Being Busy is Not a Personality Trait

“How are you?”

Busy.

Ask ten working adults that question and there’s a decent chance you’ll hear the same answer.

Somewhere along the way, being busy became a status symbol.

We brag about packed calendars. Eat lunch while answering emails. Check work messages on vacation. And announce that we’re “crazy busy” with the strange pride normally reserved for finishing a marathon.

Here’s a slightly provocative thought:

Maybe being constantly busy isn’t impressive. Maybe it’s exhausting.

There will always be another email to answer, another project to finish and another person who has suddenly decided their emergency should become yours.

You are allowed to be unavailable.

Try it tonight.

Close the laptop. Silence the phone. Light some incense. Pour whatever belongs in your favorite glass. Sit somewhere comfortable and spend a little time accomplishing absolutely nothing.

And here’s the difficult part:

Don’t feel guilty about it.

Rest isn’t something you earn after completing every item on your list.

Because you know what happens when you finish the list?

Someone makes another list.

So stop treating every unoccupied minute as a vacancy that needs filling.

Sometimes the most productive thing you can do after a mentally exhausting day is declare yourself officially off duty.

The world will survive.

Your inbox will survive.

And yes, even that URGENT!!! email will probably survive.

Your workday ends here.

Enjoy the Zen.