Being busy is the new equivalent to racism in the corporate (not all)!
I remember being given this feedback many years ago "you deliver, no problems there but the intensity is missing". I responded "but I'm always engaged in what I'm doing and most times in the flow. Things given to me how much ever difficult gets done". "Yes yes but see your body language, doesn't look like you're in a hurry. I mean looks like you're casual".
What the person was unable to articulate was that I didn't look "busy" enough to their liking.
Thank God, I don't look that way! I value calmness and stillness more than busyness. Though, i would agree that I have fallen to it many a times.
A lot of times we confuse 'doing a lot' with 'getting a lot done'. No.
Movement is not always progress. You can be heading "nowhere".
But being busy is the IN thing and if your body language doesn't show that then you can be called "casual".
Let's understand why people want to be Busy:
- Let's start with the obvious one. Being Productive. Being busy is a natural metric for productivity.
- It's a measure of how important one is. It bolsters the false ego of being important and in a way indispensable. But we all know the world existed before us and will exist after we are gone.
- It's a great Escape mechanism. A couple of years ago when I didn't want to face the real questions about what am I doing with my life or what's the meaning or purpose for existence, I was spending more hours at work or working so that I don't have to answer these questions. I took a pause. Reflected. I achieved more in the subsequent years than before.
- FOMO - FOMO is nothing but a Millennial version of Inferiority complex. We want to be in many things not because we fear missing out but because we want to show that we can be there as well. When you give up the need for validation you'll automatically do away with the tag of FOMO.
- Curse of being in a digital era and being available 24*7. Add FOMO to that, it's a perfect recipe for disaster. There is a pride in being available and responding to everything before anyone else does.
- Genuine need arising out of situations to make ends meet. Respect such people who got to do double shifts to take care of families.
- What else to do? - this one is a dangerous slope. With so many options available we have forgotten staying still. Doing nothing. Imagining. Being creative. Going out of comfort zone.
- Excuse - This one is my personal favourite. Ask me why I can't find 30 mins to work out, I'll tell you how busy I'm 😁
Each of us have experienced these in some way or the other. Some of us would have accepted this to be our fate. I find this to be a very sad way of living. I have unsubscribed myself from this "way of being".
As usual, let me tell you what I'm doing to #MindMyBusyness":
- I have my Me time. I do what I like. Sing, record, listen to blues or classical, read or write. Sometimes do nothing and not regret that.
- To the best possible extent I try to plan my day
- I say No to things that I don't think add value to me
- I'm building myself to reach a stage where I earn with my mind and not with my time. I dream of working 20 hours a week and earn 10000 dollars.
- Stopped worrying about called "Casual" 🙂
As at work, so in life, it helps to maintain a Must do, good to do, never to do list. Spending time and energy only on the must do. At worst, good to do. Life is short. Don't make it miserable 🙂
PS: If you like this blog, I'd love to hear from you. So, please drop a comment, or hit the like button. Help me to build my network by subscribing and sharing this with your network to subscribe.
Pic courtesy: Florian Wehde (Unsplash)
Idea inspired from https://www.sloww.co/