I haven’t been writing as many blogs lately. Have you noticed? Somehow I’ve been wrapped up in being busy.
Last year I deliberately rejected that term, “busy.” We all use it way too much. It’s a badge of honor, a standard response, a socially acceptable state. “How are you?” “Busy.” If you aren’t “busy” your life sounds pretty boring. If you aren’t “really busy” you’re probably not working hard enough.
Removing that word from my vocabulary was liberating. We all get 24 hours in a day – whether you’re the President of the United States or little old me. How you choose to frame your view of time is up to you. But staying off that busy bandwagon isn’t easy…
Taking time to write down even a few thoughts from our Coffee Social is a great way to solidify some worthy ideas, share them, and allow myself to reflect on those concepts when needed. If I don’t, the ideas find themselves lost somewhere in the recesses of my brain. And just writing one post a week turns into a sizable collection by the end of the year. That feels like an accomplishment.
But I’ve been too “busy” lately to take the time to process, write, edit, and publish some really great topics…which I can’t remember now, because I didn’t write them down – but I know for sure they were fascinating! I decided to push ahead this fall with more programs at WORK, more projects outside of WORK, and a general “leaning in” to the opportunities in my life. But at what cost? Writing, yoga, gardening, cooking, entertaining friends – all things I love, but they can be difficult to squeeze into a “busy” life. And what about the value of the space between all this doing? There is something uniquely restorative and inspirational about time spent on no task. I like to just watch the sky. “Nothing to do, nowhere to go, just be.”
I’ve tried upping my “Getting Things Done” game, hoping that might solve my problem, but I suspect it’s more endemic than that. Perhaps the time has come to revisit my ban on “busy” and return to enjoying a full life, one that fits neatly within the confines of a 24-hour day. Wish me luck!
Written and photographed by Natasha Juliana. Edited by Linda Jay.
Curious about Coffee Social? Join us Tuesdays at 10 AM.