Busy

“If the devil can’t make you sin, he’ll make you busy.”

As a serial to do list maker and day planner, I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately.

Where is my busyness healthy and productive? Where is my busyness not?

How do I internalize this, understand where this shows up in my life, and apply this?

I started being (even more) aware of my normal habits — constantly doing, checking things off my list.

Within each moment — whether it was unloading the dishwasher or answering a Slack at work — my mind was already on the next thing that needed to be done.

Physically, I was one place. Mentally, I was elsewhere.

I tried freeing up more time. I intentionally threw out certain things I wanted to get done, and focused on having more time for “nothing.” This didn’t seem to be working, because even with the free time I found myself preoccupied, thinking of all I needed to do.

My calendar was open, my mind was not.

Physically, I was one place. Mentally, I was elsewhere.

I could now say to my mom when she asked what I did that day, “I spent time with my friend, read a book, cleaned the house and blasted music.” But as I said it, I knew that I was never fully present.

My mind was trapped in what’s next.

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Freeing yourself from unnecessaries obligations is important, but it’s about more than that.

The truth is, lists and productivity has a place and a purpose. As does rest and rejuvenation.

But neither are effective if you aren’t truly there to experience them.

Time has been moving at lightning speed. Weeks go by in what feels like minutes. It feels like we never have enough.

I wonder if time would slow down, even just a little, if we were present in our days. If we sipped our coffee and enjoyed it, took a shower and really felt it, cleaned the house and sang our favorite song instead of thinking of what to do next.

We can still get things done and grow — but we need to be relaxed and present in doing so.