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Busyness cover

 

Busy has become a way of being in our modern world. Some of us feel busy all the time and for others it comes in waves but feels totally overwhelming when we hit a busy spell.

I love the analogy used by Oliver Burkeman when he said that busyness is like a jigsaw puzzle; every week we get 500 pieces that we have to fit together by Friday. Every week we get to Friday and the puzzle is only half complete and we feel despairing and like we have failed. What we don’t appreciate is that every week the number of pieces keeps expanding as the week goes on so we never have a chance of completing the puzzle.

The problem is that being busy has a big impact on the quality of our lives and often prevents us from doing the things we want to do and the things that nourish us.

Equally, the things we are meant to enjoy often become just another thing on the to do list, leaving us no room for enjoyment in the schedule.

It is always the things for ourselves that get put to the bottom of the list and we promise ourselves we will do them when everything else is done…but of course this never happens.

So, in this video I share the 3 simple mindset shifts to help you to break out of this busyness trap.

 

 

The Summary

[divider number=”1″ title= “Mind Your Language”]

Telling yourself or others ‘Im busy’ means you are taking this on as part of your identity and you will act accordingly. You might take on extra pressures or expectations or fill your time unnecessarily. Your body will also react to whatever messages it is receiving from your mind. In response to “I’m busy” it will feel tense, stressed out and overwhelmed. You are creating a sense of high alert in your body therefore you will feel on edge and will likely do things such as check your email more often or create tasks to do, therefore becoming even busier.

Use the affirmation, ‘My life is full of purpose and intention’.

 

[divider number=”2″ title= “Ask yourself if being busy has any purpose for you”]

This requires some honest reflection but very often being busy is serving some sort of purpose in your life. It might be a distraction from anxiety or a way to feel important or needed. Being busy can prevent our lives from feeling meaningless or directionless. Remind yourself ‘it’s ok not to be busy’  and try to take some time to just be and begin to learn how to do positive things for yourself and allow life to take on a new meaning.

 

[divider number=”3″ title= “Let go of expectations”]

You can only do the best you can and you need to be ok with that. You may have to let some things be less than perfect. Ask yourself if each item on your to do list is absolutely essential.. Let go of anything that isn’t. Prioritise your sleep and down time as they have never been more important. Choose carefully what goes in your diary and try to see yourself as a whole person rather than just your work self or parent self.

The Takeaway

What you focus on becomes your reality

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