How to be Busy Without Feeling Overwhelmed. Tip #1: The Problem With “BUSY”
“Busy” doesn’t really mean “productive”; here’s how to switch your focus to what really matters. At most moments in the day, we’re busy doing something; however, there’s a big difference between being busy and productive and just being busy.
The word “busy” is defined as being “engaged in action.” The bad kind of busy is taking action without being engaged in it and doing so repeatedly.
It’s spending time getting your email inbox to zero without being engaged with everything that lands there first. It’s surfing the web without a clear objective in mind before opening the browser. It’s decluttering your space–physical and/or digital–without putting a plan in place first.
The right kind of busy depends on intention before attention. The wrong kind of busy attracts attention before intention. Busy can also be isolating. Inevitably someone will ask you what you’re doing or how you’ve been, and if your reflex answer is “busy” it can be dismissive and shut down conversations. The person often responds with, ‘Sorry, didn’t mean to bug you,’ and backs away.
Saying you’re “crazy busy” is even worse. Not only am I busy, I’m frantically busy. It’s meant to say, ‘This is how important I am. I have this stuff.’ We all have stuff. We’re all busy.
