Stop Being Busy

Photo by id iom

Some people are just too busy for their own good.  I feel tired thinking of the people I know who are overwhelmed with work and drowning from other commitments.  Why is it so hard to work--and live--at a sustainable pace?  What is so important that we exhaust ourselves to accomplish?

I remember as a Project Manager putting in long days and nights at the office with my development team to get projects done and deployed.  In December.  The week of my birthday.  We were BUSY.  The pendulum of work rarely swung the other way though.  It took work to create downtime, and that became part of my job to do for the team.  Figuring out how to manage the work so the team could take a longer lunch or even catch an afternoon movie took effort and became a valuable skill in preserving everyone's sanity.  

Not all work is of equal importance; therefore, not all work requires the same sense of urgency.  There is wisdom in knowing when to push on to do more work and when to call it a day.  I worry that many people struggle to recognize the difference and push themselves past their limits.  They work themselves too hard.

Let's help one another stop being so busy.  Take the word out of your vocabulary when people ask how you've been.  If you see someone who is overworked, help them to slow down.  Be productive, be happy, be connected--be anything but busy.