Update:

This post was written before I got to know more about neurodiversity. The basic advice is still valid if you have a neurodiversity. The more you know about what drives your busyness then the more you are able to manage it.

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Several years ago, we started to hear about the cult of busyness. I don’t hear the term so much these days. I feel that it didn’t quite hit the mark for those who were busy in their lives. No one wants to think of themselves as in a cult.

It doesn’t seem that things have changed though. People are still busy. Busy at work, busy at home, even busy at recreation! Being busy is not a problem. The problem lies in being too busy to breathe or in being busy for too much of your time. It’s like anything, if it dominates your life to the point of addiction or numbing out, then you have a problem.

Have you ever got home from work worn out from the day, but you can’t remember half of it? Were you so busy that you didn’t notice the day? That’s great if you were in flow, in deep work, but if you were running around in crisis mode firefighting, then that’s something to be concerned about.

What happens away from work?

Do you have a house to run? Do you have a family to care for? Have you got DIY projects you are working on, or want to get working on? It’s easy to keep busy.

On top of those real-life things to do there’s the digital life we like to keep up with. We can be forever reading news, social media, or watching ‘how to’ videos for that project.

It is your attitude to doing all these things that is the difference between them being fulfilling or a problem. If you enjoy them and they recharge your energy levels, or help you unwind, then that’s great. Spending time with family when the company is fun is great for us.

However, if you view all these things as stuff to get through as quickly as possible, then you are just adding to the problem of busyness, overwhelm and stress.

The size of the problem

Where are you on the scale of busyness? Are you busy in bursts of productivity so you have time to enjoy life, or do you run from one overwhelming and stressful task to another all day long? If you recognise yourself in the second description, all is not lost.

It is possible to change your mindset, and your habits, to slow down, achieve more, and enjoy life more. I will be writing more about this in my blog.