4 Simple Ways to be Less Busy
Busy. How do you feel about this word? Do you use it often?
It wasn’t until I moved to Australia and lived by the beach that I was able to truly experience the laid-back culture of another country. In the States, we are used to hustling 24-7. We’re always available, always on our phones, working way more than 40 hours per week and many of us have a really hard time setting boundaries between our work lives and our personal lives.
In Australia, every person who came to visit us always said the same thing. They would comment on how chill everything was; how everything was just a little bit slower. When I would ride the ferry to and from work (it never gets old saying that), you would see people reading, closing their eyes, looking out at the ocean or listening to their headphones. Of course there were times people had their laptops open, or were looking at their phones - but it was so nice to see when people actually took that time to unwind.
My husband travelled for work a good majority of the time, and while we were there I was working as a freelancer in advertising - which meant I didn’t always have work. I got used to spending a lot more time on my own. More time with my thoughts. More time in silence. Have you tried sitting in silence lately? Like, really true silence. It can feel so uncomfortable. Like we want to be talking or doing something or going through our to-do lists.
A few months ago I started to notice the word, “busy” and how overused it can be. Asking someone, “how are you today?” With their response, “I’m so busy.” Is busy really a state of being? What does busy mean? Does busy mean you are good, bad, happy or sad? Did you choose to be busy? Maybe you love being busy! Are you saying yes to too many things that are making you busy? Do you need to ask for help so you can be less busy?
I’ve made it my personal challenge to remove the word “busy” from my vocabulary. You heard that right. I don’t want to be busy. I want to be not-busy. I want to be so not busy that this year my husband and I have scheduled six no-plans plan weekends throughout the year where we don’t plan one single thing, but instead we enjoy whatever is happening at that specific point in time.
I don’t mean to make this post sound preachy. I guess I just wanted to ask the question. To make you think for a second and to challenge you to the silence.
4 Simple Ways to be Less Busy
There are a few things that I’ve learned in the past few years that have truly helped me slow down, focus - and be less “busy”. You can take them or leave them.
Prayer, Reflection + Journaling
Make time (at least 10 minutes per day) for prayer, reflection and journaling. Preach preach preach. All we hear about these days is journaling. I think the most helpful part about it, is even if you’re having a truly shitty day - it forces you to think of a few things that you’re really grateful for. I’ve started structuring my journal by: reflection, thoughts, intention and gratitude.
YOGA
I used to hate yoga. It was too slow for me and I never felt like I was getting a good enough workout. Then something magical happened - I changed my mindset. I started going to yoga more for my mind than for a workout. And then I realized the beautiful synergies of using your breath to fuel your body to clear your mind. Now, I can’t get enough yoga.
Boundaries.
This is a big one that I’m working on and I think I’ll always have to work on and evolve. Boundaries for me are listening to my mind and body and paying attention to what I need. Boundaries are asking myself if something is going to benefit me, or if maybe I should say no, and take that time to stay home and recharge. Boundaries are knowing that if I look at my email past 7.00 p.m., I’m not going to sleep very well. It’s knowing your limits of all things in life and paying attention to them. Boundaries means you have to be in constant communication with yourself and how you’re feeling.
Time Blocking
Have you ever asked yourself how many hours you actually have in one day, and then asked yourself how many hours you have for doing daily tasks (eating, showering, chores), and then figured out how many hours you actually have to get your work done? Then, write it all down.
For example:
Eat / Shower: 1 hour
Workout: 1 hour
Journal: 30 mins
Appointment (with drive time): 2 hours
Cooking Dinner: 1 hour
Work: 5 hours (you can break this down further)
Emails: 1 hour
Planning: 1.5 hours
Social Media: 1 hour
Blogging: 1.5 hours
Extra tasks if time allows:
Post-office
Target
Clean kitchen
Time blocking has truly transformed my life, and provided me with so much focus. It allows me to cut out the clutter, and to figure out what I can actually accomplish in one day. After all, there are only so many hours.
Pro-tip: Try time-blocking out your day the night before, so you already know what you need to do when you wake up in the morning!
This week I challenge you to do two things:
Try not using the word “busy” - see what else you can come up with.
Sit in silence for two minutes per day. Breathe, in and out. Listen to your breath.
How do you feel?
