The Badge of Busy
Letting go of busy for the sake of busy and finding joy in being fully human
It seems I have not posted here in about six weeks! While I could tell you all the reasons why my time has been focused elsewhere, that might come off as listing my busy-ness. This is a thing I’ve tried to make a discipline of avoiding in the last several years, especially after knowing the impact failing to monitor my wellbeing has on me!
While I am certainly not bored and have plenty to do, I think our culture’s glorification of busy is dangerous and unhealthy. We do this in person, responding “Busy!” when asked “how are you?” We do this online in listing our busy lives, overpacked schedules, and impressive ability to do all the things at all the times on social media. We do this to ourselves and our families with a failure to learn and honor boundaries. I used to even tell people “I’d rather be busy than bored.” It’s as if I were earning a badge for Best Busy Person or Most Successful with All the Things on Her Plate. Gross. These days? I’d rather be a little bored than so busy that it’s my entire personality.
I believe God created us for work and engagement in life. But I also believe God created us for community and modeled rest. I cannot pick only to work and ignore the rest.
I was forced to practice what I preach a bit this weekend when I realized it was about 4 p.m. on Saturday and I’d done precious little “work.” I did not cross much off my list and I spent most of the day focused on embroidery. When I was not stitching, I was on the front porch, enjoying the glorious fake spring weather we were having. I was far from bored this weekend, rather I found myself delighted by the time I could spend on things that bring me such joy.
The stress of being human in these times and in America right now is a lot. I’ve just finished teaching spring 1 MBA students and after the weekend of delightful stitchery and am now focused on the slightly overwhelming task of grading about 30 final projects. Final grades are due Wednesday and by that morning, I’ll start teaching three new MBA classes (and, of course, attending to all the other nuances and responsibilities of a mindful faculty member). I told some friends later in the evening Saturday, that when I caught myself shaming how “unproductive” I’d been on Saturday, I self-corrected, thinking, “Enjoy today - there is plenty of work to do next week!”). And…I was right!
Of course, the truth is, these kinds of days (the days the world might deem unproductive) are good for us. Had I done zero embroidery and lounged around watching dumb TV, I’d argue I spent my time just as wisely. After a weekend of spending time with my family, laughing at my dogs, making progress on embroidery projects, and tending to precious little else…I am renewed.
Work - even the worthiest work that is aligned with your inner mission and love of Jesus - is exhausting. Actually as most nonprofit employees know, missionally-aligned work is the most exhausting work. We must take care of ourselves and find times to be a bit bored, or “waste” time, or do things that bring us joy.
The idea that we can continue at the pace many of us do with endless focus is nonsense. Humans were not created for it. And the more I can talk about this idea - and the need to tend to oneself long before reaching burnout - I will.
Mondays are kind of hard some weeks. In my part of the world we went from beautiful weather on Saturday to chilly, rainy, dreary blah today. That makes it even harder to focus or care about much other than snuggling dogs with a cup of hot tea nearby. And so in my mind I’m taking note, today is a little blah, where can I find a small joy to counteract that and be my best self later?
In our world of it must be this or that, never both, might I urge you to think that often our best reality is found in the “both.” I am both busy today (congratulations to me!) and focused on finding renewal. And I think I’m a better human than 10 years ago when I would have failed to see that.