Why is everyone so busy?
“Hey how’s it going?”
“Busy. Same old, just so busy”
“Ah you got a lot on at the moment?”
“Oh I’ve got so much on right now. So busy just doing all of the things, going to all the places and getting the stuff done. Busy. Busy. Busy. Busy as a bee just buzzing around being BUSY. If I was a Spice Girl I’d probably be Busy Spice. Izzy whizzy I’m so f*cking busy.”
We’ve all had a conversation similar to the above. OK maybe not as elaborate but the same gist, right? But how close to reality is it? It makes me question whether we’re really that snowed under or we’re just trying to appear that way.
It seems we’ve entered a “Culture of Busy” that’s perpetuating a constant anxiety amongst today’s society. Business is ticking 24/7 and it can feel like any down time is a waste of time. There’s always more to be done, more emails to reply, more people to meet, more boxes to tick, more items on a never-ending to-do list.
I’m now 2 years into my first big-girl job (/my career or something like that?) and I can see the pressures we put on each other and ourselves. I’m surrounded by over-achievers which is great and inspiring. But at the same time it’s highly competitive and a struggle to keep up. It makes me question if people claim to be busy as a way of impressing one another. We feel like we should be busy. And that we should be sharing that with everyone and anyone rather than actually tackling the task ahead. It’s almost as if we feel ashamed if we’ve had a quiet day. But surely we can’t all be working at 100% capacity every day? Some days will be quiet but thou shall never admit such a travesty! It’s as if we feel like we’re achieving more if we’re busier. Or we at least look like we’re achieving more if really we’re watching that clip of Gemma Collins falling through the stage on repeat. It’s easy to appear busy and it’s also easy to get overwhelmed with tasks but both are manageable. Being busy for the sake of busy should never be the goal.
I believe ultimately you are in control of your own time. The age-old cliche “you are the master of your own destiny”. But it’s true. If you find yourself answering ‘busy’ every time you’re asked how you’re doing, then evaluate it and change it. If something is making you unhappy or stressed, it’s worthwhile getting to the root of what is causing that because it may be unnecessary pressures you’re putting on yourself. Say no once in a while, say something will take twice as long as expected and give yourself some mindless Jeremy Kyle time (or Dr.Phil- whatever floats your boat). On the flip side, when you are busy enjoy it! Be happy to be busy and make the most of it. Some people are bored at home with nothing going on. One day the peace and quiet you’ve longed for will resemble a large busy-shaped hole in your life and you’ll regret the times you whinged about it. And lastly please, if you ever hear me complain about being busy, you have full permission to box me in the nose.
