Have you felt lately that most of the people that you meet
are caught up in the cult of busyness….Are you too annoyed with the never
changing friends’ chat status as ‘crazy busy’ ? Does it made you to think …Is
she busy forever? Or she does want people to perceive that she has no time to
answer your totally-irrelevant-and-waste-of-time-conversation! From my vantage
point, this is what happens with the busyness phenomena. Sometime people feel
embarrassed or caught in the FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) and terrified to openly
admit that they have some free time. They doesn't want to put themselves in a
situation where they are called obsolete. It is like a slap to one’s pride!
They find this busyness phenomena cool…’hectic schedule-busy with meeting-crazy-
catch you later’ lingo has definitely added a touch of glamour to the social
status. Remember, busyness is a symptom. The scary part is that you are
indiscriminately ignoring more significant things in life, habituated with an
easy excuse!
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| Photo credit : freedigitalphotos.net |
It’s good to be busy…it is a good feeling…good to be engaged
and stay in that way to keep yourself away from boredom and emptiness…but there
is always a difference between being busy and being fruitful. I am a believer
of John Lennon’s saying ‘Life is what happens when you are busy making other
plans ‘. By being busy we forget some precious opportunities and wow moments
that would take your personal and professional lives to one step ahead or a
whole new level. Being busy has some ground rules. But what irks me so much is
that some stays or like to stay busy forever giving others a ‘not-so-idle’
stance towards them or simply put ‘ my time is so valuable than yours’ to let others know that they are totally
“buried” and grounded for the rest of the day...or
weeks or months or forever ! This thing called busy is cool, brag-worthy and
understandable but not always. Most of the time, it turns out to be
miscommunicated. I am not intended to belittle anyone’s hardship but for once,
I would like someone to prioritize, acknowledge and respond to ones that spend
their valuable time too and are as busy as you!
Being a WAHM, I got attracted to the concept of time
management - spending the entire day focused, prioritising work and personal
time. My day will be packed with work and house chores. Well, if you are
working outside your home, then house chores will never concern you until you
come back home at the end of the day. The most productive time I find is 1.
When my folks leave to work and school respectively 2. My toddler’s nap time.
Capitalising on naptime is the most effective strategy I have learnt while
working at home since I get at least two to three hours to finish up some major
tasks of my assignment. But I feel okay to push aside my work when my kiddo is feeling
ignored because I don’t feel I could accomplish anything when you have a fussy
toddler around. I also find it interesting to give him some colouring stuffs to
work with and sometimes play with him for a while. Because, once he had his
‘mom’ fill then he is happy to play by himself. I never take personal calls
during work time unless it is emergency. I have this unique privilege of
‘understanding’ from my parents, husband and some of my close friends who knew
my work hours and never hesitate to call me back during my leisure time. For
other calls, I always make sure I call them back during the ‘me’ time- where I
take time to catch up with friends, pamper myself, attend missed phone calls
and watch some tele. I find the importance of people spending their valuable
time to call me and hence I acknowledge them with my fair share of calling them
back…In this way, missed calls had never been lost calls! While I try to steer
the conversation well away from how busy I am, I try to strike up an
interesting conversation piece that totally deviates me from my hectic day.
Have you felt the power of a pause? Instead of ending up
frazzled, slow down to connect to yourself for a moment. Self-audit on what you
have achieved by squeezing up so much time for the day. Prioritize things.
Unplug and pause for a moment to get rejuvenated…after all you have to compliment
your own accomplishments and milestones for the day. We are busy because we say
we are…! There is nothing called busy… it’s about priorities. Next time, try to
replace your word choice from ‘I am busy and I have no time’ to ‘It’s not a
priority right now!’ Sounds perfect right? In this hyper-competitive world,
everyone is caught up in the frenzy roller coaster ride. It is vital to stay
ahead of competition but it is equally important to prioritize your relationship,
passion and creativity to bring the real you. Why not pause for a moment in the
busyness? Stop to talk with someone, appreciate a beautiful weather, take time
to laugh at a silly joke, enjoy unique moments with people you love and create
memories. Break the busyness and discover yourself!
