Busyness

Brene Brown says that "crazy busy is an armor." But busyness is also a lot of other things. It is a pace of life, sometimes forced, sometimes chosen. It can be a cover-up. It can be an escape. It can be a badge of honor or a curse of culture. It can become an identity. I think it is always dangerous when we put our identity too much in any one things, so if you are a person, like me, who tends to be busy, maybe even who likes to be busy, here are a few questions to ponder:

Is my busyness stressful or purposeful? Is busyness happening to me, or am I choosing it? There is a big difference between letting our lives get overrun with needless to-dos, and actually choosing to do things because they matter to us.

Am I doing this because of anxiety or because of actual need or want? I can pursue busyness because I am anxious, because I need things to do to escape that anxiety (. (Spoiler alert, busyness just pushes off the anxiety and can make it come back stronger.) I can also end up busy because I have lots of great things to do, I have the energy to do them, and I want to do them.

"Whose house [am I] building and why?" (Frederick & Frederick, 2022) Who does this busyness serve? Does it serve my employer and "the man"? Does it serve me? Does it serve my family? Or is it doing the opposite. The dividends paid by my busyness matter.

Truth be told, I have not gotten my own busyness figured out. Sometimes I am crazy-busy. Sometimes I get close to crazy bored. Intent matters. Thinking about busyness a little more, maybe instead of busy work, might help us all!

References:

Frederick, R., & Frederick, S. (Hosts). (2022, April 19). Designing higher quality time. (no. 256) [Audio podcast episode]. In Fierce Marriage. https://fiercemarriage.com/designing-higher-quality-time

Marriot, S.,, & Kelley, A. (Hosts). (2018, July 19). Challenge Your “Busy” Identity – Gain Consciousness Over Your Pace. (no. 70). [Audio podcast episode]. In Therapist Uncensored. https://therapistuncensored.com/episodes/tu70-challenge-your-busy-identity-gain-consciousness-over-your-pace/