For instance, when you see an old friend and ask how they’re doing, they will often tell you how busy they are. Busy seems to have turned into something like a badge of honor. That’s a mistake. To me, busy means that you haven’t figured out yet what is truly important. Busy means you are lousy at saying no. Busy often means that you make everything a priority, which ultimately means that nothing is a priority.
Nir Eyal, in his new book Indistractable1, brings forward the idea that if you’re always distracted, maybe you don’t think the work you’re doing is the best expression of your values. You don’t think the work is worth it.
I feel that a lot of what “busy” is for me, is distraction happening so I don’t really focus on the work at hand. Then I feel stressed out and…I’m busy. Days I stay focused, I don’t feel busy and I don’t feel stressed out.
I recently saw a sign on my daughter’s preschool that said: “Do more of what makes you happy”
Are you doing what makes you happy? What step this week are you going to take to change that?
- I was given an advanced reader copy for free ↩