rest and recharge, our minds have the space and capacity to come up with some fun innovative ideas.
Better Relationships – Spending quality time with loved ones without feeling rushed can strengthen our relationships (after my day in the sunflowers, I made the time to have a meal with family who are visiting from India – and I have the potential to get more information for that side of the family tree into the bargain which has been a dead end for too long – isn’t it amazing what taking the time out to have conversations can bring?)

So, you may be thinking – ok Angela, sounds good but how do I do it? 

First – let’s come back to Priority.  What is your priority? Determine what is truly important and focus on it.  There may be some things that you just can’t not do (like go to work, pick the kids up, etc), but there will be things that you are doing that just are not your priority and can be paused or deleted from today.

Learn to say NO! Oh this is a favourite of mine.  I’m not always the best at this myself, but I am a work in progress 😉.  Work on not overloading yourself, and where it feels like this is a risk, practice saying no.  You are allowed to say it sometimes – and the more you practice, the easier it gets.

Practice Mindfulness.  This can mean so many different things to different people.  Simply spend one minute with your eyes closed and focusing on your breathing (please don’t do this one whilst driving...).  If you want something a bit more, spend time meditating – with or without a guide – there are many apps that provide guided meditations – and not all of them require a subscription.

Remember to plan in and then take regular breaks.  Whether it’s to remember to take lunch, or even to just stand up on the hour every hour and just move.  Breaks are essential to allow you to rest, recharge and reinvigorate your creativity and thinking power!

The bottom line is that being busy does not equal being productive.  So, join me in breaking free from the busy fallacy, together we can improve our well-being, increase our productivity, loosen the pressure of self-imposed guilt, and work towards living a more fulfilling life.

Have a great weekend – and maybe I’ll be back to my regular schedule next week…