Has Being Busy Become a Badge of Honor? It Doesn't Need to Be

Recently, I was discussing the concept of self-care with a colleague. At one point in our discussion, as we were trying to find some additional time together to continue our chat, she blurted out: "I'm just so busy being busy!"

I'm just so busy, being busy. These words really stuck with me.

In today's always connected, information saturated, blisteringly fast paced world, it's safe to say that most of us might feel similarly —just so busy, being busy.

Ironically, I often get the sense that many people view this type of lifestyle as something to be celebrated —almost like a badge of honor. This raised a few questions for me.

• Has being busy become a badge of honor?

• Can we blame it on how entangled technology has become in our lives?

• Is there another way to live with more balance?

Professional, social and family obligations have been part of our lives for centuries. What has changed that created this culture of busyness we now live in? My first instinct was to blame it on technology. But hasn't technology made us more efficient? Think about how long it took to write a report with a typewriter verses an AI enabled word processor! Ah, but perhaps now, since there's an expectation that the report can be written faster, there's more stuff we can fit into the time we've saved. Now I can fit in an extra spin class, in between writing the report and cooking dinner for my family. And then, after dinner, there's some time to answer a few emails before the kids's bath time and bedtime, And, of course, once in bed, it seems like a good time to respond to those texts that came in during dinner.

And so it goes, we're now just so busy being busy.

It seems as if our focus on productivity and efficiency has become insatiable; and perhaps, at the expense of our own well-being. With little time for rest and reflection, we can suffer from burn out and anxiety, diminishing our quality of life. In addition to the emotional effects of busyness, there can sometimes be physical issues that come up, including poor sleep and a weakened immune system.

Bottom line: when we're just so busy being busy, we might be (and likely are) feeling unfulfilled. So, what can we do about it?

• Prioritize. Despite what you may think, you don't need to do everything. In fact, I think it's safe to say that no matter how determined you are, there will always be more to do than you're physically and mentally capable of doing. Pick the things that matter most to you and are consistent with your core values and goals. Sometimes, it's difficult to say no to things, but it can be a powerful tool for you to better manage your life.

  
  

• Schedule time for rest and reflection. Block out time in your schedule to do nothing. Even if it's just 15 minutes, twice a day. Use this time to meditate, take a walk, or just stare off in the distance. Leave your phone behind. This is the ultimate "me-time."

  
  

• Create rules with technology. Designate technology free zones in your home (the dinner table is a good place to start.) Turn off notifications in the evenings and commit to making your "me-time" technology free.

  
  

• Single task. While it might seem unintuitive, single tasking is typically more efficient that multi tasking. When you focus on a single task, it allows your brain to fully focus on the that task. Multi tasking creates switching costs; i.e., the mental effort required to reorient yourself to the new task. As these switching costs accumulate, you become less productive. This leads to decreased quality in your work product.

  
  

• Check in with yourself. Regularly reassess your schedule and tasks and make sure they're still aligned with your goals and values. If not, tweak the schedule and reprioritize the tasks.

Busyness doesn't need to be a badge of honor. There's an old saying. I'm not sure who said it and it's admittedly, a tad bit trite, but I think it's quite applicable:

"Sometimes you need to slow down to speed up."